Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-06-27

hauling my bag, / heard strange,
smothered sound, as of some one in great
distress, and this sound was followed by
the shrill CRY of murder, which ran thro'
the trigate and startled every one on the
gun-deck. I turned hastily and saw two
men-both of them NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ing big Dobbins in most furious man
ner.
These two men had seen the giant de-
scend from the gun-deck to the berth
deck; they had quietly slipped down af-
ter him, seized his jacket by his collar,
drawn it over his face and head, and then
given it to him right and left with their
| fists.
As soon as Dobblns yelled murder
half-a- dozen midshipmen came running
to the rescue. while the two assailants
darted up the ladder to the gun-deck
but they were not quick enough to es-
cape recognition by the foremost mid
shipmen. Their names were immediate
ly called by boatswaln's mate, the ruff
fes were placed on their wrists, and they
were consigned to the brig to await trial
by court martial. The offence was a
serious one; attacking your superior Off
Ger is call mutiny in the navy.
These two men were tried and sem
fenced to receive one Hundred lashes
each, on the bare back. with the CATO
nine tails.
AS for Big Dobbins, both his eyes
were BACKED, and his face was swelled to
twice its usual size.
The two cnlprits bore their punishment
without flnching or complaining; and,
two days afterward Big Dobbins, on GO
ing to his chest, found it full of coal tar.
All his clothes were completely ruined.
No one knew who committed this bastard
ly act, but every one could guess. Poor
Dobbins sat down by his open chest sur
veying the ruin of all his little property,
the picture of despair.
From that hour Big Dobbins never
smiled. Indeed, he was not a smiling
man One would almost as soon have
expected the features of the stone image
in front Of st. Paul's to relax into smile
as that doleful couutenance which sur
mounted the shoulders of Big Dobblns.
In few days Dobbins was missed. No
one could not tell what had become of
Dobbins. Had he deserted? "Yes,"
was the general answer. Finding him
self prosecuted by the crew, and hated
alike by crew and officers, it was thought
he had left US in disgust.
Another boatswain's mate took his
place on the gun deck, but Dobbins had
left great hole in the air which his sue
cessor but partially filed.
But few days passed when some of
us were out in the launch getting up a
cage. At not very great distance
from us we perceived there was some
thing on the surface of the water, which
attracted the notice of the birds, who
kept diving down, rising In the air, and
then alighting again, till quite swarm
Of them were gathered there. The men
took little notice of it; but, when We had
finished our work, the midshipman in
command of the boat gave orders to head
for the place where the birds were flock
ing In such great numbers.
As we approached the spot the
birds rose from the water, giving us
full view of the object floating on the
surface. It was the blue, swollen corpse
of Big Dobbins.
The body was taken on board the fri
gete, wrapped in the American flag, and
deposited on the larboard side of the
gun deck, where, when living, the de-
ceased had been accustomed to pursue
his daily walk.
No one went to view the remains.
There was no Marc Anthony to mourn
the death Of this Caesar. He was soon
buried on the Island of San Lorenzo, at
the mouth of the harbor Of Callao, where
more than dozen of our crew were al
ready sleeping in their sandy graves.
Whether Dobbins committed suicide
or fell overheard accidentally will never
be known. Some of the crew whispered
their suspicion that he had been gagged
during the night amp thrown overheard.
At any rate, it is very strange that the
sentinel on duty at the gangway never
perceived his plunge into the wathr. Per.
haps he did, perceive it, and kept his own
council, for Big Dobbins had no friends
on board that frigate.