The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-04-23
A SINISTER CAT.
An Animal that Struck Terror to
: the Hearts of the Schooner Cor
dOn's Crew.

don's Crew.
New York Sun.
.tW hat | am going TO tell you,"
said Capt Rock we'll, of the SchoOu.
er Fame, "OcCnl1ed about ten years
ago on Lake Michigan. | was then
in command of the schooner Cor
don, and in the grain trade. One
afternoon, just before we we're
ready to tow out OF Chicago, a
stranger came aboard with big
black cat in a rude cage and offered
Der for sale. | was born with a
constitutional hatred of cats. On
board OF grainer there are plenty
OF rats and mice, bnt I'd rather
have the verinin running over me
in my sleep than to keep a cat
aboard as many vessels do. Out
side of my hatred for cats, | didTt
like the looks OF the man. He was
rough looking fellow, with a cock
eye, and two or three front teeth
hanging out to windWard, aud it
I'd have wanted some one to do
bit of dirty work I'd have picked
this chap from among thousand.
| sent him off in a hurry, as you
may gneSS, but as he reached the
wharf he turned the cat loose, aud
cried out.
"My curses on the ship and crew
foreverp
"The feline might have run into
the elevator, but she didn't. She
Just scrambled right aboard Of MS,
and in ii whisk was out of sight
down the main hatch. Some of the
men looked a bit serious and some
treated the matter as IA joke, aud
just before night we were towed out
and mad fair wind 10 lay our
course. The hatches were all bat
toned down, of course, and nobody
seemed to have given II thought to
the cat while getting out of the har-
Dor. 1t was as fine a June night
as you ever saw, with the moon so
bright that you could see Il vessel
mile away, aud IA breeze to send
us along at about five miles an hour.
Well, we had made everything
ship shape, and bad supper, when
the black cat was suddenly y seen on
the end OF tFe jihboom. She was
looking inboar,l at MS, her hair on
end and her eyes blaZing, l brought
up my revolver to have a shot at
her, but just as | was about to pull
trigger the cat yeOwled out in
dismal manner, aud down came the
peak OF the mainsail, the halyards
showing as it they had been cut
clean across with sharp knife.
They we've new, stout ropes, and
nobody could say they had been
broken by any sudden strain. We
had to reGve new ones, and when
this job was finished | went tor
ward to put a bullet through that
cats head. She set up yeowling.
and as | pulled the trigger down
came the whole tOresall, both throat
and peak halyardS having parted.
| hoped | had killed the black witch.
but when the smoke lifted we saw
her in the same place, safe and
sound. Every man aboard agreed
that the halyards had been cut with
a kuife, aud as the men passed
them from hand to hand they be-
gan to mutter against me for try
ing to bring about a calamity by
seeking to take the cats life.
"By the time we had the foreSail
up again the cat had disappeared.
going no one knew whittier, and the
weather had suddenly changed un-
til the moon was overcast and the
bteeze third stronger. | never
saw the craft steer as she did that
night. She'd yaw and swing, and
go wild, in spite of all the best
sailor on board could do. By this
time we were off .Waukegan, there
was smart sea on, and a nasty
look all around. The wind gradu-
ally hauled into the northeast, and
we had to go in STAYS aud make
long boards dead to the east, and
then make our gain on the other
leg as we ran to tue northwest.
Every time we went in stays the
schooner acted like balky colt,
Just keeping us out OF irons, and
the ugly cross sea banged her about
until everything groaned. We were
about to go in stays for our board
to the northwest, aud the men were
aloft to care for the topsails, when
the Gordon slipped into a hollow
and rolled port aud starboard, like
a struck whale trying to get rid OF
a harDoon. There was loud squall
from the cat, which creature, tap
pears, was in the nlainmast cross
trees, terrible scream from the
sailor, and as the Gordon rolled to
starboard he was flung clear off her
side by thirty feet, aud went down
Like a stone.
By this time the crew were so
worked up that nobody would turn
in. and every mau seemed TO be
momentarily expecting some new
disaster. It came before midnight.
The wind hauled dead to the porth
aud grew stronger, and as We came
about from a run to the northwest
the Gordon missed her stays, was
taken Eat aback, and several ca
lamities followed. Three or four
seas boarded rs aud swept the
decks, the the tOreb0om jibed and
whipped loose aud went failing
away with the wind. We came