Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-01-06
THE 1.-TWO SISTERS"

Twentv-seven years ago this day oc-
CURED the rnutiny on the ship Two Sis
tiers. All the circumstances were pub
lished at the time, but / doubt if there
are today dozen people in the United
States who can recall them. was one
of the crew and a participant, and am
now going TO give the story OF the crime,
and leave the reader to judge who was to
blame that the mutiny came about.
The Two Sisters was fair sized ship,
carving from sixteen 10 nineteen men,
aud was owned and sailed from Glasgow.
] had come around TO Glasgow on a
coaster from Liverpool, having no chance
TO get ship and being willing to take up
with anything TO earn my way until times
got better. The Two Sisters was bound
for Rio Janeiro, and the day | got into
Glasgow was her day for sailing. Oddly
enough, common seaman got fall
which disabled him, and | was showed
into his place, and the ship was off almost
before I could turn my head, and GER
tainly before / was prepared for such
long VOYAGE. ! had been to sea for sew
eral years previous to this shipment, and
had rated as cable" more than once, but
in this case | was rated as ordinary"
and the pay was to be for such j was
then about % years old, 9 thorough Yam
kee by birth and feelings, and as | had
neither parents nor home did not care N
which direction / sailed.
Now, to help you comprehend what
finally happened want to say that no
sailing ship ever left port with everything
entirely satisfactory to Sailor Jack. lie
is a chronic grurnbler, just as the farmer
is, but he means no more by his Grumb-
ling. He viii kick ON the food, on the
weather, on the cargo, on his quarters, on
almost everything connected with the
ship and her voyage: but II Is simply
fashion aud he doesn't expect anybody to
take him IN earnest. And / say further
that there is no English, Scotch, German,
or American sailing ship afioat today IN
which the captain cares two cents for the
life of a foremost hand The mates are
born DULLES, ready TO knock man down
on the slightest prOyOcatlOn, and they Will
make the Drovocation themselves. Jack
may be cut and bruised and i'll, but it is
only when he falls helpless that he is per
mitted 10 leave his watch He IS not sup
posed to have any more feelings than an
OK, and it would seem as If the aim Of
most officers was to make him forget his
manhood The ditch diggers in any
country live better than the average
sailors Jacks hours are longer than any
workingman's, his pGy is less, and there
isn't aday from the time the voyage IS be
gun until tends that his life is not in
peril And. TO cap the climax, he is d
mai to put up with everything. He ex-
poets poor grub, plenty Of abuse, great
deal Of dirty weather and close shave
for his life about once in SO often. He
will stand more bulldozing than black
slave and more abuse than an OK. Mutlny
at sea is a rare occurrence. The Amerl-
can marine does nos average one IN i've
years This isn't because the provoca-
ton IS lacking, for that exists on almost
every ship every day. but because Jack is
is willing to bear TO the last moment be-
fore he turns. III my time | have known
sailors TO cut their throets. hang them
selves or leap overheard to end their
wretched lives--made wretched aud uIa-
bearable by bullying mate. a soldier
would have shot down his officer in such
cases. A slave would have run away.
We were not out of sight of the coast
before it was found that both mates were
buiiies. the captain a tyrant, and our
grub the poorest which could be pur-
chased for a snip. The crew were FAR
above the average in point Of looks and
searnanshiD. As we were mustered TO be
divided into watches ! was surprised To
note the fine bearing OF the men 1T was
Just such crew as a captain could feel
confidence in during d long and perilous
voyage If there was n shirk among the
lot. his looks did not batray him. When
we were divided of ! fell to the captain s
watch. which is in reality the second
mates watch. and ! found two more
Americans with rac-JohnSon and Green.
~, n
and there was but enc younger man than
in either watch. In the first six hours
OF our being ailoat / saw four men knocked
down bv INC mates without pToVOcGtio1
enough 10 have called out n rsbuke from
Some officers, while the captain. who was
evidently hard drinker, exhibited his
temper III various ways. 1t Is usual fol
the cactain Of ship to make httlt
speech to the men when The watches are
divided 1t is done not TO encourage, bui
10 intinidate Ii is To further show Jacf
that he mas 10 moral or legal rights what
ever. and that II he isn't Drained mex
dav with behaving pin, it is because hi
officers are willing TO Overlook and con
done his heinous offenses. When oul
watches were called Capt. Mckay stepped
forward and said:
II have been looking you over, you
dirty scum OF the docks, and lind there
isn't a sailor among you | wouldn'
have shipped such n gang OF sojers TO-
mud scov. You have come aboard unde
false pretenses. calculating to feast OF
pie and cake and have s. trip for YOU
health. Look out for me, you ID rIf
raft. III make sCIne uf You wish yol
had never been born before this voyage i
over
That ~as his speech as one Of the sail
ors wrote il down, and that was the GU
the mates ware 10 fake. When the o.
vaIcl. went below the men remarked t
each other that it looked as il we he;
signed articles picn q bad nan, buU Their
was no criticism. When supper wa
served we iounG ;tte beef outrageous. Tn
smell OF il WAS sufficient To tJ,rn q sailor
stomach, and yi'l car Imagine that
must have boc2 pl-tty h,-A. The te
could ncvSr I,re 5ts- ULa inside OF
chest l--CouE- # i was cnvthinS NOR
than the leaves Of t-oes anu Shrubs. Tn
ship biscuit h.;I better bson called shi
crabs. There WAS rl3se worm than bis
cult in each case, and IS hungry as 81
were not man made pretcnse ef cat
fnC. L IS the rule Ct every ship tia
Jack may come aft with his complaint
He was expected to in this case. III
captain was on deck when he should llav
been below. He looked for q kick aCains
the provisions. and ne proposed 10 sh'c
the Crumblers right MP. After forecast!
conference IL was decided 70 appeal to In
captain Not a man Of either watch ccul
touch the provisions. An oldish man