Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-12
CAPT. JIM PATrILLO's PLUCK.
A Yankee Fisherman's Adventures
in Canada 80 Years Ago.
From the Reto York SIM.

From the Eeto York San.
The best recruits the navy gets. outside
of the boys who are educated on the train
ing ships, are the Yankee fishermen, but
they are so scarce in the regular navy as
not 10 make much of a show on the arti-
Giles. In the coast survey they are more
numerous, and, in fact, many of the naval
| officers detailed for that service take only
the yellow.haired Swedes and Yankees,
being able to choose their men, because
| the service is pleasant and the pay good,
| as sailors wages go.
While the naval parade in honor of the
unwilling of the statue of Liberty was in
progress the other day, an old Gloucester
| fisherman, now employed In the coast sur
vey, talked of the days when he was max
| ing trips to the banks.
| sit is about so years ago this fall" he
said; 81 think it was in 1887, that old
Capt. Jim Pattillo sailed out Of Glouces-
| ter III little pinkey called the Tiger,
! bound for Fortunes Bav, Newfoundland,
| for load of herring. The old treaty was
| In force then just as it is now, and the
! Canucks were just as anxious for prize
money as they are now, and never let
chance pass to make Yankee fisherman
uncomfortable. The venture In the Tiger
was the first of its kind, Pve been told.
! Up to that time no herring had been i'm
/
five men aud boy under Capt. Pattillo,
! who were all grit to the backbone. After
reaching their destination they were fro
zen in, but by cutting holes in the ice they
| succeeded in catching full fare. The
| ice, however. held fast, and they were un-
| able TO work their way out, because it eX-
| tended for miles outside of them. OF
| course they were seen from the shore, and
custom house officer made UP his mind
that the Tiger was within three miles of
| the shore, and therefore lawful prize.
| lie waited, however, until sne had COM
! pleted her fare before making the de-
SCENT in order to get a more valuable
| prize.
''ln the meantime the Tiger had been
| frozen in so iong-it was along In March
! before the officer could make up his mind
| to make the attack-thatCapt. Pattilloran
out of provisions, and had to send
| couple of men over the ice to the settle
! ment. They got what they wanted, and,
| what was better, warning that on O GER
tain date the custom house party would
seize the pinkey. Capt. Pattilo had an
/ ticipated trouble, and was prepared Tor
it. He had brought along five small
| kegs of powder and plenty OF lead. When
the men with the grub got back with the
news, the Captain got out Bible from
! under his pillow in his bunk and made
each man swear on it that he'd stand by
| the boat and its Captain until death
! Then they all went to work. A barricade
around the rail was built OF double logs
| that was bullet proof. The ice around
! The pinkev was cut out for such a dis
| lance that the attacking party would
| have to use boats. At night the men
| gathered around the fireplace and cast
! the lead into buckshot, using pistol bull
! let mold for the purpose. Then the mus
kets were loaded with fifteen buckshot to
| the gun.
promptly after daylight on the morn
| ing Of the appointed day, five d0ries well
| loaded with men were seen in the waters
off Folly Cove Head, outside the ice. They
| made landing on the ice, and in an order
| lv manner marched toward the pinkey I'M
| I'll they reached the clear water around
her. There were 80 men in all. The officer
IN charge hailed the pinkey and called on
| the master to come over to the ice and
! show up his papers. This the Captain was
wiling to do il he could have fair play,
and he said so, but he added that he had bis
men behind the barricade with their guns
! loaded. and asserted that they would shoot
| The first one who made any warllke demon
| StratiOn. lie SAID they were all bound to
! die before they would be taken prisoners.
and he meant it. One OF the kegs
of powder was placed down in
| the hold with a train leading to IL, and a
! hIdIl StduUiHS ICdttf at LE6 NOTu 10 IRE
and blow schooner and crew out OF water.
"Fhe Captain finally got into dory and
rowed over TO the party on the ice, and
| landed with only handspike in one hand
| and the papers in the other. The customs
officer fairly trembled in his excitement.
aud bad two of the posse stand by with
cooked guns ready to shoot in case Capt.
| Pattillo should break loose with the hand
| spike. The men on the vessel were equally
| ready tOShOnt fharn IN
| Aquantity OF blood shed then and there
only the customs officer concluded not to
sacrifice himself. he retreated, but car
ried off the pinkey's papers,
About the middle OF April the ice
| broke up and the pinkey got clear and
went to Brunei. On the following day (it
was a Sunday, Pm told) Capt. Pattiilo
took one of his crew and rowed Is miles to
| Harbor Brit0n to see the officer and get the
/ plnkey's papers. His arrival turned the
| village all upside down, and great crowd
| gathered when he reached the OfficOr's
door. guess the officer must have been
poor sort Of u CHAP, for be came TO the
door with a pistol in his hand, which he
was too badly scared to use. He told
| Capt. Patlillo that tue papers bad been
sent TO st. John. While they were talk
ing the village constable came along and
| began to call the Captain vile names. Pat
| tlil0 stood 1t Tor time and tDen gave him
a sullivan blow on the neck that was near
! TO killing him. Then he asked tie rest of
! the crowd If they wanted anything. No,
| they didn't want any of that, but some Of
! the crowd who liked pluck gave cheer
and invited the Captain to 90 to the hotel
| tor dinner, an invitation that was prompt
| ly accepted. Then he went back to his
! pinkey ard made sail quickly. The cus-
! TOMS officer got cutter, but the British
| cutter was no more able 70 catch Yankee
! clippers then than now. They reached
home in May. | was there and saw them.
can remember it as though it were yes
terday. The pInkey had been given up as
lost, she had been gone so long, but I've
heard tEat the herring sold so well that
the voyage was profitable after all. That's
the way the first herring were imported
from Newfoundland"
An Old Fashioned Jail
From the Athens GA B tnns- JVttcb,nan.
IN