The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-07-17
q bright hight flashed ont ashore.


made by burning resin, which we used
to signal ships with at night. Hunt
jumped to the deck and threw his cigar
overheard. He said hurriedly: "Lower
boat. Captain" We pulled straight
for where the light has allowed, and
reached the boat just below hurry 4
Norton's wharf. There we're three men
there. One was Murray himself, and
one was big. portIy, middle-aged
man, with a clean shaved face. He
wore a slouch hat, pulled down over
bis eyes, a rough blue woolen shirt and
dark pautaloons. He had no coat.
There were three handsome silver or
! nickle mounted valises on the beach at
his feet.
Hunt landed and said something ]
could not hear, sitting i'll the boat,
Murray aud his companion shook hands
with the middle-aged man and with
Hunt, aud wished them good>by and
pleanant voyage. Mckay put the
valises into the boat, and Hunt and the
/ other man got in. He sat in the stern,
and was so heavy that he almost
swamped the gig When we pushed
off Murray called to me:
"You know your orders, Captain.
Don't make any mistake"
"He won't if I know myself" said
Hunt, and we rowed off, leaving them
watching us. The man in the stern
never said word after we started.
As soon as we got on board Hunt and
tho other passenger went into the cabin.
ordered the anchor to be hove short,
and f,llowed them. The middle e-aged
man was sitting on the sofa, with his
hat on yet. mopping his face with a
blue silk handkerchief. Hunt said.
Captain, let me introduce you to
Uncle. > ohm Secoi."
We shook hands. Uncle John saying
without raising, "glad to meet you,
Captain" and taking his hat off. I
knew him at glance, from his pictures
in the papers. "It was Bill Tweed.
We were we'll ont to sea by daylight.
Tweed began to be seasick the minute
we struck rough water. He was about
the sickest man I ever saw, and was as
helpless as a baby. When we got clear
of the Bahamas, Hunt told me they
had concluded to land at Santiago de
Cuba. They had settled on that place
from book they had brought on board
It was called "West India Pickles" +"
Among the places described in "West
India Pickles" was Santiago de Cuba.
Tweedshad taken a fancy to it from the
description, but when he found another
Of Matanzas he did not know which to
choose. Hunt favored Santiago. So
they made toss mp of it, with the head
of a twenty dollar piece for Santiago
and the tail for Matanzts. Head won
was naturally curious to know how
they were fixed for money, but got very
little satisfaction ou that score. The
three valises were filled with linen and
4 few old suits of clothes Of Hunts 3,
but i'll one was Russian leather satch-
el, With straps to sling it over the
shoulders, aul it was full Of something
There was n leather writing case, slmi-
larly fixed for carrying. Hunt had Il
moncy belt around his waist. The
only weapon saw was little Remiug.
ton revolver. which Hunt carried.
On the 3Oth of April. sixteen days
out, We weathsred Cape Maysi, and
began to think of the end of the voy.
age. had never beeu to Santiago de
Cuba, 80 1 overhauled my book of sail
Ing directions, and we held council OF
war. We found from the book and
chart that there was a little river empty
ing into the sea, about four miles from
Santiago harbor. 1t is a lovely place,
only visited foi fresh water 10y occasion.
al ships. There Tweed determined to
60 ashore, so We rau for that point
We had head wings and an ugly sea,
and did not raise the coast till after
dark op She LIST of May. l ran in rs
close as I dared, aud cleared the boat
which bad been housed on the deck, 70,
lowering. We were laying to at the
time, and the night was very thick and
black, indeed. Tweed and Hunt were
below packing the few thugs they in
tended to take ashore into one va'ise
1t was midnight. Hunt had brough!
the valise on deck. Tweed had the
, satchel slung to him. Hunt carried
the writing cose. They spoke togethe,
in low voices on the opposite side OF
the deck from me. Then Hunt went
into the cabin aud called me down.
He had roll of something in his
right hand. He put his hand out and
grasped mine. I felt the bank notes &
pressed into my palm. and he said,
''Stuff them into your pocket. Captain,
and say no more about it. Is the boat
raady?'
"It is."
Here's fifty dollars. The cid man
wants you to share it among the crew.
You can have those two valises. They
! are OF no use to us.
This money was in gold five-dollar
pieces He laid it on the cabin tab.e,
ard I left it there. We got into the
boat. with two men at the oars and
pulled for the shore. The schooner was
laid to within a mile of the shore. but
though we could hear the sea breaking,
We could not see the land. A sort Of
fog was drifting ont from the mapgrove
swamps ashore, and between it and the
wind it was so chilly that it made us
shiver. Tweed now had coat on