Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-27

through you. 10 not you remember
me-,
Any one would have laughed outright
to have Witnessed the perplexlty that
lengthene, yet the long-draWn counte-
! nance of Worksop.
in charge of the deck, coming forward
| aagrily
Sir shrieked York, "'I have been
hanged for the murder of that mani
Mad, by heaven.' cried the lieuten-
/ ant; ssunstroke, no doubt. Take the
poor devil below. and see to him. -
Sir, - cried York clasping his hands
81 beg you TO listen 10 me one minute
am not mad indeed. Mr.. WQrksop
| there viii remember that one night more
than eight months ago he gave me share
| of his bed at an mn at Deal called the
Lonely star
worksop started and looked intently at
the speaker.
Il quilted the bed to get some water;
when returned my companion was gone :.
Blood was found in the bed; there were
bIoodstains down the staircase, along the
roadway TO the beach; there was blood
upon my shirt, although, as God is my
witness, knew not how it came there
They found his knife upon me, which [
had taken from his pocket while he slept
to prize open the door with; and also q
gold coin belonging to him they found;
though how / came by it L VOW before
heaven I know not; and on this evidence
they hanged me. -
He faltered, hid his face, and fell TO
the deck in a dead faint
changed him hanged him for met -
shouted Worksop in the voice of a man
about to suffocate. Hanged him for
me.'' he repeated. "But, lor' bless my
soul and body. I was never murdered +,
mates! and in q very ecstacy of aston
ishment he hooked an immense quid out
of his cheek and threw it overheard.
Rally this poor fellow some of you, -
exclaimed the lieutenant, and FASTENED
aft 70 the captain to make his report
A bucket of cold water topped with
dram of rum served to restore York to
consciousness, and when he had his wits
he and Worksop were conducted by q
midshipman to the captain S cabin.
""What is all this?' inquired the gray
haired commander, leveling a piercing
glance at York, as though he had made
up his mind TO be confronted by a mad
man. I'D we mean to tell us that you we
been hanged for the murder of yonder
seaman alongside of you?''
Eyes, sir; I've been hanged as his
murderer, - and thus breaking the ST.
lence, York proceeded He told his
story in good language, plainly and in
diligently, with an occasional catch of
his breath and sob or two when he spoke
OF his sweetheart.
You were hanged - cried the COM
mander, watching him with fascinated
collntenance, for the corroborative looks
and mods of Worksop as York delivered
his tale had soon abundantly satisfied the
captain that the poor young fellow was
speaking the truth-''you were
hanged, - he repeated, 'strung up by
your neck in the customary style, | sup
pose, and left to dangle the usual time
And yet you are alive! -
81 am coming to that, sir - said
York, respectfully. Everybody was
against me whilst l lay in jail awaiting
my trial at the assizes; but after | had
been sentenced to be hanged there came
4 bit of change in some folk s minds:
not that they doubted my guilt, but they
thought il hard perhaps, that a young
fellow should die for a crime he
swore he had never committed
that he should suffer death on no
stronger evidence that some bloodmarks
and a knife and coin, when by right
they should have found the murdered
man IS money upon him, besides making
sure that he srdS dead, - CHANGING as he
spoke at Worksop, "'by the discovery of
his body. Sir, my sweetheart got to hear
of this feeling and worked upon it, and
got number of young fellows to hang
about the gibbet and shore ME up, as is
often done, IN told, after the cart had
I been drawn away. The rope was too
long, my feet touched the ground-that s
what they told me. It all went black
with me soon after | felt the ti9htness in
my throat; and when l recovered my
mind, found myself in a little cottage
someway the Deal side of Sandwich, with
my sweetheart, Jenny kneeling by my
side, and Sandwich barber letting blood
from my arm. What was then to be
done, SIR, being a live man, but to get
out of the country as fast as l could?
Jenny helped to disguise me, gave me all
the money she had, having spent what
the owners of my ship had sent her on q
lawyer to defend me at the trial; and
walking as far as Ramsgate l found q
vessel there that wanted a man; and
coming to the Thames, after 81 coasting
trip, l signed for the West lndiaman
ont of which I have just been pressed.
That s the truth of the story, sir, as
| heaven hears me. -
Once again he hid his face, and his
strong frame shook with violent fit of
sobbing They waited until he had COL
lected himself, burning as they were with
curiosity to hear Worksop IS story, for the
solution of the amazing mystery must lie
in that.
s'An now, what's your yarn2'' says
the captain.
WOrksop seemed to emerge with his
prodigiously elongated countenance ou@
of very trance or stupefaction of aston
ishment. He wiped his brow, threw
bawildered look around, dried his lips
and began.
s'Your HONOR he said, this was
how it was; and I do hope heaven II for
give me for being the involuntary cause
of this poor gentleman S most tremeud-
Gus sufferings. He comes to bed on that
precious night all right, just as he says,
and found me bit growing and surIy 1
dessay for the fact was, your honor,
that same afternoon, unbeknown to any
body belonging to the Lonely Star, ID
called upon barber that was stranger