Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-04-15
A SINISTER CAT.
An Animal That Struck Terror to tn e
Hearts of the Schooner GordOn's
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
"What / am going to tell you, y
said Capt. Rockwell of the schooner
Fame, occurred about ten years ago
On Lake Michigan. [ was then in
command of the schooner Gordon,
and in the grain trade. One after
noon, just before we were ready to
tow out of Chicago, a stranger came
aboard with big black cat in a rude
cage and offered her for sale. I was
born with constitutional hatred for
cats. On board of grainer there are
plenty of rats and mice, but I'd rather
have the vermin running over me In
my sleep than to keep a cat aboard,
as many vessels do. Outside of my
hatred for cats [ didn't like the looks
Of the man. He was rough-looking
fellow, with a cock eye and two or
three front teeth hanging out to wind
ward, and if I'd have wanted some
oneato do bit Of dirty work1I'd have
picked this chap from among a thou
sand. [ sent him off in hurry. as
you may guess, but as he reached the
wharf he turned the cat loose and
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 us, and in
a whisk was out of sight down the
main hatch. Some of the men looked
a bit serious, others treated the matter
as joke, and just before night we was
towed out and had fair wind for our
course. The matches were all batten-
ed down, Of course, and nobody seem
ed to have given a thought to the cat
while getting out of the harbor, It
was as fine June night as you ever
saw, with moon SO bright that you
could see a vessel mile away, and
breeze to send us along at rate Of 5
miles an hour"
"Well, we had made everything
ship shape, and had supper, when the
black Cat was suddenly seen on the
end of the jlbboom. She was looking
inboard at US, her hair on end and her
eyes blazing. l brought up my revol-
yer to have shot at her, but just as |
was about to pull the tri gger, the.cat
yeowled out in a dismal manner, and
down came the peak Of the mainsail,
the halyards showing as though they
had been cut clean across with sharp
knife. They were new, stout ropes,
and nobody could say they had been
broken by any sudden strain. We
had to reeve new ones, and when
this job was finished [ went for ward
to put bullet through that cats
head. She set up dismal yeowling
and as pulled the trigger down came
the whole foresail, both throat and
peak halyards having parted. I hoped
l had killed the black witch, but when
the smoke lifted we saw her in the
same place safe and sound. Every
man on board agreed that the hal
yards had been cut with knife, and
as the men passed them from hand to
hand they began to mutter against me
for trying to bring about calamity
by seeking the cats life.
''By the time we had the foresail up
again the cat had disappeared, going
no one knew whittier, and the wealth
er had suddenly changed until the
moon was overcast and the breeze a
third stronger. Inever saw that craft
steer as she did that night. She'd
yaw and swing, and go wild, in spite
OF all the best sailor aboard could do.
By the time we were off Waukegan
there was smart sea on and nasty
look all round. The wind gradually
into the northest, and We had to 60
in stays and make long boards dead
to the east, and then make our gain
or the leg as we ran to the north
west. Every time we went In stays
the schooner acted like balky colt,
just barely keeping us out of irons,
and the ugly cross sea banged her