The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-01-08
TROUBLE ABROAD.

Some years ago ran an old schooner
out of Mobile. She was small craft
not more than 1870 tons burlcn-and had
originally come from some Northern port.
| called her the Eutaw, and made many
profitable runs along the coasts of the
Gulf, and two or three times doubled
the capes of Florida
While we lay at Mobile taking in a
load for New Orleans, two of the most
desperate villains in Alabama were appre-
hended. Their names were Adolph Ie-
roy and Matt Nickers, and they had com
mitted good many robberies and more
than one murder in the country between
the big rivers They were dyed in the
Jail at Mobile, and as soon rs they were
thus secure the evidence came in against
them fast and strong; the number Of bur
glaries and highway robberies they had
committed was almost beyond compute,
and at least five murders were fastened
upon them. But one morning it was
found that the prisoners had escaped, and
those who had been so free to testify
against them turned pale when they re-
ceived the information, and turned away in
mortal terror. reward of $4,000 was
offered for their recapture, or $4,000 for
one Of them. But they were not to be
found. No one had seen them, and no
traces of them could be discovered.
On the second day after the escape of
these rascals | was ready to sail, and got
under way about 3 O'Clock in the after
noon. NY crew consisted OF only myself
and my too sons, Stephen and John.
Stephen was twenty years old and Jack
eighteen, and they were both stout,
rugged boys. Our runs were SO short
that | found this crew enough, though
very frequently took one or two more
hands. But on this occasion We had
promise of a quick, fair passage, and we
three concluded to run her through. We
had fair wind for a start and run down
the bay at a good rate, opening the pas
sage between the Dauphin and Mobile
Point a little after sin We were Just
passing the lighthouse, and ! had the
helm, when sung out to the boys to stand
by the sheets. Stephen went to the main
sheet, but didn't see Jack. | waited a
few minutes, and then sang out again.
Presently the boy came up from the fore
peak, but instead Of going to the sheet
he came aft, and was Just going to tell
him to go back to the fore-sheet, when |
discovered that he looked kind o startled
and fearful.
"What is it 2" says |, forgetting the
sheets: for knew that when one OF my
BOYS showed quiverng lip there was
something more than ordinary to pay.
He put his fingers to his lips and told
me to speak low. For" said he, ''we've
got passengers aboard
IIa-runaway negroes p says L.
"Not quite so simple returned Jack,
with dubious shake OF the head.
"We've got two villains aboard"
"What two?"
"Lerov and Nickers
"Get out" said |, thinking he must be
Joking.
Father" said he-and when he spoke
father in that way knew there was
nothing but sober seriousness in what was
to come after it-"I tell you they're
aboard this schooner. They're in the hold,
chock for'rd and what's more, they
mean to come out when we get well ont
side. I've heard it all"
| steered straight out and listened to
Jack, for | knew it must be as he said.
We had no forecastle parted off from the
hold, as all Of us that ever wanted passage
had plenty OF room in the cabin; but we
had fore peak parted off, chock In be
tween the bows, where we slowed all rig
ging and tar buckets and such kind of
stuff. While we were running down,
Jack had gone into this place to pick out
some rope yarn, and as he found an easy
seat upon an old sail, he sat down there,
with his head against the bulkhead, and
began to unlay piece of rope for the
warns. He had not been at work a great
while before he hear.l a noise among the
boxes in the hold, and after listening
few minutes he knew that somebody was
in there. lie knew it could not be either
| or Stephen, for he had heard us both on
deck; so he thought it must be a negro.
Presently he heard voice and then an
answer. There were too of them-and
they were white, too. Jack sat as still as
a mouse, with his ear to the thin bulk
head. and he could hear nearly all that
was said. He soon discovered that they
were the two villains who had escaped
from the lookup in Mobile, and that they
meant to kill us and throw us overheard
as soon as we got outside and then make
a run across the Gulf to Cuba.
AS soon as / heard Jacks story knew
it was all just 30, for he could repeat the
very words they had spoken. They had
crawled into the hold two nights before,
and as they had commenced to fill up
forward before that they had not been