The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-23
A NEWS SENSATION AT SEA.
How Shipload of Passengers Learned
of Lincoln's Death.

HOW q 6llplOaQ OF passengers Learn &c
of Lincoln's Death.
From the Baltimore American
What was the news from home2 How
was the great war progressing, or had il
endeda Intensely interesting to me were
these questions In India | had heard OF
the reelection of Lincoln. At the Mauri
thus, where we put in to mend the breakage
by a hurricane, no news was had, or at least
none that reached my ears The captain
was manifestly wild with eagerness for in
telligence In his black rubber coat and
souwester he steadied himself on the wet
and heaving deck with knee against the
port rail and hand grasping one of the
mizzen shrouds. With the other hand he
held trumpet.
''Ship ahoyl" he yelled through the brass.
A man on the quarter deck of the Cathe-
rine, high above us, likewise put a trumpet
to his mouth, and we could see the muscular
action of his face and throat; but not a
sound came to US, for we were dead to wind
ward. The bulls of Bashan couldn't have
beloved successfully against the stiff
breeze. We could communicate matters of
no particular interest to him, but the cap
tain of the Catherine, who was for us a
mine of news, was powerless to give us any
thing. Neither vessel had the flag signal
system.
Our captain bawled to him that we were
with rice from Rangoon, Burmah, to New
York; that we were a long time out and had
heard nothing from America for nearly five
months, and old news then; gave him our
longitude, asked him to report us at New
York, and yelled and yelled for intelligence
about the great civil conflict, which the other
captain with trumpet threatened to split
his windpipe in the effort TO give, but
couldn't This might not last long. Each
craft was keeping exactly to her course.
The Catherine was leaving u.s. Her master
was willing TO tell what he knew, but had
no disposition to shorten sail for the pleas
ure Of our slow-going company. But an
idea had seized that other captain. He
tossed away his trumpet and we witnessed
some quick pantomime. Then In a few
moments a mariner, probably one Of the
mates. got nimbly out over the rail, with
his feet on the vale and a hand on the rail
ton. and we saw that he had slung TO his
waist paint pot. It was hard job for
him to hold on In that fashion, so heavy
was the ships motion, let alone doing any
thing else, but he was too much of gram
pus 10 let that get the best of him, and
slowly crept forward, using q brush and
white paint as he went a row of heads
showing over the rails to watch his per-
Torrance, while our whole crew looked on
with closest attention.
One by one great uncouth white letters
appeared on the ships black side. That
sailor would never have made his fortune
as a sign painter. But the letters were
plain enough to be read half mile away.
This was what came into view: 1.-THE Wars
over. Lincoln Killed JEFF Davis Ran
Away with the Money!
Our old man gave hurrah for the FIRST
sentence, a sort of groan at the next. The
Catherine was now nearly ahead of us. As
a parting favor the man over the side
painted the figures to express the longitude
according 10 their reckoning This ended
the interview. A few hours after she was
out of sight, and never saw the ship again.