The Forrest City times., 1890-03-15
A MIDNIGHT MURDER.
bN W. CLARKE RusSEL.

! ed, ana through Inc Whole length and breadth of thc brig, as it seemed to mo, there rang out so wild and shrlll cry of anguish that the like of it 1 could never imagine deliverable by human lips. You would have sworn it was q woman's voice, and had not Miss Grant been by my side I must have | thought it was she--the only one of her sex on board-who uttered it.
 "Great heayens." l cried. ..what has happened?"
 Captain Broadwater started to his feet at the sound, but then appeared to be stricken helpless, for he stood staring with sort of aape in the set of his lips toward the companion ladder. Miss Grants face was full of conster- nation, and she kept her eyes fixed on me with wild look of consternation in them. l listened, expecting to hear a second cry.
 There was q sound of swift running overhead, a sharp, angry shout in the voice of the boatswain; minute after the chief mate came staggering down the ladder with his hand to his side his dark face dreadful to see with the ahastly coloring upon it. He stood wh le you could have counted ten at tue foot of the ladder, swaying. his left hand upon hls heart, his right hand extended, his asheu lips rnartic- ulaicly moving; then dropped without a groan, and lay motionless.
 A voice holloa'd on deck. could not catch the wo ds, but il was eaey to recognize Gordon's tone, and il seemed to me that he was bawling for assis- lance from the wheel or close to it. The light burned duly in the cabin lantern; l turned the mesh high that 1 We might see what was the matter with the mate and then went up 10 him He lay on his side. and when 1 looked at his face l could not question that he 1 was dead.
 His left side was dark in the lamp light with the saturation of blood. and already there was largo dnsky patch slowly sitting out, like ink upon blot ting-paper, over tho sau1.eolorcd blanks on which the man rested. His head was uncovered, his eyes huff closed, his lips had not yet had time to soften down out 1 the rigors of their l grinning twist of agony and terror :; the gleam of his white teeth was as though he snarled, spite of his lying still. Broadwaier appeared to have been hereft of reason. X professional danger might nave found him equal to its confroutment But here was somc- thing wide oi his experience. sudden violent shock frightful menace too, for it was impossible to say what greater tragedy vet lay secret behind this first aud most bloody one.
 "Capiain,' l cri d. suddenly. au- eercd hs his posture of helplessness. ''here is murdor-murder, do you hear sirS If your crew have not mn- tiuied. what else should this signify There is no leisure al sea. sir. for gog- gliug. For Gods sake go on deck man. and find out what's the matter?''
 Had run al him with pitehfork. the aci on could not have started him more ctieclually than my speech.
 "Goggling' who's a-gogging2H he { roared. By this and by ihat,N and here he beloved out whole yolIey of curses, "the man who's doue this thing { will swing for itl From my own yard.arm he shall swing for II, though thcr s ne'cr pair of hands on board but mine to run the villain alofi {. Murder, Murder aboard of me /, Why, what do they hope to do?1
 He made fer the conpanion-,adder with fury in his looks and gestures {; but at that instant down thuudered the second mate, with his face as white as it's dark tincture of weather would suffer it to be, as wild in his manner as q demented man, so distraetedly agitated that his quick, distressful breathing broke up his words as they rolled hoarsely from bis lips.
 "Captaiu' captain,H he cried, "there's been murder done. The matc--ay. there he lics~-stahbcd, sir. ! stabbed by ths, ,half-blood Charles.r
 'Where k hesn beloved Broad water, who hal come 10 stand on seeing the boatswain. but who now gathered himsslf together nfresh for n 1 spring on deck
 "llo'd. sir!' cried Gordon, "hold {, hear me ont. For God Almighty s sake deal with them as though an i'll 1 word now should turn 'em all into wild | beasts, Mir. Musgravc--sir--you we been 10 sea. You know that when sailor-men are ripe for mischief the sight and smell of blood will change the most peaceable of them into devils Tell the captain this, sir, beg him to l listen 10 me, sir, or therell ho not a life of one of us now here collected l as'll stand the chance of that flame there if you was to try and blow il ont
 Captain" said |, half wild with the thoughts such talk as this put into 1 my head as l looked for an instant at 1 Miss Grant to mark what effect the ! incoherent constcrnation of the boat swain produced upon her, .syou must listen to this man. He has something ] to tell you. There are three of us. l have weapons of my own, and YOU will not be without a-ms.H And with that grasped him by the arm. with a 1 qni k sense of satisfaction coming to me. somehow or other. out of the feel of the mass of muscle my fingers i gripped, and showed him toward a ! locker. He sat down, with his face as dark as tho stain on the cabin-deck. without speaking, with fixed glare of ' his little eyes Ut Gordon, and kind of sniiocated heaying of his breast.
 .'Now. Gordon." exclaimeds
 Captain" he said. .sihis Is how it happened. Charles. the half-blood, | was at the wheel. When you went below, the matc'--here he turned his eyes with a sickly roll upon the body, ! and sharp catching of his breath 'scame np to me, and talked of the craft that had nearly run us down. IIc spoke in passion, gayu mc hard words told me l had no eyes, wasn't ii, to take chargs of the deck, and swore | crrslly that he'd reckon his own cyc-