Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-09-30
A MIDNIGHT MURDER.

OF anguish ITdJ Iie ike OF IL Il cOulu
never imagine deliverable by human
lips. You would have sworn it was a
woman's voice, and had not Miss
Grant been by my side l must have
thought it was she-the only one of
her sex on board-who uttered it.
"Great heavensp 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 cape in the set of his
lirs toward the companion ladder.
(ss Grants face was full of conster-
nation, and she kept her eyes fixed on
me with a wild look of CONSERVATION
in them. / listened, expecting to hear
a second cry.
There was q sound of swift running
overhead, sharp, angry shout in the
voice of the boatswain; a minute after
the chief mate came staggering down
the ladder with his hand to his side,
his dark face dreadful TO see with the
ghastly coloring upon it. He stood
while you could have counted ten at
the foot of the ladder, swaying, his
left hand upon his heart, his right
hand extended, his ashen lips inartic-
ulately moving; then dropped without
a groan, and lay motionless.
A voice holloa'd on deck. / could
not catch the words, but it was easy to
recognize Gordon's tone, and it seemed
10 me that he was bawling for assis-
tance from the wheel or close to it.
The light burned duly in the cabin
lantern; l turned the mesh high that
we might see what was the matter
with the mate ,and then went up to him.
He lay on his side, and when L looked
at his face | could not question that he
was dead.
His left side was dark in the lamp
light with the saturation of blood, and
already there was a large dusky patch
slowly sitting out, like ink upon blot
ting-paper, over the sand-colored
planks on which the man rested. His
head was uncovered, his eyes half
closed, his lips had not yet had time to
soften down out of the rigors of their
grinning twist of agony and terror;
the gleam of his white teeth was as
though he snarled, spite of his lying
still. Broadwater appeared to have
been bereft of reason. A professional
danger might nave found him equal to
it's confrontment. But here was some
thing wide of his experience, a sudden
violent shock-a frightful menace too,
for it was impossible to say what
greater tragedy yet lay secret behind
this first and most bloody one.
"Captain' l cried, suddenly, an
gered by his posture of helplessness,
"here is murder-murder, do you
hear, sir? If your crew have not mu-
tinted, what else should this signify !?
There is 10 leisure at sea, sir, for Cog
Cling. For Gods sake go on deck,
man, and find out what's the matter?"
Had ] run at him with pltchfork,
the act on could not have started him
more efFectuslly than my speech.
"Gogglingl who's a-goggling?" he
roared. "By this and by that" and
here he beloved out a whole volley of
curses, "the man who's done this thing
will swing for It'll From my own
yard-arm he shall swing for it, though
there's ne'er pair of hands on board
but mine to run the villain alOft!
Nurderl Murder aboard Of mel
Why, what do they hope to do?'
He made for the companiOn-iadder
with fury in his looks and gestures; :;
but at that instant down Numbered tho
second mate, with his face as white as
its dark tincturo of weather would
suffer it to be, as wild in his manner
as demented man; so distractedIy
agitated that his quick, distrcssful
breathing broke up his words as they
rolled hoarsely from his lips.
"Captainl captainl" he cried
~there's been a murder done. The
mate-ay, there he lies-stabbed, sir,
stabbed by the half-blood Charles!"
'Where is he?' beloved Broad
water, who had come to stand on
seeing the boatswain, but who now
gathered himself together afresh for a
spring on deck.
"Hold, sirl" cried Gordon, "holdl
hear me out. For God Almightv's
sake deal with them as though an i'll
word nov should turn 'em all into wild
beastsl Mr.. Musgrsve-sir-you'
been to 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, sirl beg him to
listen TO me, sir, or there'H be not
life of one of us now here collected
as'n stand the chance of that flame
there if you was to try and blow it
out"
Captain said l, half wild with
the thoughts such talk as this put into
my head, as l looked for an instant at
Miss Grant TO mark what effect the
incoherent CONSERVATION of the boat
swain produced upon her, ''you must
listen to this man. He has something
to tell you. There are three of us; /
have weapons of my own, and you
will not be without arms" And with
that | grasped him by the arm, with
quick sense of satisfaction coming to
me, somehow or other, out of the feel
of the mass of muscle my fingers
gripped, and showed him toward a
locker. He sat down, with his face as
dark as the stain on the cabin-deck.
without speaking, with fixed glare of
his little eyes at Gordon, and kind of
suffocated heaving of his breast.
"Now, Gordon!" / exclaimed.
Captain" he said, "this is how it
happened. Charles, the half-blood,
was at the wheel. When you went
below, the mate'-here he turned his
eyes with sickly roll upon the body,
and sharp catching of his breath
"came up to me, and talked of the
craft that had nearly run us down. He
spoke in apassion, gave me hard words
told me had no eyes. wasn't fit to
take charge of the deck, and swOre
cruelty that he'd reckon his own eve
sight TO have been blasted if he'd have
missed the shadow long afore they
showed the binnacle-light over the side.
We argued, and fell as hot as he
After long spell of jawing
he went forra'ds, and l heard him