The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-05-08

Hogan Knew everything connected with
g~unnerY-how the guns were made and
put together, and al about the ammu.
milton and how it was made. That's
the way they train us in an American
man-of.war, and Hogan thought he
would educate the natives.
NOne day he was giving the guns
crew oral instructions in ordnance, and
oil OF q sudden he asked: DO any of
you men know the weight of a sixty
pound solid shot?'
The dago sailors looked ratified and
nobody said a word. Thinking perhaps
that they didn't catch his meaning he
put the question another way.
"'How much does a sixty. pound solid
shot weighy' repeated Hogan, gazing
sternly at his pupils.
"But the scholars only shifted their
weight on their other leg, grinned at
each other and at Hogan, and shook
their heads in such a stupid fashion
that the teacher got wild. His remarks
were simply horrible. and when he got
done talking he grabbed a h~and.spike
and lit into his pupils. Before Hogan
got through giving instructions he had
broken half of his scholars arms and
legs, and the rest Of the class jumped
overheard to avoid completing their
education.
For this unfortunate break Lieut..
Dos Peso ordered Hogan to be logged
good and hard, and he got it, too.
"They pulled his skirt off, made q
spread eagle Of him on a grating, and
gave him fifty lashes on the back with
a ropes end"
Whats a ropes end?" inquired the
lubber.
"Piece of tarrcd rope with a knot on
the end. Hogan swore he would get
even and called on all the saints known
to ancient and modern history to wit
ness his vow in the presence of sailors.
Before Hogan's back got we'll he saw
his chance to get ever with the Lieu
tenant and acted on it. One day Bob
was up in the main-top fixing a back
stay and had a marlin-spike with him.
what did you say a m%arlin-spike was
like?" asked the lubber.
cts a steel spike about fifteen
inches long, M and one-half inches in
diameter at the big end, and tapering to
a point like a needle. It is a tool used
in splicing ropes. The spike has a hole
drilled through the big end, to which
is fastened q couple of feet of cord,
with a loop at the end. This the sailor
puts over his head or arm when he goes
aloft with the spike to guard against
dropping it upon the men below"
We'll, while Hogan was working in
the top fifty feet above deck Officer
Dos Peso came ont of his cabin and
went to pacing the quarterback,
rounding to each time at the mast di-
rectly under the top. That devilish
Hogan watch his chance, and, suspend
ing the spike by the end of the cord,
he turned it loose just as his enemy was
making q turn around the mast. The
cord feathered the flight of the heavy
spike and landed it point first on top OF
Dos Pesos head. Three inches of the
point came through under Mr.. Pesos
chin, and Hogan was even.
The dead mans brother officers on
board the Hauscar held a court-martial
and sentenced Hogan to death. He
swore 1t was an accident-that the
spike rolled out of the top itself, but
that didn't go with the dagoes. Then
he appealed to u captain, to the adj
miral on the flagship, aud to the
American consul ashore. These officers
in turn appealed to the admiral of the
CHILEAN navy and other high monkey
mucks, but it was no use. Hogan had
signed with and wore allegiance to the
dago marines and there he had to live
OF die.
$50 one morning at sunrise they
stood Hogan on the fo'c'stle deck Of
the Hanscar and pumped eight mus
ketfuis of lead into the poor sailor in
plain sight of his old American ship.
mates. tell you it was tough. but we
couldn't do.anything but pull over to
HauScar with a boat after it was all
over and get his body. We buried him
in the hills back of Valparaiso, which
means vale of flowers, ,'and placed q lit
tie white stone at the head of his grave.
"And that's what poor Bob Hogan
got for trying to educate the dagos,
and which think is d-n weak en-
couragement for missionary work in
that climate"