Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-20

VChovtoi. ouu tiiev now saw IOT tue HfSC TINE
That Capt. Cram had painted on the side Of the
vessel IN conspicuous white letters, each three
or four feet long, the following legend:
.'.'..'...... ...............-.....
/: THIS IS THE SCHOONER JUDAS IscARIOT ::
N.B.-GIvE HER WIDE BERTH!I :.
........s.
Hour after hour the schooner bounded along
before the northwest wind. holding to her course
as straight as an arrow. The weather continued
hne. Every time the Captain threw the log he
looked more perrlexed Eight. nine, nine and
half knots! He shook his head as he whispered
chief O. some natur or other" But the Judas
led the Pug wonderful chase and by half
past two in the afternoon. before the demijohn
which Andrew .Jachson's son Tobias had
Struggled on board was tbree-quarters empty,
and before Lawyer Swanton had more than
three-quarters finished his celebrated story
about Gov. Purnton's cork leg. the schooner
and the tug were between fifty and sixty miles
from land.
Suddenly Capt. Cram gave grunt of inteli-
genee., He pointed ahead, where blue line
Just above the horizon marked distant fog
bank ''She smeh it an she run for it. he re-
marked. sententiously. :" Time for business -
Then ensued singular ceremony. First
Capt. Cram brought the schooner to. and trans
ferred all his passengers to the tug. The wind
had shifted to the southeast and the fog was
rapidly approaching. The sails of the Judas
1scariot tapped rs she lay head to the wind;
her bows rose and fell gently under the infiu-
ence of the long swell. The Pug bObbed up and
down half hawser's length away.
Having put his guests and crew aboard the
tug, Capt. Cram proceeded to make everything
ship-shape on the decks of the schooner. He
neatly co;led a loose end of rope that had been
left in snari. He even picked up and threw
overheard the stopper of Andrew Jackson's son
Tobias demijOhn. His face wore an expression
Of unusual solemnity. The people on the tug
watched his movement eagerly. but silently.
Next ne tied one end of short rope to the
wheel, and attached the other end loosely by
means OF running b0wline to cleat upon the
rail. Then he wasseen to take up an axe and to
disappear down the companionway. Those on
the tug distinctly heard several crashing blows.
In moment the Captain reappeared on deck,
walked deliberately to the wheel, brought the
schooner around so that her sails flied. pulled
the running bOwline taut, and fastened the rope
with several half stitches around the cleat. thus
lashing the helm, jumped into dOry, and sculed
over to the tug.
Left entirely to herself, the schooner rolled
once or twice. tossed few bucketsfull of water
over dancing bows and started off toward the
South Atlantic. But Capt Trumbull Cram,
standing in the bow of the tugboat, raised his
hand to command silence and pronounce the
following farewell speech, being sentence, death
warrant and funeral Grafton all in one:
:" amt advancin' no theory to count for her
cnssedness. You all know the Judas Mebbe
thar was too much fore an aft to her. Mebbe
the lnickerty OF the vessel s in the fore an aft.
and the yartue in the squar' rggin' Mebbe
two masts acds masts enough Let that go;
bygOnes is bygones. Yonder she goes. carryin'
all sail on top. two hundred n odd ton O. stone
fence in her holt. an q hole good two foot acrost
stove in her belly. The way of the transgressor
is hard. Don't you see her settlin'? 1t should be
lesson, my friends. for US to profit by; there's
an end to the longsufferin'est mercy and I'M
less o, yer maxim straight for the fog.
are YEP Well, it's your last fog bank. The
bottom of the sea 8 the flrst port you'll fetch,
you critter. you! Git. and be ID to ye"
This, the only occasion on which Capt. Cram
was ever known to say such word, was after
of the congregational church at Newaggen and
the committee, after bordering all the circum-
stances underWhch the word was uttered, voted
unanimously to take no action.
Meanwhile, the fog had shut in around the
tug, and the Judas Iscariot was lost to view
The tug was put about and headed for home.
The damp wind chilled everybody through and
through. Little was said. The contents of the
demijohn had long been exhausted. From
distance to the south was heard at intervals the
hOarse whistling of an ocean steamer.
81 hope that feller's well underwrit," said the
Captain, grimly. "fOr the Judas'll never 60 down
afOre she's sarched him outn sunk him."
And was the abandoned schooner ever heard
or" l asked. when my, informant had reached
this point in the narrative.
The Captain took me by the arm and led me
out Of the grocery store down to the rocks.
Across the mouth of the small cove back of his
house, blocking the entrance to bis wharf and
fish-house. was stretched skeleton wreck.
''Thar she lays" he said, pointing to the
blackened ribs. ft'That's the Judas Did yer
suppose she'd sink in deep water, where she
could do no more damage? No. sir. not if all
the rocks on the coast of Maine was piled onto
her, and her hull bottom knocked clean out.
She come home TO roost. She come sixty mile
in the teeth of the wind. When the tug got back
next mOrnin' thar lay the Judas Iscariot acrost
my cove, with her jibbo0m stuck through my
kitchen Winder. say schoOners has souIs