Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1880-10-07
BOTANY BAY SAM.
A Tale Of Valparaiso.
By WILLIAM coMsToCK.

BY WILLIAM ooMsToCK.
The American frigate Brandywine,
Commodore Jones, and the British frigste
Thetis, Captain Bingham, lay in the har
Dor of Valparaiso. Every Sunday por-
ton of the crews of these two frigates
went on shore; the danelng-halls were
filled and the fiddle squeaked.
Although merriment was carried to the
greatest height. and much aguardente, "a
very bad whiskeyl was drank, yet it was
very seldom that any row and quarrell-
ing took place. 1t seemed to be tacitly
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 a friendly
manner.
There were two conical hills to which
the sailors had given the names of Maip.
top and Fore-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 lheuse on Main-top was quite a
large establishment, and was kept by
'sBlack SAM colored man, who had
been a 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 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-
riaso, or that part of the town most fire.
quented by seamen, when new saloon
was opened about hundred yards below
the establishment of Black Sam.
The man who opened this new saloon
or clearinghouse, was little fellow
about twenty-five years of age, dressed
In navy blue, and making no professions
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
ed about his being an escaped convict
from Botany Bay. As he never took any
pains to suppress that report, it was soor
regarded as fact, and he went by the
name of Botany Bay Sam -
At first this new landlord drew little
custom, but the discovery was soon made
that he kept good liquor, and that his ia
, BILE was much better supplied than thos'
of other landlords. Two noted dweller
on Main-top left their boarding house.
and took up their abode with Botan,
Bay SAM One Of them, known by tn
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 tn
Patriot service, were in receipt of a regu
lar pension from the government. If the,
left the country they would lose the1
pension; therefore they remained in Val
r paraiso.
But, if Botany Bay Sam was in -four
v ishing condition, such was not the Cas-
D with one class who, it was observed, hat
!, come to grief pretty generally. Thu
q class was the runaways or deserter
from the various vessels in the harbol
). and particularly those who deserted fron
l the British frigate. Attention was draw
= to this subject by the cries which reach
a ed the ears of the seamen who lived nea
It the beach, which cries proceeded fron
:. the captured deserters who were receiv
: ing their punishment with the cat-o-nine
: tails at the gangway of the Thetls.
d The subject was much talked of b,
sailors congregated in the saloon of Bot
y any Bay Sam, especially as the latte
e was known to be great patron ana pre-
e tector of deserters. It soon came to
9 noticed, however, that Bolivar, VIII
g boarded with Sam, took little part j
b these conversations, and it was even him
= ed that he looked as if he knew MOI
t. about the matter than he chose to tel
But Sam himself, was loud in condem
le nation Of the captain and officers of til
y British fr1gate, and often asserted ths
t. whoever betrayed deserters for "bloo
d money ought to be hung by the heel
l. and skinned alive.
r Strangely, therefore, it sounded whe
it began to be whispered about that on
John Edwards, who had left the Theft
and had taken shelter under the wing {
Botany Bay Sam, had been captured o
e. the same night, and been taken on boar
d the frigate in irons.
< The question was asked, how coul
e. the officers of the Thetis have 30 soon di
er covered the whereabouts of the runaway
ln1 Bolivar was called upon and requested
Up tell all he knew of the circumstances q
" tending the desertion and capture Of E,
b. wards. He was not at all commune
b, tive; he seemed very unwilling to tai
be about the affair. This was deemed q bs
n omen. Suspicion darkened, and vel
ne savage glances were cast at Botany Bl
n Sam. But perhaps no conclusion cou
Id have been arrived at, if Martin Wolff hs
IN not advised the seamen to ply Boliv
1g with liquor. That was done, and Il
or, gallant seaman, when drunk, confess
Ee, that Sam had sold Edwards to the ca
n tain of the frigate.
n, The confession Of Bolivar meant
great deal more than was at first suppose
it and little reflection convinced the G
ragged seamen that Sam, having been G
&c trusted with a knowledge Of all t
ar- hiding places where deserters secret,
nd themselves, had betrayed not only e
y, wards, but all the other runaways wi
OF had been captured.
an Angry growls and threats surrounds
IN the house of Botany Bay Sam. He pl
nd tested his innocence, but little attenti
to- was paid to what he said, and finally,
M one dark night, crowd beset his esta
lishment for the purpose of draggi
NC him out and subjecting him
at the terrible asperities of lyn
lin law. But just as one stout felix
in had beaten in the door, and during I
YER brief lull In the tumult which succeed
nd their first act of violence, the meb hea
sb- the regular, short, jerky stroke Of I