The Worthington advance., 1880-10-07
BOTANY BAY SAM
A Tale Of Valparaiso.

| Tale Of Valparaiso.
BT WILLIAM coxsTocK.
The American frigate Brandywine,
Commodore Jones, and the British fripate
Thetis, Captain Bingham, lav in the har
Dor of Valparaiso. Every Sunday a nor
ton of the crews of these two frigates
went on shore; the dancing halls we're
filed and the fiddle squeaked.
Although merriment was carried to the
greatest height. and much aguardente, "a
very bad whiskey) was arank, yet it was
very seldom that any row and qaarrell.
ing took place. It seemed to be tacitlv
understood that when the sailors met on
shore on sunday, for the purpose of rec
reation and amusement, nothing but
good fellowship should prevail, and as the
sailors spent their money freely among
the natives, the latter always seemed dis
posed to greet the former in friendly
manner.
There were two conical hills to which
the sailors had given the names of Mair.
top and Foro-top. On the summit of
these hills, on the very apex, were the
principal places of resort tor seamen,
where they drank, danced or took tempo
rary board.
The Iheuse on Main-top was quite
large establishment, and was kept bv
"Black Sam,' colored man, who had
been servant to DR.. Valentine Mott, of
New York, and who could tell many an.
ecdotes Of that celebrated physician.
Lower down were two public houses,
and Martin Wolff kept saloon near the
bottom of Fore-top.
These houses were visited only by for
elgners, save that occasionally q Young
Spanish girl dropped in to take drink
and converse with such seamen as chanc-
ed to be present.
Such was the state Of things in Valpa~
rlaso, or that part of the town most tre-
quented by seamen, when a new saloon
was opened about hundred yards below
the establishment of Black Sam.
The man who opened this new saloon
or clearinghouse, was a little fellow
about twenty-five years of age, dressed
IN navy blue, and making no pretensions
either to education or social standing.
Indeed, his pretenslons were so modest,
and he had SO little to say about his an
tecedents, that a story was soon circulat.
cd about his being an escaped convict
from Botany Bay. As he never took any
pains to suppress that report, it was soon
regarded as fact, and he went by the
name Of "Botanv Bay SAM
At first this new Ian ]lorG drew little
custom, but the disco> ~ was soon made
that he kept good liquor, and that his ia.
BILE was much better supplied than those
Of other landlords. Two noted dwellers
on Main-top left their boarding houses
and took up their abode with Botany
Bay Sam. One Of them, known by the
sobriquet of "Bolivar," who had lost
leg when engaged under Cockrane in cut
ting out Spanish frigate from the har-
Dor of Callao, and the other an English
man, who had also been wounded in the
Patriot service, were in receipt Of regu-
lar pension from the government. If they
lett the country they would lose their
pension; therefore they remained in VAL
paraiso.
But, if Botany Bay Sam was in -four
ishing condition, such was not the case
with one class who, it was observed, had
come to grief pretty generally. This
class was the runaways or deserters
from the various vessels in the harbor,
and particularly those who deserted from
the British trigatc. Attention was drawn
to this subject by the cries which reach
ed the ears Of the seamcn who lived near
the beach, which cries proceeded from
tho captured deserters who were recciv-
ing their punishment with the cat o. nine
tails at the gangway of the Thet,s.
The subject was much talked OF by
sailors congregated in the saloon Of Bot
any Bay Sam, especially as the latter
was known to be great patron and pro.
tcctor Of deserters. 1t soon came to be
noticed, however, that Bolivar, who
boarded with Sam, took little part IN
these conversations, and it was even hint.
ed that he looked as if he knew more
about the matter than he chose to tell.
But Sam himself, was loud in condem.
nation of the captain and officers of the
British trlgate, and often asserted that
whoever betrayed dcserters for "blood
money" ought to be hung by the heels
and skinned alive.
Strangely, therefore, it sounded when
it began to he whispered about that one
John Edwards, who had left the Thetis,
and had taken shelter under the wing of
Botany Bay Sam, had been captured on
| the same night, and been taken on board
the frigate in irons.
The question was asked, how could
the officers of the Thetis have so soon dis
covered the whereabouts Of the runawav2
Bolivar was called upon and requested to
tell all he knew of the circumstances at
tending the desertion Ind capture of Ed
wards. He was not at all communica-
tive; he seemed very unwilling to talk
about the affair. This was deemed bad
omen. Suspicion darkened, and very
savage glances were cast at Botany Bay
Sam. But perhaps no conclusion could
have been arrived at, if Martin Wolff had
not advised the seamen to ply Bolivar
with liquor. That was done, and the
gallant seaman, when drunk, confessed
that Sam had sold Edwards to the cap.
tain of the frigate.
The confession of Bolivar meant
great deal more than was at first supposed;
and little reflection convinced the en-
ragged seamen that Sam, having been en-
trusted with knowledge Of all the
hiding places where deserters secIeted
themselves, had betrayed not only Ed.
wards, but all the other runaways who
had been captured.
Angry growls and threats surrounded
the house of Botany Bay Sam. He pro
tested his innocence, but little attention
was paid to what he said, and finally, on
one dark night, crowd beset his estab~
lishment for the purpose of dragging
him out and subjecling him to
the terrible asperitles of lynch
law. But just as one stout fellow
had beaten in the door, and during the
brief lull IN the tumult which succeeded
their first act of violence, the meb heard
the regular, short, jerky stroke of the
man. .of-war oars, giving notice that
boat from the frigate was rapidly ap-
preaching the shore. Nothing could be
seen in the darkness, but the noise made
by the oars in the ar-locks denoted that
somebody was coming who meant bnsi