The herald., 1893-09-19
DEcATuR's DAGGER.
The Way He Captured it from Pirati
cal Noor.

The Way He Captured it from q Pirati-.
cal Moor.
One aunshiny afternoon in spring
while talking with Stewart, picked up
from hie table peculiar knife. The
handle was ivory, yellow with age. The
blade was perhaps eight or ten inches
long, curved like acimitar. 1t was, in
fact, dagger, there being no edge on
it, but the point was OF needle-like
sharpness. He noticed my curiosity,
and said:
THAT knife was present from Deca-
tur, and it has an interesting history.
Oar war with Tripoli broke out in 1901.
Those treacherous dogs had way OF
surrendering, and then when boat was
sent to take possession they would open
on it. Lieutenant James Decatur, q
brother OF Stephen, was shot dead by
the captain of vessel that had run up
the white flag, and, waiting until young
Decatur stepped upon his deck, killed
him.
stephen Decatur learned OF this
crime. and made his way to the boat
on which his brother had been killed.
He led his men over the rail and at
tackled the crew with desperate valor.
He had learned that it was the captain
who had fred the fatal shot, and singl-
ing him out, Decatur went at him like
tiger. Such fight could end only
with the death OF one OF nhe combat
ants.
'There was no mistake about the
identity of the captain. He was fully
elk and half feet tall and wore gorg-
eous uniform, Seeing the American
making for him, the miscreant eager
ly rushed forward, for he must
have been confident Of cruahing the
audacious officer, who was not a large
man by any means.
"The Moor lunged at Decatur with a
pike, but it was parried with so much
violeuce that the assailant WAS partly
turned round On his feet. He instantly
whirled beck like cat just as Decatur
struck with his sword. The blow was
caught on the Cripolitan'a pike and the
sword broke in two; but with the stump
Decatur checked u second blow, though
the point passed through his coat and
pierced his breast. Grasping the pike
with both .hands, Decatur wrenched il
from the other. hnng it asidt, and leaDed
at him, just as | had seen him do scores
Of times in Philadelphia, when fighting
with boy larger than himself.
II never saw better wrestler than
Decatur, but to his astonishment he
found the Moor was his superior. When
they went down on the deck, Decatur
was flat on his back, with the Moor on
top. That dagger which you have how
in your hand was in the sash around the
fellows waist. He reached down to
draw it, 60 as to stab Decatur; but the
latter flung his legs over the Moor's
back, and with the help of his arms held
him so tightly against his breast that
the Moor could not shove his hand be.
tween their bodies to draw she weapon.
One of Decatur's pistols was near his
side, so that while he held his enemy
rigid with his left arm. he clipped his
right down and drew the weapon. He
cooked it by using the body of the Moor
to help him, reached over the back oi
the savage, and, pointing the pietol
downward, pulled the trigger.
lit was just like Decatur, for more
reckless thing cannot be imagined. He
might have fired sideways into his
enemy's body, but he discharged the
bullet directly toward his own breaat,
The chances were that it would pass
through both, but, luckily. it struck q
bone, and with gaeh and groan the
Tripolitan rolled off the body on the
deck and died without another struggle
Decatur took the knife from his eaet
and presented it to me. Blue ant
Gray for September.