Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-05-15
THE IRON EAGLE.
A STORY or A cAlNcoTEAouE WIFE
AND A WICKED SKIPPER.
Ne Struggled Rum, Carried on Life
savers Wife. and Was Wrecked
Near the Savers station.


Henry psrklcy, who has been AZ work
over on wallop's Island getting OUT um ..ys
for the new clubhouse which Is 10 DO pull'
there. came home last Sunday, writes cor
sesnondenf of the New York sun from
Chincoteague, bringing with him piece
of an old wreck that set the older peoplc
of the island talking about romance con-
nectcd with Wallop's when mao schIce
been thought Of IN fifteen OF twenty years s
The piece Of the wreck was q weli-shapeu
wrought-iron eagles oiaW, a as Int still
mans hand. 1t was rust-eaten, oun gym at
preserved its outline and about All inc
scalv details that had once made u oeauti-
ful This old claw was at one time tne
frurehead Of the schooner Iron tngie--sne
MAS called a schooner. though really yewl-
rigced--a vessel that IN the days yust
after the war was prooapN sho ' ,ho
Cbesaneake bay, or the Atlantic coast tor
that matter. She had been built for car
ryinc oysters 70 market from the bays OF the
Virginia peninsula, and might have made
her owner rich right speedily but for the
fact that when he bad got her IN cominis-
sion and was making money. hand over
fist he lost his head and took 10 drink.
The boat was neglected as well as pnsi-
ness. and so il happened that at the END OF
three wears the callus craft had come 20
loon Ike a vessel OF thirty; moreover. she
had got heavy mortgage on Tor DaliAs' d.
well. III 60
AT this time, II was in the month OF
September. twenty-five years ago. cam" t. q
yonng JerseyInan 20 ChincOteague. ne
was ono az the first Of host that has since
arrived. and be had been attracted by inc
stories of oysters TO be found there: III
happened that he reached the isianu Oh,
the last day of camp, meeting lhas nnu
been held on Rattlesnake Ridge anu Just
IN time 10 witness the marriage OF Annlta
Rlocom 10 Wardwel Mears, both of whom
were prominent Chincoteaguers, Miss
Annita's father being the owner oil the
swift little schooner Iron Eagle. -.
Chincoteaguers did not GO on wedding
tours in those DAYS. Mr. Mears took his
wife 10 a cottage he had built for her,
facing the beach. a mile above the present
steamboat landing. where cOlored Bob JET
fers now lives. and then went of TO the
life-saying station on Waliop's Island,
where he was engaged for the season.
Within the same time Dan. Mlihin
,hinped on CAPTAIN Blocom's Iron Eagle as
mate, and began putting the schooner Ill
shape for the seasons work. Ills laOOrs on
the schooner excited the wonder OF the
ChincOteaguers: il was novelty TO them
10 see a stranger take hold of another mans
property as If il were his own. but Dan.
said 10 them that he didn't like TO see such
a boat and wouldn't be found dead IN the
like of il if he could help himself, all 81
which was true enough. but did not really
explain the animus of his efforts 10 make
the vessel profitable. The truth was that
Dan. Mifiin had fallen III love with Mrs.
Wardwell Mears. the daughter of Captain
Blocom. and, noticing that she was de-
voted TO her drunken father, had deter
mined TO win her regard first OF oil by
working for his interest.
OF what followed there are various YER
sions. Some say Dan was consumlnate
rascal. and that, much as black snakes
about Chincoteagne glade charm birds, he
worked his way to the heart OF the vile.
Others say that Annita had been the fiirt OF
the island-always accustomed to the
alteration of host of young men-and was
by no means willing, at last, TO be content
with the devotion OF but one. Inc tTutn
probably lies between the two. She had
been admired and petted much, but passed
safely through il all until, at last, having
been welded and left alone to pass dreary
winter practically by herself tOr Chm
coteacne etiquette does not permit
settled lady to go around TO parties ana
oyster-roasts without her husbondl, she be
came utterly weary of HE through enhul.
