The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-18

Robert Lee was lynn out q piece, agoin' TO
sail next day, and I'd shipped aboard her
as bos'n; but the evenin' fore got leave to
| go ashore to tell my Nance good-by, and
me and Kit Reeves and old Dumps, the
second mate, and ! b'licve Andy Harper,
the cabin boy, but 1 forgets now, war
pullin' ashore little fore dark, but plenty
| light 'nough to keep out o. the way o. tugs
| and other craft, when all to onct Kit
| Reeves. who was steerin', fetched horrid
screech and / seed a schooner right ahead
o. us loomin' up white as ghost, for all
her canvas was set, though there warn't a
breath of air. and with blue light a-play-
| in round her sheets and lines.
"She was right on to us fore we could
| get the oars out o. the water, and looked
for the bump next minnit, but, sirs, as I'm
a sinner, we shot plum though the black
hull O. the ghost ship, and tell you,
| though, it didn't take Us longer than
't-vould to sneeze, every man o. us came
out a shiverin' and shakin' and cryin',
with our teeth a rattlin' and the hair o. our
heads standin' up like a cat when it's
riled For twas like bein' dipped in ice
water. and that so black ye could see no
daylight on either side o. it. Leastwise,
that's as near as kim come to tellin' how
| it seemed, though that don't make We I'M
derstand the awful awfulness of it, but
! knows I'd rather face naked saber than
the like again.
"Old Dumps he war onsensible for morn
an hour, and Kit Reeves, gone plum crazy,
tried to jump overheard, and would a-done
it if l hadn't helt him tell he got sorter
Gained down. When we shot though the
spook vessel gin look up at her, and
I'm a Dutchman from Amsterdam if L
didn't see row o. faces looking over the
sides at me, and hear 'em a-laughin' and a.
screechin' like mad and pintin' their fin
gers at US; but them faces was the worst,
for they warn't jest the phizzes o. dead
men but O. men that had been dead so long
that the flesh done turned green with cor
ruption and grave mold. But didn't get
morn a glimpse O. them, for the next min
nit the ship was gone like puff of smoke.
''She visits this here port bout every ten
! years / make it, and reckon in between
whites goes cruising round the spots where
she ust to scuttle honest ships. I've heern
o. her onct or twict down on the Mexican
coast, and sailor named Abe Tucker told
me last year, 1 think twas, that she scared
! the life out o. the watch on one o. the Nal
! lory steamers off New Orleans; but the
captain, who war one o. these here cock
sure know ais, swore they was all drunk
when she was reported"
That "Old Larboard" was right in his
opinion that the ship is a supernatural
visitor is beginning to be shared by even
the most intelligent and skeptical of the
community, who have totally failed to find
any natural explanation of the appearance.
A party of young people enjoying a cruise
about the bay in the steam yacht Rosemary,
belonging to Col. Hy Wiseman, encount-
cred the phantom ship lying at anchor
about two miles out, and passed within
100 feet of her. They say that she was
ablaze with pale blush light which cast
no radiance about, and .hat the clash of
arms and the shrieks and words of com
mand could be distinctly heard, and occa-
sionally body would seem to De thrown
overheard for the dull splash of water
parted was discernible, as at intervals the
bay for a space of twenty feet around her
would appear blood red, and which was
not TO be attributed to the sunset sky, as
the hue was too deeply crimson for a re-
Election.
Last week every available boat was out
securing the bay looking for the phantom
bark which answers to the description of
the Pride, Lafitte's favorite vessel, and
which is believed to have foundered near
here, with treasure to the amount of s., 000,-
900 in gold, jewels and goods, in the midst
of drunken riot among the sailors after
the death of the pirate chief, after which
they returned and carried off the booty he
had buried on the island, near the site of
the village Campeachy, which he built.
In regard to previous appearances of the
ghost ship Capt. Louis Billings saws:
81 never told it before for fear of being
laughed at, but that vessel helped me to
run the blockade in 'e4, though she scared
me so bad in doing it / did not thank her
for it, 1t was late one October evening
that / sighted the Federal boats lying off
the harbor here, and ! was wondering
what they meant by taking no notice of
me, when l saw that they were firing at
foretopsah schooner about half mile dis
tant, which was flying big black flag,
and taking no more notice of the pepper
ing she was getting than duck of a
shower, but was apparently lying motion
less, though she was carrying full head
of canvas and the wind blowing some
thing that wasn't very unlike a gale, and
stiff one.
Pretty soon one of the gunboats-I heard
! afterward that it was the Niagara, but 1
may have been isinformed-evidently
made up it's mind to see what the schooner
meant by such extraordinary behavior, and
went for it like a bsttering ram. watched
it with good deal of interest through my
glass, for l was puzzled too. The gunboat,
keeping up its fire as it went, seemed
] thar ad
black flag, which serenely waited for it
without furling sail or manning a gun,
and she had fourteen of the latter as
counted-old fashioned ones, too. / no.
ticed all at once the gunboat threw itself
bodily upon her, and l said to myself,
Look out, now;' when to my amazement
the Federal vessel seemed to shoot clean
| through the other as through a mirage,
and the schooner faded in blood red mist
THE other blockaders must have been
absorbed in watching the affair, too. for
am persuaded they never even saw me,
though l was IN full view of them. 1t was
dark by the time the gunboat resumed its
former position, and unmolested crept
:ato port under the friendly wing of the
night. But just before l anchored l was
startled by a shrek from one of the men.
and running to him saw that we were
damned against this strange vessel, which
seemed afre with sort of cold, weird light
which lighted up the figures Of a crowd of
picturesquely dressed men, unmistakably
buccaneers, who pulled At the ropes and
performed their duties with countenances
set in death and CLASSY eyes that glared
upon US hideously, while each bore in head
or breast or body a bleeding wound.
The man beside me had fallen on his
knees, his teeth chsttering while ne gAsped
out a prayer. But overcoming the terror
that was chilling the very marrow of my
bones / rushed forward, shouting as ran.