Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-10-28
THE
Great War Syndicate.
By FRANK R. STOCKTON.


Tiger" 1.-THE Late sIrs. Null" ''The
Hundredth Man." THE Casting Away
of Mrs. Leclss and Mrs. Aiesiiine,' 'The
Dusantes." etc.
copyrighted by p r Collier. of Golfers Once
q Week. and published by special arrangement
with him through the American Press Associa-
ton All rights reserved
lCoNTNUED.
a lighthouse. the occupants of which
had been ordered to leave when the fort
was evacuated. as they might be in dan
ger in case Of Commandment, was so
shaken by the explosion of this motor
bomb that it fell in ruins on the rocks
upon which it had stood.
The two crabs now took the steel net
from its moorings and carried it up the
harbor This was rather difficult on &C.
count of the islands, rocks and sandbars;
but the leading crab had on board pilot
acquainted with those waters. With the
net hanging between them, the two sub
merged vessels. one carefully following
the other, reached point about two
miles below the city, where the net was
reach from shore to shore, but in the
course of the morning two other nets,
designed for shallower waters, were
brought from the rcpelers and anchored
at each end Of the main net thus form
ing line of. complete protection against
submarine torpedoes which might be
sent down from the upper harbor.
I ctr int ho
harbor, accompanied by Crab A. and
anchored about Il quarter of a mile sea-
ward of the net. The other repeller,
with her attendant crab, cruised about
the mouth Of the harbor, watching a
smaller entrance to the port as well as
the larger one, and thus maintaining an
effective blockade. This was not diff
cult duty, for since the news Of the ex-
traordinary performances of the crabs
had been spread abroad, no merchant
vessel. large or small. cared to approach
that port; and strict orders had been
issued by the British admiralty that no
vessel of the navy should, until further
instructed, engage in combat with the
peculiar craft of the syndicate. Until
plan of action had been determined
upon, it was very desirable that English
cruisers should not be exposed to useless
injury and danger
This being the state Of affairs. mes
sage was sent from the Office OF
the syndicate across the border to
the Dominion government, which
stated that the seaport city which
had been attacked by the forces Of the
syndicate now lay under the guns of its
vessels, and il case of an overt act Of
war by Great Britain or Canada alone,
such as the entrance Of an armed force
from British territory into the United
States. or q capture of or attack upon an
American vessel, navel or commercial,
by British man-of- war, or an attack
upon an American port by British YES
sells, the city would be bombarded and
destroyed.
This message, which was of course in
stantly transmitted to London, placed
the British government in the apparent
position Of Icing held by the throat by
the American War Syndicate But if
the British government or the people of
England or Canada recognized this posi-
ton at all it was merely rs a temporary
condition. In short time the most
powerful men-of-War of the royal navy,
rs well as feet Of transports carrying
troops, would reach the coasts of North
America, and then the condition of
affairs would rapidly be changed. 1t
was absurd to suppose that q few me-
dium sized vessels, however heavily
armored, or a few new tangled subnla-
rine machines, however destructive they
might be, could withstand an armada of
the largest and finest armorcd vessels in
the world. A ship or two might be dis
abled, although this was unlikely, now
that the new method CT attack was I'M
derstood but it would soon be the ports
of the United States. on both the Pacific
and Atlantic coasts, which would lie
under the guns of an enemy.
But it was not in the power of their
navy that the British government and
tie people of England and Canada placed
their greatest trust, but in the incapacity
Of their petty foe to support its ridicu-
lous assumptions. The claim that the
city lay under the guns of the American
syndicate was considered ridiculous, for
few people believed that these vessels
had any guns Certainly there had been 10
evidence that any shots had been fired
from them. In the opinion of reasona-
Bile people the destruction of the forts
and the eyulosions in the harhor had
been caused by mines-mines Of new
and terrifying power-which were the
work of traitors and confndarates The
destruction of the liohtho1,se had
strengthened This belief for its fall
WAS similar tn that which world have
been occasioned bv n great explosion I'M
der its foundation,
Bnt however terrifying md annoIli,g
had been the results of The exnlosion If
4 those mines il was not thoucbt nrobaI,le
that there were any more Of thnin Tba
explosions had taken mace ut cxnospd
points distant from the civ and the
most careful investigates, failed 10 dis.
cover any present si}ns of MINING onero.
tions.
/ This thaoyv of p,;pcs 'v.oyl,ed b1, co,,.
fodcrates Was received ,broncho,,t tl-o
ciriIiga1 world ,p1 u,os un;,,ers,IIy CON.
dan,ned Fven in tho I7ritad Stsfes t,o
feeIino was 90 strong AGAINST This on,,ar-
ont alliance bntv.on,, no s,,,dic,tn and
British traitors that there was reason 10
beI;nva that y nopnlar prcss,,ra world ba
brop,Lt 10 hn,r upon the Government
snfIieinnt 10 force II 10 hrca,, K. contract
with the syndicate and 10 carrv on tlIs
war r,i,b fbo nof;o,oI or,,v and NV,
The crab was considered IN admirable
addition tn tho stro,,,rtt of !, now int I,