Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-04-03


round him, a train laid, and a
match applied to it. The blaze
burst up, tapped the unhappy man
in its EN- brace, and, his clothes all
on fire, he fell insensible. Recov-
ering, he found himself unable 10
move, both hands and legs lacer-
ated, and, in fact, the bones lay
bare, and large blisters on various
parts of of his body.
Compassion was excited in the
heart of ono Of the crew, who
showed kindness and attention to
the unfortunate prisoner. The lat
ter in the pain he was, was made
to make sails. act as surgeon, and
even TO mount the rigging, by the
captain, whose brief fits of human
ity ended in bursts of ferocious
threats. About this time COLI
sion occurred, between some sur
vivors of the "chief mates" gang
(who lurked In the woods near the
harbor in which the schooner con-
stantly made her neadquarters)
and the crew. The friendly mag
istrate before referred to, was
wounded and the mutilated
Smith was carried on mattress
two miles inland to the house, to
dress the officials wounds. Here
he saw the charming daughter,
Seraphina, again, and hopes of es-
cape were INDUCED In by both.
To lull suspicion, he affected re-
luctance to go ashore, which pro-
duced compulsion. One day, on
his return, one of the "gang" was
captured by the boats crew, ex-
posed to the sand-flies, half mad
dened, blindfolded, tied to a tree
and shot, ere their return to their
approving captain and comrades.
Other unhappy traitors were
made targets of, tied to trees, and
bets INDUCED in as to hitting or
missing them. All these things
Smith was compelled to witness
silently, on peril of his life, while
his own maimed. tortured limbs
forcibly reminded him of his cap
tors state of mind. A Dutch YES
sci was next captured, and her
cargo taken, while Smith was
made to act the surgeon. About
this time he met with Seraphina,
on one of his visits to her father,
and was overjoyed to learn that
she had arranged matters for
their flight. Some days elapsed,
the feverish hope in the prisoners
mind making him unable to re-
main quiet. While thus on ten
ter hooks, he witnessed another
scene of murder. The French
cook of the Dutch vessel, leased
by his captors, seized q Ratchet,
and wounded one. The rest sim
ultaneously plunged their knives
into his body, and flung him, still
breathing, overheard, Again
Smith was made to become the in
jured pirates surgeon. Two more
prizes were taken, and then the
famous Rio grew too hot to hold
the pirates. Five gunboats were
ordered down by the Governor of
Havana, fact Of which the friend
ly magistrate duly informed the
pirate captain. The corsair eluded
the fiotilla (which seems to have
shown little zeal to capture
herr, and remained for three weeks
off the Morilla, where q French
vessel was captured by her. The
pirates plundered her, cut away
her mizzen-mast and star-board
main rigging, and in this condi-
ton magnanimOusly turned her
adrift to pursue her voyage.
Returned to the old anchorage
the storm having blown over
the schooner lay inactive. The pi-
rate captain (Who, by the way, ac-
cording to his crews account. had
murdered twenty men with his
own handy fell i'll. Smith, forced
to prescribe, put opiate into some
arrowroot; and while the captain
slumbered and the crew got
drunk, stole into The canoe ofsome
fishermen who were abroad, cut
her loose, and steered for Havana.
Two nights and day in this frail
cockleshell, 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
a ship commanded by an old ac-
quaintance. went ashore. Rec
ognized by Spanish officer
who had been a prisoner on
board the schooner, the unfor-
tunate man was seized and flung
into a dungeon sWarming with
vermin, and kept prisoner for five
weeks, though a few comforts were
got for him by friendly Spaniard.
He was then handed over to the
British Admiral, who, he bitterly
M m ~ l.af inc ha1 ~ IN v.s,k - do,klo