Asheville daily citizen., 1892-03-21
THEY NARROWED A WOMAN
A THRILLING STORY OF THE
CAPTURE OF A BRIG.
They Rose Against the Captain
and Put His Wife On "a Desert
IsIaud, where She Stayed For
thirteen Months.

Copyright, 1892, by Charles B. Lewis.l
There is a sailor now employed by a ship
chandler on South street. in the port of
New York, who attracts attention by his
walk on the street. His right leg seems to
be attached to his body with a view of
walking sideways instead of the usual
fashion. AT the first glance you would call
it natural deformity, but if you followed
him for a hundred feet you would feel
quite certain that some accident had hap
pened to him and that he owed his condi-
tion to the ignorance or carelessness OF
those who practiced surgery on a broken
leg. will call his name John Lee, and
will reel off his story as he told it to me
not IA fortnight ago.
In the year 1853, after the government OF
the japanese islands had put down the re-
bellion which had been in existence for
two years, many heads were Topped Off
and many rebels banished from the coun-
try Among the latter were score or
more of Adventures who were not natives,
but Europeans. Some had gone in with
the rebels for the sake of adventure and
plunder, and others had been forced to join
by circumstances The fear of being in
volved with other governments decided
the japanese authorities to spare the lives
of these foreigners and at the same time
rid the islands of their presence. There
was in the port of Yokohama at the time
an Australian brig named the Robert May
commanded by Captain Henry Welles, and
she was chartered to take fourteen of these
rascally adventures to the south and land
them upon any one of the islands of the
BONN group which should prove the most
convenient AS all of them were looked
upon as desperate men, the japanese gov
ernment was willing to pay a good price
to get them out of the country. There
must have been money in it, for the brig
or the captain would not have meddled
with such dangerous cargo.
The brig had an English crew of nine
men and boy, and the captains wife was
with him. John Lee, the sailor with the
twisted leg, was one of the crew. The brig
had part of a cargo of tea and space in
her hold under the main hatch was fitted
up to receive the prisoners. A dozen mus
kets were brought aboard, the prisoners
guarded the same as cOnvicts would have
been, and Captain Weles set sail in the
full expectation of landing them accord
ing to instructions. He was not the man
to deal with such rascals, however, as
events speedily demonstrated. Every man
in the pen knew where he was to be land
ed, and that without shelter or provisions,
and from the first going aboard there was
determination to rise on the crew and
take the brig. 1t was on the night of the
fourth day out and during a squall, which
came near dsmasting the brig, that the
plot was carried out.
There are many things to be said in fa
vor of the desprradoes. They desired tc
capture the brig without bloodshed, and
but for the dogged obstinacy of the cap
tain this would have been done. Hecalled
uron the crew to rally, and when he found
himself unsupported he fought the gang
alone and single handed until killed by q
musket ball. He was the only one killed
though some of the crew were wounded in
the first rush John Lee was aloft at the
moment, and in his fright and confusion
he met with a fa,l which broke his leg
The mutineers set it and gave him careful
attention, but in the setting they TWISTED
it around and the bone knit and left it II
its present shape, Having got possession
OF the brig the desperipdoes were ior tim'
divided as to what shoulu De the mex
move. They had had enough of Japan
and no one had any idea Of turning pirat
in waters where mai-oi-"ar was 10 D
met WIN TWO or three times "eek'
was hhally decided 10 run 10 lne soulhWes
ana iahu upon some uhlhhaplleu isiiii'
above formosa ana ENJOY Tree ana eas.
lie Tor u season. 10 thls Ihe ere" Vi Vh
brig agreed some pleaSen WIN the pros
pect OF such iiie ana others reaii"ihs INA
oppositloh would pe Oh no use
MIS- captain "elies was woman apou
thirty years OF age, full oi energy anu res
olutlon, Her trea'meit ny Ihe niutlheer
dld more thah anything else 10 WIN I'll
crew over to Their side The fellows "er
led by al Ensllshman named rom Jones
who was no douot thoroughly Daa mar
but IN tins case ne should De accorded al
due praise. On the morning after the car
ture of the brig Mrs, Welles was intel
viewed IN the cabin. she was toid Una
the men had possession, ana that IL wa
proposed to get her out OF the brig and ou
of harms way While they were yet unde
control. They did not dare speak shl
nor land her at any port, but would sc
her ashore on some island and provide ne
with means to take care OF herself. sh
agreed with them that TINS was the oes
they could be expected to do' and ior th
next two days and nights she was left eI
tirely undisturbed In the cabin. Ther
was plenty OF rum aboard, but oetwee
the mate, who was now acting as captain
and Tom Jones, who was the leader, notl
ing like drunkenness had occurred. III
good times were being put OH until the
could find safe haven somewhere. Jon
Lee was lying in his berth with a broke
leg, but was kept posted as to what wa
going on forward and aft.
On the afternoon OF the third day IL
brig reached the island OF Shangwen, or
OF the i'oocleo group, and boat was lop
cred and pulled ashore to investigate
was only a small island, nearly circular an
about three miles across, and was found
be uninhablted. John Lee says he begge
for the captains wife to take him alonl
but she probably either feared that