1t was taking her from the gayest lie on
the island TO the dullest.
Into this life came the kindly, gentle,
manly young JeTScYman. lie was forever.
as il seemed striving 20 do something To
please her, and doing il III such q way as
would be most acceptable. She could not
help seeing that he was devoted to her IN a
way that was wrong, but she not only
could not resent il; she scarce could help
encouraging him. And yet no one sus-
pected. least Of all the life-saver, for when
he obtained leave of absence one day IN
two weeks he got such welcome as made
him thankful for mere life.
For two months the Iron Eagle traded TO
Philadelphia. Then one day young Dan.
Mifflin went over to the custom-house,
then at Onancock, and cleared her for
VOYAGE to Matanzas, in Cuba. That made
the gray-haired CbincOteaguers smack
their lips. Voyages to Matanzas meant IN
the days before the war cargoes OF rum III
return, but since the war no such voyage
had been made. Would Dan bring back
run? They rather thought. from what
they had seen of him, that he would. par
ticularly as he was going out as master,
leaving Captain Blocom to stay at home.
living in peace on the profits which Dan
had made in the oyster trade.
This was a dandy trip TO Matan2as. She
sailed away the last week IN November,
and on Christmas morning, whom the Chm
coteaguers got out of bed to fire off no end
OF gunpowder and drink no end OF egg-nog
after the Chincoteague custom, they had TO
take second look TO make sure they saw
Alright, for there lay the Iron Eagle. She
had returned in ballast as she was report
ed. but when three days later she went
down TO the inlet below WallOp's Island
overnight and then came up and loaded
oysters in bulk for New York. and could
only carry $50 bushels instead of the usual
cargo of 200 barrels, the old Chlncoteaguers
slapped their hands on their thighs, took
fresh crews of tobacco, squlrted the juice
far across the narrow street before the
grocery, and said: Wait for the oyster
roast when Dan comes back. Rum
Struggled rum was lust It.
Meantime Mrs. Elizabeth Hartly, who
lived next to Mrs. Mears, whispered TO her
dearest friend that she had seen Dan. Milf
film going by her house just before day
break on that Christmas morning, and IN
side of the day the whole town, including
Dan and Mrs. Mears, had heard the story.
But Dan was a willy fellow. He had been
20 see Mrs. Mears. sure enough, but he was
not caught 30 badly as Mrs. HaItly thought.
Taking Captain Blocom 10y the arm he walk
ed him over to the grocery and made the
grocer tell the story. Then the two went
up TO the house of Mrs. Mears, stopping for
Mrs. Hartly on the way. Dan remained
outside while the others went in and
found Mrs. Mears with roll of silk on
her lap.
you alls thought Dan come here for no
good" said Captain Blocom to Mrs. Hart
iy, but you don't know everything. He
all came to me first and say where he was
going at. That silk 1 boueht'n paid fo'.'
II was true that Dan had gone to see the
father first. and had said he was going TO
carry the silk to Mrs. Mears for a surprise.
But Dan had left very large bottle of
most excellent rum with the old man when
he left and was long time delivering the
silk. The voyage with a scant load Of oys-
tiers TO New York proved success, and
another load of oysters for Matanzas was
taken on board. II was night when the
Iron Eagle sailed for the inlet. What as
tonished the people was the fact that the
Iron Eagles crew was composed of New
York negroes. She had always carried
Chincoteague white men before. This was
explained next morning, though, when
Mrs. Hartly, having called on Mrs. Mears,
found her not at home, and later not at her
fathers. IL was a great triumph for Mrs.
Hartly, for she had said so all along"
Mrs. Mears had sailed for Mantanzas with
Captain Dan. Miffiin, and the Chinco-
teaguers said that il Captain Blocom ever
saw the Iron Eagle again he'd have to hunt
for her on the Spanish main.
That was q mistake. however. The
weather had been ia a shape that promised