Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-05-09
A NARROW ESCAPE.

ono morning quietly reading the paper IN
my Office the following advertisement INST
my eye:
ZONE THOUSAND DOLLARS RE
ward viii be paid to any person who can
give precise information rs 30 how the late
James Smithson met his death on board
: the William Curtis on the night of the
sd Of August. 1854 Address,
- JACOB SHARPER, Esq,
No. 246 Fulton street. New York"
You will wonder why this made me
turn pale and sick, but it did, and for this
reason: / knew the late James Smithson.
was his fellow passenger on board the
William Curtis and / was one of the per-
SONS who last saw him alive. We were
coming from England. I to make my fort
une, he TO return to his native land; and 1
had felt for him an instructive repugnance
that took little pains to conceal
l remember one day after dinner we
were sitting in sulky silence over our
grog, when a sudden lurch Of the vessel
sent the scalding fluid out Of my glass all
over his clothes
Curse you,' he exclaimed, @you awk-
ward fool-what are you doings Can't
you hit out like man if you want to vent
your spleen, and not throw boiling water
over me like a dangerous idiots"
had already began to explain, but was
silent for little after this attack, and
then merely said: There was no inten-
ton to insult or vent spleen; the occur
renee was merely accidental"
Hang accidents I've found accidents
happen very conveniently sometimes: and
you shall pay for this as soon as ever we're
out of this accursed tub. II you are n man
which doubt-you shall give me a meet
ing for this, promise you; I'll try whether
you can handle a pistol as well as you can
throw glasses, you cowardly Britisher."
IF you use such language to me I'll
Throw another, won't you, you plucky
bantam"
Il was maddened beyond all endurance,
and / rushed at him and struck him full in
the face as he stood up. He fell, and as he
rose drew out his revolver and shot at me.
stopped, and the ball shattered the swing
compass in the skylight; he raised the re-
volycr again, but the steward and captain
having by this time arrived, the pistol was
taken from him.
explained the circumstances, and the
captain at once said that unless we would
give our word not to renew the dispute in
any way he would put us both under lock
and key.
Alicl etillc lllllc utIluI we dkTccu W
this.
went to my state-room and turned In,
and determined that / would not again
speak to the brute. In the morning met
the captain at breakfast, and he cautioned
me in a friendly way against S;nithson.
mind what you're about; don't give him
chance. He would think no more of
dropping you overheard or putting a knife
into you than / of cutting this bread
Don't you go too near the rail- and see that
there is a bit of rope over the side if you
go forward; and if you do find yourself
mile away over the quarter some fine
night don't say 1 didn't warn you. Clear
away steward"
@Mr. Smithson hasn't set down yet, sir"
@Never mind; he's sulking, perhaps; clear
away"
went on deck and came down again at
dinner time. We were all seated-that il
the chief officer. the captain and myself
when we miased Smithson.
Call Mr. Smithson, steward We
mustn't spoil our dinner with his sulks"
The steward opened his door and came
back
Hes not there, sir"
mot there2 Where is he, them Has
anybody seen him this morning."
Inquiry was made and no one knew
anything about him. The men had seen
him go forward at about eight bells, but
no one had set eyes on him since.
~Where can he be-" said the captain
@He must be in the ship, unless you took
my hint the wrong way and put him out
OF the way, youngster."
81 can assure you never left my room
until breakfast time this morning cap
tain
"ln n further search we failed to find
any trace of the missing man except one.
A large brass Delaying pin was discovered
damned between the iron that supported
the starboard forechains and the vessels
side. II must have been thrown over
board, and by one Of those mysterious
chances that sometimes occur lodged it.
self there. 1t could not have been put
there, for the man who saw it could not
reach il without the assistance Of two
others. 1t was brought on deck, taken to
the cabin and examined. Nothing was
found on 1t; it was as clean as il it had
never left the rack. Where did it come
FROM 1t was soon found to be one of the
spare pins round the foremos. rail. The
two things looked like foul play. could
not deny 1t. The steward remembered
that Mr.. Smithson drank good deal after
left the cabin the night before, and the
man at the wheel thought he seemed a
little unsteady, but he lost sight of him as
he went forward
The entries were made in the log, and
life went on in its old course, except that 1
was regarded with suspicion and mis-
trust that made me envy the victim or
suicide who calmly slept in the sea be-
meath me.
The voyage ended, the whole story was
laid before the authorizes at New York.
and after a merely formal examination
was told that there was no evidence
against me, and I left the place, vowing
never willingly to set foot in it again.
II is no wonder. then, that knowing all
this, should be startled to see this adver-
tisement. II had for me the horrible fas-
cination of the snake. knew that out Of
It would spring misery and trouble unend-
ing, and yet could not take my eyes Off
II. The ten years interval shrank mp into
q dream time, and the feeling WAS as if I
had but that moment heard the stewards
voice: Hes not there, sir 1t upset me
for the day. could do nothing
had not long to wait the fulfiliment OF
my prophetic feelings About fortnight
after the date of the advertisement, was
Wn-sVA VII W nh OAtASliSAf pune ptESpu.
who said: Il have called to settle this little
account of Messrs. Wilson Brothers. VIII
Jon give me a receipt
sat at the desk, wrote ont the receipt
end signed it; he looked over my shoulder
all the time. When l turned the line I'M
der my name, and put the do. at the end,
he touched me on the shoulder and said:
Il thought so. arrest you for the murder
uf James Smithsopr
Il am
sYou know shall have to repeat all you |
say, SO don't say anything How's bust |
ness in these parts' It's rather dull in |
New York
Twas stunned: / made no answer
SHow will You go' Quietly. suppose;
most gentlemen do, but just as you |
please aud he pulled out o: his pocket |
pair of handouts and opened his coat to
show the butt of his revolver. ats much |
pieasanter travelling without these"
-Yes, yes. Iii 90 quietly enough, only |
want an hour or two to arrange my affairs |
here"
"oh. certainly; only you must pay the |
express fare-Uncle Sam doesn't allow ex- |
press fares on these occasions. see can /
trust you, and mind, l leave my reputa-
ton with You. l shall call for You for the ,
O'Clock express. You can settle yonr AZ |
fairs and look over your papers, and I'll so /
and see your town Don't forget, 5 o clock,
and he left.