Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-07-05
| Jerk OF his thumb toward the room from
| whence the noise proceeded.


'Whaty' he replied, in coarse popularity.
"Why, them Chinee what you wanted. Eigh-
teen of 'em, and all dyin' to go. Don't you
hear 'em9" and the rascal grinned at his own
humor.
"Well," said our host, 'lct's get to business.
Have you got your money with you, young
fellerp'
81 have, butt
"Well, hand it over" he gruff1y interrupted.
Il will when you put the men on board the
Vallejo steamer, quickly but firmly replied:
What inspired me to revive the subject Of
the fgurehead 1 know not Perhaps it was
feeling that the taunt might strengthen my
nerve for the encounter which felt sure was
to follow. The attitude that the three men
assumed when l showed a determination to
be treated fairly in the matter was MUIR
derous one. That the whole thing was trap,
l saw at once. That no servants had been Sc
cured, and that the commoton in the next
room was the work of confederates, to lead
me to believe that the Cinnamon had really
been corralled, flashed across me in an instant.
/ might have made dive for the door, have
given some signal that would have called in
the detective, and thus escaped, but one Of
those impulses that come to us at times and
bid us do the most foolish things took posses
sion of me, and with the effrontery of mad
man 1 remarked: "You said the name of the
bark was the Acasta, believe, my friends
Perhaps, then, you knew Robert Harley and
Charles Bennett and Miss Gardner?'
l remember hearing one of the men say, as
all three rose: "By -, thought so! He's
on to us. / knowed it would come" And
then everything swan before ME, and l only
awoke when in my room at the Occidental.
Anxious friends were standing about They
La11 ~.
my injudicious remark - that l had been
knocked senseless with a blow from the fist
of one of the ruffians, and would have I'M
doubtedly been murdered had the detective
not entered at the noise of the scuffe. In
deed, the man with whom I had talked about
the fgurehead seemed determined to kill me-
and the detective had to put a ball into him
before he would give over his murderous de-
sign All three were now in custody, and
the police were delighted, for they had long
been the terror of Chinatown. recovered
quickly, and that night was about to join a
theatre party, when hurried card from my
friend the detective called me to the office.
'That fellow that shot this afternoon is
dying,n he said, land he wants to see you be-
fore he goes off. Can you come with me to
see him little while?"
Certainly" 1 replied; "I'll go at once"
excused myself from the party and re-
paired with the detective to the City hospital.
The wounded man lay on couch. The pallor
of death had spread over his face
'He is strong now and can talk well
enough the surgeon said; shut he is bleed
ing internally and nothing can save him. We
have told him that he had better make his
peace with God before he dies. He says that
he has something to confess to you, so we
sent for you. Here's the gentleman you
wished to see" he said, turning to the dying
man. "Do you want any one present?"
eyes, he replied, II want the sky pilot
and no one else.n So the Rev. Mr. - and
l were the hearers of the following remarka-
BILE story:
Young feller," he said, in a voice that
trembled with fear and excitement, chow
you come to know anything about the bark
Acasta don't know, but I argues that you
does, cause you spoke of Robert Harley,
Charles Bennett and Hadassah Gardner.
Robert Harley war the master of the Acasta,
and Charles Bennett war one of the crew;
that's me. My names Charles Bennett, and
killed Robert Harley He loved Hadassah
Gardner and she loved him. loved her too.
Them war days when was better than l am
now, though not much, cause l killed Robert
Harley. It come about in this way: 1t war
AoA
whalin' in the Pacific
81 knowed that Haddie and Robert war to
be married when he got back, and made up
my mind that he never would come back. So
/ shipped as carpenter on his bark. l made
myself solid with the crew. They all swore
by me, but they had nothing agin the old man,
and | couldn't get no cause to pick "a row
with him. We catched a few whales in the
Atlantic, got around the Horn, and stood up
for the islands with the southeast trades 1t
war somewhere about twenty-five degrees
south latitude that we spoke big American
ship bound for Frisco We boarded her, and
learned of the diggin's in Californy, and how
every one was bound for that country. When
we got back to our ship 1 said to the boys,
Let's ask the old man to go to Californy.' So
we come aft in a body and asks him to let
the whales go, and to stand up for the land of
fortune. He refused to do so, and ordered us
forward. That night l worked up the crew
to take the ship away from the old man, and
offered to lead them. Enough agreed to do
the work, SO the next day we took the ship |
killed the old man with windlass brake, and
we dropped him out of the cabin window.
Nobody saw me, and nobody asked no ques-
tions The mates guv in, and all hands was
glad that we was goin' to the land of gold.
We ran across all island, and l got up a plan
to fool ANYBODY what hanpened 10 land thnrA
II got the mate to write letter sayin' as
how he war Robert Harley, sole survivor OF
the bark Acasta, what was knocked down by
D. suuall and all hands lost, and as how he
loved Miss Gardner, and lot of other stuff,
and then 1 cuts q notice on capstan bar to
look under stone, and | put the paper IN
tobacco box under it. Then the mate steered
us for Frisco. We got there all safe, and
the first night in the bay everybody but me
and my two chums-the same what you seed
this acknowledged the ship and put for
the diggin's. A strong Worcester come up
and the cable parted, and we went ashore
The old Acasta piled up high and dry, and
made hotel outen her, and made heap OF
money, but somehow I couldn't keep it.
was allus a-hearin poor Haddie calling for
Robert, and went and got drunk to keep
from a-hearin' of her, and now that l am
adyin man 1 swears that my life. has been
one eternal punishment, and thinks ought
to be let up on when l dies. I didn't do no
more than what any man would ha' done
when he war kept from his rights Colds
better nor whales any day, and"- sudden
pang brought him to STOP His face grew
| CHASTITY white. Some sudden rupture had
hastened the fatal tide, and life was fast
ebbing away.
''Have you any letters or papers of Robert
Harleys" asked
eyes; one letter for Haddie God IL for
give me my sins if l do her right at last;
won't he, parsona It's in my chest at the
tavern. Take it to her, and say that-thatn-
He hesitated to express his mind, then began
with an earnestness that bespoke his last
efforts: ''My chums didn't have nothing to
do with the KILN of Robert Harley. Letup
on them" The words came in faint whispers.
His face settled down to look of calm salts
faction; he had been loyal to his chums.
l revisited the tavern with the proper police
officers On overhauling his chest we came
across dingy letter addressed to Miss Hadas-
sab Gardner, Southampton, Long Island
1t proved to be the journal letter of Robert
Harley to his sweetheart. He had written
few lines daily; but its delivery was sadly
delayed. Inquiry elected the fact that the
bark had gone ashore as Bennett had related,
and that the city had filled in and built about
it, leaving only the figurehead to mark its
IL. e., tl,o,,o bout