The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-25

Forsyth to the Judge, is perfectly true
His maiesty's ship, the lnvinclble, sailed
with our invalided men for England on
June so
1.-The prisoner went on:
eyes, and | arrived in England at the
end of July, weak and i'll, and, getting my
prize money, went and drank it all away.
And that's how it was | was found at Bristol,
where | had gone for another ship; and
ever since then have been in this accurSed
Jail
1.-The fellow is plausible enough again
remarked Capt Forsyth. He Is certainly
about the height Of Williams. Well. my
man, l suppose you can prove what you
Sayfr ,, n,, ,.on,o,,,hor
on June 10, giving orders for night rald
on the native town off which we lay looking
out for slaversr
YES, do. TO be sure
and that we were five boats in all. And
the first TO beach was the captains cutter.
And the first man to jump out OF IL was
you, captainF
"'Well, this is the most extraordinary
thing | ever heaadr And, tnrnlng to the
Judge, the captain said Every word OF
this poor fellows narrative is true, my lord.
He may have picked it up somewhere; but L
can't help beginning to think there is some
thing behind. My ship is still on foreign
service, and have only returned to take
charge of another one.
Nv ell, go on, man
Zone word more, captain, and maybe
you will believe me. As we were fighting
IN the town, a great niger came behlnd
you with his ak and would have cut you
in half before you saw him, had not man
rushed between and stopped him with his
cutlass and yet not quite stopped him, for
that Internal niggerS AK slipped down the
cutlaSs and gaShed the mans head open.
Who was that man, captGin|
"'John Williams was the reply, the
coxswain of my cutter
"'Ay, ay, captain, and here is tho cut
which that ak made and, bending down,
he lifted with one hand his long, untidy hair,
and with the other pointed to huge and
fearful scar running for several inches along
the side of his head.
Capt Forsyth leaped from his seat.
" Good heavens, you are right But how
you have changed! My lord, this poor fell
low had not sailed from the African coast
when the murder was committed; it Is i'm
possible that he could be guilty of it. Will
Jams, you saved my life; thank God have
been able to save yours!
cat these words everybody in the court
stood up and cheered the prisoner with the
widest excitement and enthusiasm; the
Judge said that in discharglng him he must
at the same time compliment him on his
gallantry; and the foreman of the jury
then and there started a subscription for
him, which came up to something near 93O.
Capt Forsyth ordered chaise to take him
post-haste to London, for the purpose Of re-
moving Williams from u place of such hor-
rible associations, and of getting him an
appointment from the Admiralty. The
people insisted on dragging the chaise out of
town with their own hands, the horses were
then put to. and amid deafening cheers
they drove off-and were never heard Of
again.
.'Why was thatq" some ono asked, as the
Colonel paused
Because it was hoaxp
"What!" we all exclaimed. "a hoaxp
We had listened breathlessly to the tale,
which the Colonel certainly told admira-
bly,, the perspiration standing on his fore
head as vita horrible reality he personated
the desperate sailor.
Eyes, b" he said, cit was hoax, 1t was a
preconcerted arrangement; the Captain was
merely a clever accomplish, who played
such parts for those of his associates in
crime who came near receiving their re-
ward. This was probably his biggest per
Torrance; but though it answered well
enough then, in these days of Geographic
communication and multiplied navy lists, it
would be simply impossible"