Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-10
A HUNGRY REBEL.


TX. f.-t.
NEW Your .ae 5.---.,. ,u marines
paced up ,to,yn the deck of the brig
Ambrose Light after its arrival at the
navy yard to-day, and carefully guarded
the vessel in double sense. Below, lying
in a bunk, was the real cause Of the sur
veillance the shadow of once powerful
negro. The man was a prisoner under
"A guard which he could not hope TO es-
/ cape, were ne in his normal condition, but
/ which seemed unusually strong for such a
miserable wreck. Seldom did word es-
/ cape the prisoners lips. He simply lay
there like wild beast that had been hunted
down. His big eyes looked like balls of
fire, and followed every movement OF the
guards. When he did mutter a word it
was unintelligible to those WHO heard IL,
being evidently "a Spanish jargOn. Con-
yersation with him was carried on by
signs, as English was as great a mystery
to him as his utterances were to the ma
rines. This individual was the marvel of
the navy yard all day. His coming
was unexpected and unannounced,
but he is likely to be prominent
yet. The Ambrose Light upon which
he lies is the brig which the
Alliance captured off Cartagena, Cen
trail America. When captured there
were about fifty armed men on board, who
were recognized and treated as insur-
gents. With the exception of the COM
handing officer and this lieutenant, the
insurgents were handed over TO the tender
mercies of the Colombian authorities.
The brig was then placed in charge of
prize crew from the Alliance, who
brought it safely to the navy yard
yesterday morning. No event OF any
Importance served to break the mOnotony
of the voyage of forty-one days,
h1f . rbon
startling discovery was made. The son
OF Gunner Wilson was down in the hold
searching about for an article, when he
discovered the PROSTATE form of a negro
lying between two casks. The stowaway
was almost skeleton, and was go weak
that he could hardly move. The boy inn
mediately informed his father, and Wilson
went down to investigate. He found the
negro and addressed him without
faint shake of the head. The I'M
fortunate man presented a distress
ing picture Of physical suffering. His
cheeks were sunken in to such an extent
that the cheek-bOnes looked as if they
would almost burst through their thin
covering of black skin. HIS fine white
teeth protruded beyond his heavy lips,
and lent CHASTITY aspect to the face that
is seldom seen in a living person. Deep
in their sockets the sunken eyes, still
bright with the light of determination,
one moment looked defiant and the
next appealing. The haunted look,
the gaunt figure and pinched face
were all eloquent, not only of the ravages
made by famine, but of the desperate fight
the man had made to keep the vital spark
from dying out. Owing to his weakened
condition the negro could hardly stand
when assisted TO mis- feet, and the stall
wart gunner picked him up bodily and
carried him up the hatchway. When
brought into the full light of the sun,
the stOwaway was recognized as one OF
the rebels who formed the crew of the brig
when it was captured in Central Ameri-
can waters. Fearful of the fate which he
judged awaited him, If turned over TO the
Colombian authorities. he had concealed
himself in the hold. How he managed to
exist for the forty-one days is a mystery.
He was placed under arrest in the mean
time, and towards evening was in a fair
way to recover the strength which he had
lost during his terrible StruQplR