Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-07-10
MIR. SMITHS ADVENTURE.
Thrilling Story of a Pirate Crew.


fore the High Court of Admiralty. The
prisoner who stood arraigned, and who
was liable, if convicted, to the penalty of
death, had passed through series OF
mishaps and adventures stranger than nc
ton, and onlv rivaled by the career of
some of dumas heroes. Involuntarly
the associate of crew of murderers and
buccaneers, whose deeds were such as to
strike terror into every merchant skip
per's heart, the prisoner, Aaron Smith,
now stood at criminal bar, and had to
prove to jury that his companionship
among pirates had been compulsory. On
that proof his life hung on that sharp
December day. To nation like Eng
land, rich in merchant shipping, and de-
irving from it enormous wealth, the crime
OF piracy was always heinous one. Far
back as the twenty-eighth year of Henry
Wills reign, a statute had made robbery
on the high seas punishable with death
and loss of lands. When to this robbery
murder, in its most cruel form, was add
ed, it is evident that to Englishmen the
| crime and the criminals became so hate
full as to be hunted down on every chance
The reports of the atrocities of the West
India thieves had come, ever and anon,
across the ocean to England, and had
reused the hate and fear and honest
| wrath.
The risk which Aaron Smith ran was
very dangerous one. He was acquitted,
however, for his story, which, during the
space of some hours, held court, Jury and
| LODI NV, Sn%o
marked by the signs of truth. He called
twenty witnesses to testify to his humani-
ty and honesty. The girl to whom he
was betrothed, whose beauty attracted
general admiration, proved that their
marriage would have long taken place
had not the prisoner been detained
abroad. The tears of the young lady and
the emotion of the prisoner touched those
present as sincere tokens of grief and
Aaron Smith was held deeply-injured
man and set free. He drew up a little
volume called ''The Atrocities of the
Pirates" containing very simple and
very unvarnlshed record of his adventures,
and which was published in 1924. In
June, 1921, Aaron Smith left in the war
ship Harrington for the West Indies.
There he stayed, having left the ship for
some time, engaged in various pursuits,
when he1. became engagedi as first mate
of the brig Zephyr, Mr.. Lumsden being
master. On the goth of June the voyage
to England commenced. Some days
brought the brig off Cape st. Antonio,
whence she stood eastward.
On the next day, at p. M, strange
schooner stood out from the coast of Cuba
toward the Zephyr. The master was in
formed of this by Smith and one Captain
Cowper, passenger, but obstinately re-
fused to change his course, supposing-I
presume, on the ciuis- Romanus principle
that as he bore the English flag, none
would modest him. Mr.. Lumsden was
doomed to be harshly undeceived. The
grim schooner came on swiftly, her decks
full of men and lowered boats. Next
came hoarse order to lay-to, enforced
, by volley of musketry, which increased
the rising terror of the Zephyr's master
The brig was now boarded by the pirates
} boats, which were filled with armed men
: The chief, fereclous fellow, staid in the
schooner, and had Lumsden, Cowper,
Smith and others brought before him on
his deck. His questions. in broken Eng
; fish, as to cargo, ETC., were enforced by
threats of burning the Zephyr and every
, soul belonging to her if the truth was not
told. Smith was informed by the pirate
captain that he would be kept to navigate
? the schooner. The mate entreated to be
] released, and drew a narrowing picture
of an imaginary wife and children long
8 ing for his return; but all in vain. Ulti.
mately he was forced to go aboard the
brig, collect his property and necessaries
for navigation, and return to his new mas
. ter. In the interim Lumsden and Cow
per were lashed to the pumps, and com
bustiDles placed around them and fired
to eXtort confession as to hidden treas
ure. The pirates plundered the brig, and
Smith was driven at the point of the
4 knife into the pirate schooner, and saw
| the brig and his companions sail of, leav.
S ing him in captivity.
t In due course, the schooner touched al
harbor-Rio Medias-where an evident
e understanding existed between the pirate:
e and the Spanish magistrates, and where {
+ dance took place between the crew anc
the fair ladies of the neighborhood, at the
r chief magistrates house. Our hero. com
r PEELED to share in the festivities, made the
t acquaintance of a young Spanish beauty
e Seraphina, who seems to have excited
}. reciprocal attachment in his heart. Thes,
: Arcadian delights of music and dancing
: and hobnobbing of Spanish authorize
y with corsairs were followed by the sale OF
board the schooner of the briggs cargo, tn
h love-making on Smiths part to Seraphina
: and his promises of marriage if she woult
: aid his escape, and wound up by furiou
e fight between two of the pirates, one bein;
e stabbed. Smith was ordered, despite hi
k protestations, to act as surgeon, the cap
), tain admitting no plea of ignorance, ant
y the unhappy captive had to stanuch an,
c bandage as best he could. The cause G
n the quarrel was investigated. One wound
ed man informed his captain that the 9th
# er had formed plot to assass nate him
e The crew simultaneously rushed dow1
e cut off the poor wretch's legs and arm
| it'll q blunt Ratchet, and threw him ovel
l. board. Such was Smiths first experienc
is of pirate customs, and while he still shuc
dered the captain told him this would
'e his fate if he concealed information froI
/, him.
Is The schooner cruised out to sea, and
l. last came back to harbor. Out to met
her came the chief mate, with that POI
ton of the crew who had been left behint
These were implicated in the assassin,
ton plot. A white handkerchief was hel
up to decoy them, and, when close, vo
D. ley fired among them. But one man SUI
in v1ved, and he was doomed by the car
to tain to die in the favorite fiend-like mar
q IL