River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-11-25


around him, train laid and a match
applied to it. The blaze burst up,
Tapped the unhappy man III its EN-
brace, and his clothes all on fire, he
fell insensible. Recovering he found
himself unable to move, both hands
and legs lacerated, and, in fact, the
bones lay bare, and large blisters on
various parts ofhis BODY.
Compassion was excited in the heart
of one of the crew, who showed kind
ness and attention to the unfortunate
prisoner. The latter in the pain he
was, was made to make sails, to act as
surgeon, and even TO mount the rig
ging, by the captain, whose brief fits of
humanity ended in bursts Of ferocious
threats. About this time a collision
occurred between some survivors of the
old "chief mates" gang (who lurkcd in
the woods near the harbor in which the
schooner constantly made her head
quarters and the crew. The friendly
magistrate before referred to was
wounded, and the mutlated Smith was
carried on mattress two miles inland
TO a house, TO dress the officials wounds.
Here he saw the charming daughter,
Seraphina again, and hopes of escape
were INDUCED in by both. To lull sus-
picion, he affected reluctance to go
ashore, which produced compulsion
One day, ON his return, one of the
gang" was captured by the boats
crew, exposed to the sand-flies, half
maddened, tied to a tree and shot, ere
their return to their approaching cap
tain and comrades.
Other unhappy traitors were made
targets of, tied to trees, and bets were
INDUCED in as to hitting or missing
them Al these things Smith was
compelled to witness silently, on peril
of his life, while his own MANNED, tor
tured limbs forcibly reminded him of
his captor's state of mind. A Dutch
vessel was next captured, and her car
go taken, while Smith was made to act
as surgeon About this time he met
| with Seraphina, on one of his visits to
her father, and was overjoyed to learn
she had arranged matters for their
flight Some days elapsed, the feverish
hope in the prisoners mind making
him unable to remain quiet. While
thus on tenter hooks, he witnessed an
other scene of murder. The French
| cook of the Dutch vessel, leased by
his captors, seized Ratchet, and
wounded one. The rest simultaneous
| ly plunged their knives into his body,
and flung him still breathing overheard.
Again Smith was made to become the
injured pirates surgeon. Two more
prizes were taken, and then the famous
I boz, lyZt i,yN1I ls
Five gunboats were ordered down by
! the governor of Havana, fact ofwhich
the friendly magistrate duly informed
the pirate captain. The Corsair eluded
the hotilla (which seems to have shown
little zeal to capture herr and remained
for three weeks off the Morilla, where
she captured French vessel. The
pirates plundered her, cut away her
mizzen mast and starboard main rig
ging, and in this condition magnani-
mously turned her adrift to pursue her
voyage.
Returned to the old anchorage-the
storm having blown over-the schoon-
er lay inactive. The pirate captain
(who, by the way, according to his own
crews account, had murdered twenty
men with his own HANDY fell i'll.
Smith, forced to prescribe, put an
opiate into some arrowroOt; and while
the captain slumbered and the crew
got drunk, stole into the canoe of some
fishermen who were on board, cut her
loose, and steered for Havana Two
nights and dav in this frail cookie
shell, he traversed the ocean, while as
he says, ''the wind blew from the
southwest, and, what appeared to me
to be special providence, continued
to do so the whole day-a thing very
unusual in that climate" He reach
ed Havana, and after boarding n ship
commanded by an old acquaintance,
went ashore. Recognized by Span
ish officer who had been prisoner on
board the schooner, the unfortunate
man was seized and flung into dungeon
swarming with vermin, and kept pris-
oner for five weeks, though few com
forts were got for him by friendly
Spaniard He was then handed over
to British admiral, who, he com
plains, had him put in double irons.
He seems to have been treated with
great severity. During the whole voy
age he was, although freed from fet-
tiers, kept with sentry over hlrl tC
prevent his speaking to any one. On
arrival home he was taken to London,
committed for trial, indicted, tried and
acquitted, the story of which we have
given the outline being so evidently
true as to convince all that Aaron
Smiths career of suffering and hard
ship was involuntary. and that his
pirate adventures were rs unavoidable
as remarkable in the history of the
| Snns