The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-11-13

lhC young man was on ueCk. TIC Junpeu
down into the forecastle and shouted,
'Piratesp Then he hauled me out of my
bunk.
"'Out with your gun, says he.
1T amt loaded, says |.
eyes it is, he said, and sure enough
found it was when pulled it from un-
der my mattress. Then went on deck.
The captain and the supercargo were
storming about ordering the men first
one way and then the other and making
a great mess of attempting to point the
nine FOUNDER we had amilships at the
sloop. While the men worked the
young sailor called one of them to one
side and asked him if he was ready for
the fight, and was told that he was.
Then the young man came to me and
whispered that it wouldn't be much
OF a fight, but that l should stay near
the fore rigging, and whenever
the sloop sent boat over to us to
fire into it. Just then a big jet of flame
burst from the side Of the sloop and a
cannon ball whir!ed through the main.
topsail and carried away the foretopsail
yard to leeward. Then the captain and
the supercargo shouted together, offer.
ing to surrender, and begging for quar-
ter. In reply, they were grutily told to
hold their tongues. A few minutes later
a long boat with six men in it started for
the brig, and was soon almost alongside.
Then the young sailor turned to his COM
panion and said:
"'Now. They both fired big pistols
at the boat, and one man in it fell over
into the water.
"'Quick fire at her, yelled the young
man to me. AT the same moment Cap
tain Norton, with an oath, rushed at us
and asked what we meant by shooting
after we had surrendered. in reply, he
was knocked half way across the deck
by the young sailor, who said something
about hanging the skunk Then he
snatched my old blunderbuss and dropped
another man in the boat. The rest of
our crew were thunderstruck, and the
boats crew were trying to head around
when the young man yelled:
"'Avast there; come aboard the brig
or I'll blow you out of the water They
at once began to obey. Meantime Cap
tain Norton showed signs OF returning
consciousness, and was unceremoniously
dumped into the foreca5tle on the order
OF the young sailor. The supercargo
had fled to the cabin when he saw the
deadly effect of the sailors fire. He was
ordered out on deck after the captain
had been thrown into the forecastle. but
he didn't obey. had gone aft with the
young sailor, and we could hear groan-
ing in the cabin. A look through the
showed Waldo on the floor with
knife in his breast. He had committed
suicide The sailors in the small boat
came alongside soon after, and climbed
a few old muskets were on the boat
thwarts. They helped to get the body
of the dead man out of the boat when
ordered to do So lie looked very much
like the man lying dead in the cabin,
and, in fact, proved to be his brother"
"Was ever such a pirate story as that
told beforc3' said the reporter
Eyes" said the old man, 'but not
often. There were lots of just such
pirates as Waldo and his brother, but
few such bright fellows as the young
sailor. This pirate business was a put
up job to beat the insurance companies,
The vessel and her cargo had been in
sured for much more than they were
worth. Waldo went out and made a
reasonably profitable voyage, and his
brother in a Matanzas sloop, waited near
Moro light to capture the whole outfit.
Of course there had to be some show of
resistance so that the crew could testify
about it. But one of the New York in
surance people was suspicious, and
sept the young sailor along to
watch matters. He was intended
merely as witness for them, but he had
the courage to attack the conspira-
tors single handed. The Waldo who
was killed in the boat had an inch hole
through him from this gun. | never
learned anything about the other man
who was shot in the small boat, but he
was probably an innocent sailor. Captain
Norton, who was in league with the
pirates, made his escape in New York
harbor. We made great sensation
when we got there. If had only known
how to take care of the sinners they
gave me on shore to reward what they
called my bravery, l would not now have
to live in an old barge like this. "-NeW
YOrH .SlLY