Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-08-18

How ..Mrs. Ed Saved the Life OF Her
Husband in Mutiny.

lenger once held the record between the
Golden Gate and Queenstown, out as
she was built some fifteen years ago,
she has been outclassed by this time.
but" as Rudyard Kipfing says, that
is another story II is singular that
at this great marine port
more is not known of the Chal-
lenger and her skipper, Captain ED
Thompson, glorious old sea dog from
Maine. His ship is as pretty clipper
as ever showed clean pair of heels to
q Britisher, and Captain ed" as he Is
called the world over, is a first cousin
TO Neptune himself. But then, Cap'n
Thomson is as modest as girl and
knows how to elude the newspaper men,
and that's probably why he has not
found his way into print oftener. Cap
tain Thompson and his wife are exam
pies of devotion and pluck, else this
tale would not have been written.
Some months ago, when terrihc
gale ravaged the Atlantic Coast and de-
stroyed more than one fine craft, the
Challenger met her first and only mis-
hap I'D to date. The storm came up so
suddenly, when the Challenger was 200
miles off Sandy Hook, that the crew
were taken unawares. Captain "Ed"
was in the cabin when the storm broke
in all its fury. There was a fearful
shrek of the winds, a crash OF thunder
followed by a pandemonium OF sounds.
The good ship staggered and lurched
so heavily that Captain Thompson had
hard work TO make the deck. What a
was the Challenger no more. She
was mass of broken spars,
tangled rigging and tapping sails, a
helpless hulk lying in the trough OF the
sea, buffeted and pounded by the merci-
less waves. The maSts had been
knocked out at clean, fell swoop OF
the gale, and eleven poor fellows who
were in the rigging at the time had gone
TO Davy Jones' locker. Every minute
threatened to be the Challenger's last,
but Captain Thompson, who is a giant
in courage, strength and body, was
equal TO the emergency. He and the
remaining six members OF the crew
manned the ship and brought her to
port. OF course, he evaded the news
paper men, and they learned little OF
him and his adventures. But his grit
in such trying moment was only a
sample of what he has displayed on
other occasions.
1t is recalled that some years ago
Captain Thompson shipped cut-throat
crew from Liverpool for New York.
Men were scarce, and he had TO take
what he could get. All went well until
a week at sea. So far Captain Thomp-
sons supremacy had never been disput-
ed. But there was trouble brewing,
nevertheless. A quarrelsome, ill-diSpo-
sitioned fellow, who had shipped as
cook, had resented some criticisms Cap
tain Thompson had made upon the
cooking. The cook felt abused, and his
complaints were carried among the
toughest lot of cut-throats that had
boarded clipper in many years. But
there was no sign of open rebellion until
one day when Captain Thompson order
ed the cook to clean up mees on the
deck.
"Do it yourself :" shouted the soul
lion, defiantly. Whack! went the cap
tain's big hand, and down went the
cook among his kettles and pots. A
sudden blow on his head surprised Cap
tain Thompson, and turning around he
saw villianous seadog armed with
behaving pin. Captain ed" grappled
with the man, and in spite of his half
stunned condition was getting the bet
ter of his assailant. Round and round
the deck they struggled, Captain
ED" finally fastening his power
ful right hand around the sal
lor's throat. AS he frightened
his grip something flashed in the air.
1t was kaife in the hand of the cook.
But, fortunately, the wretch missed
his blow. Still, he closed in again,
while the other man chung as close as
he could to Captain Thompson to en-
barass Captain ED" as much as posi-
BILE, in order that the cook might make
mincemeat of him at his leisure. But
as the cook crept forward again with
his arm raised, calm, clear voice rang
out:
PUT up your hands, cook, or I'll
blow out your brains"
The would-be murderer turned and
saw the cleaning barrel OF revolver
at his head. There stood Mrs. ed"
pretty woman and a p9ucky Yankee
girl. There was fire in her eye and her
aim was true. She was at the cabin
door, but that was near enough, and up
went the cornered wretch's hand. In
moment Captain Thompson had the mu-
tineer in his powerful arms, and In an
other moment the rebellious cook and
his pal were bound hand and foot. Mrs.
4 is
until the mutineers had been taken be-
low. "And Jennie" said Captain
Thompson in talking about the affair,
"waS as cool as cucumber"
Captain and Mrs. ed" have sailed
the seas together for years, but this was
the only adventure that ever marred
the pleasure Of their voyages. One no
table trip, however, which Captain
"Ed" can never forget, was one which
he took from San Francisco to Queens
town, about twelve years ago. A mag
nificent British clipper ship was at San
Francisco, loading up, when the Chal-
lenger was there. A warm dispute
arose over the sailing qualities of the
two ships. The marine population Of
the town engaged in the discussion,
and when it became known that both
ships would weigh anchor on the same
day for Queenstown thousands Of
dollars were waged on the
result. The Challenger forged ahead a
couple of days out, and Captain ED"
trod the decks happy man. The Chal-
lenger seemed TO enter into the spirit OF
the race, and one Of the quickest voy-
ages on record from San Francisco to
Queenstown was recorded. The Chal-
lenger arrived without seeing her rival,
after parting company with her two
days out. For about one hundred days
Captain Thompson had strained every
ha coal n,,%