The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-07-15
THRILLING ADVENTURE,
MANIAC CAPTAIN AND A CABIN BOY
AFLoAT ON LAKE ONTARIO IN AN
OPEN BOAT.

OPEN BOAT.
On Saturday morning about 6 o'clock
the captain of the steamer Empress of
India, in coming mp the lake, and when
about fifteen miles east of Toronto, sight
ed small boat to the southwark. In
the boat were discovered two persons
who were waving their coats in the air
and shouting at the top of their voices,
evidently with the object of attracting
the attention of those on board the steam
er. The captain at once called the mate,
and headed the steamer for the craft,
cut of which they quickly got the occu-
pants, whom they took on board the
s:eamer. They then bore away for this
dty, whittier they were bound, towing
he small boat astern. The rescued ones
proved to be Captain Maurice Fitzgerald.
Iof the schooner Mercie E. Hall, and a
lad about II years of ago, named William
Clarkson, one of her crew, and the boat
was the yawl of that vessel. They both
seemed quite exhausted and completely
irenched with water, the boat being al
most half filled when they were picked
lp. Captain Fitzgerald and his compan-
ion were as quickly as possible provided
with refreshments, of which they par
took in a manner that betokened long
fast.
After the cravings of hunger had been
satisfied the captain commenced wild
md incoherent story.
He averred that he had been chased
While in the yawl by pirates, who kept
Up steady Ere on him with needle guns.
de had seen light on the lake, and
leard voices calling, "Sailor, come here!"
There is one of the pirate boats now"
lie said to the mate, Mr.. Alderman, who,
However, failed to see the obiecSpointed
but by the strange captain, who, more
'ver, stated that while on his own schoon-
" his crew had conspired to rob him of
$50 and then murder him afterwards.
some of them were in favor of cutting
Jim up and packing him in barrel,
Fhile others, less ceremonious, were for
imply throwing him overheard. All
hese statements he called upon the boy
o corroborate. cautioning him to tell the
ruth, even if he (the boy1 should impli-
ate himself, and even if it would Grub
lin pretty hard"
The boy, who was nearly scared to
death when picked up, told an entirely
different tale, of which the following is
the substance: The Mercle E. Hall left
Oswego on Thursday last, "fying light"
bound for this port, and the variable and
adverse winds she met so retarded her
progress up the lake that it took her
until Friday evening to get within the
distance of some fifty miles of her desti-
nation. The captain, the boy went Oh
TO say, had been drinking very heavily
for about two weeks, and had left Oswego
with scarcely any provisions, SO that they
subsisted on the passage almost entirely
on potatoes. At s o'clock on Friday
evening the captain came on deck, went
forward, picked up "norman" Ga large
iron bolt to insert in the windless to keep
the cable in its place thereon when they
Gle go anchor y and walking aft, also
sei1d an AK. He then went aloft the
man rigging to the crosstrees, where he
KEPT waving the ak and norman in either
hara, vowing that he would kill any one
who would attempt to come near him.
He .lso threatened to cut away the main
haIprds and let the sail down by the run.
AftG some considerable time, the boy
narntes, the captain came down on deck,
and, about twenty minutes to two on
Saturday morning, ordered him into the
yawl He then cammanoed to cut the
tackEs which suspended the boat to the
davit, The mate tried to prevent him,
but got knocked down with the norman,
SO the man succeeded in getting the boat
into the water, not, however, without
partly filling her with water. At first
the captain tied him (the boy) to the bow
of th. boat, but after a time released him,
saying, ''Oh, this is you. is it, Willie ?"
The boy at once went aft and seized the
only oar they had and sculled for dear
life br the north shore in the hope that
he would be picked up by some vessel.
The poor lad was nearly exhausted when
rescued, and could hardly have held out
much longer. Under the circumstances
be behaved very coolly, for he was in
fear every moment that the captain would
hsain him with the ak or throw him
overheard.
Captain Fitzgerald was arrested, as
appears in Saturdays police report, and
was remanded until to-day. The unfor-
tunate man was suffering from an attack
of delirium tremens, which accounts for
his extraordinary conduct.