Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-05-21
An Escape From Pirates.


IT feeling of superstition with re
gard to unlucky vessels were ever
pardonable, it must surely have beer
so in the case of the brig Crawford
owned first at Freetown, Mass, ano
afterwards for many years at Warren
r. [.
It would seem as if no nervous per-
son, acquainted with her history
could have trod her decks in the still
midnight watches upon the ocean
without creeping sensation of dread
The writer has a distinct recollec-
ton of this little full-rigged brig, as a
vessel which figured prominently
among the notable craft of his boy
hood. There were dark stains on her
deck which had the appearance OF
iron rust, but which all knew was not
tragedy that, with its associations,
was one of the most remarkable upon
record.
Her whaling voyages from Warren,
of which she made a number, were all
unfortunate in a pecuniary sense.
From one of them, after an absence
of fourteen months, she returned
without having taken a drop of oil
her captain having actually been
obliged to purchase supply for the
binnacie lamp at some foreign port.
But the one dreadful event Of her
history had occurred while she be-
longed to Freetown. In fact, it was
chiefly in consequence of that she was
sold to her purchasers in WARREN
her original owners feeling that they
could no longer bear to look upon
her.
It was, think, about 1929, that the
Crawford sailed for the West Indies,
under the command of Captain
Brightman, whose crew consisted Of
his two mates, a cook, and three fore
mast hands.
Her outward cargo was disposed of
at Havana, and she was nearly ready
for the homeward voyage when four
Spaniards came on board, seeking for
passage to the United States. They
were villainous- looking fellows, with
swarthy faces and flashing back eyes.
The mate advised Captain Bright
man not to accept them, and urged
his objections with some force. The
captain himself hesitated at first, but
the thought of the passage money
was too tempting, and he finally con-
sented to take the strangers on board.
speak English, but his companions
knew only Spanish. After the brig
had been at sea a few days, the cook
detected this man, whose name was
Tardy, in the act of sprinkling some
white substance on a quantity Of
food in the gallery. Tardy explained
that the article was kind of season
ing well known in Cuba, and that he
wished the officers and crew to try it's
flavor.
The cook scraped off as much of it
as ne could; but, although the fact of
his doing so shows that he must have
had suspicion Of foul play, he un-
fortunately did not make known the
incident until too late. He may have
thought that his knife had removed
all danger.
Immediately after eating, the cap
tain and chief mate were taken vio-
.lently i'll. The foremost hands also
felt some bad effects from their meal,
thouga in less degree; but the Sec
ond mate escaped, as his duties on
deck had kept him from eating with
the captain. AS to the four passengers,
they, of course, had taken care not to
touch the food on which the white
powder had been sprinkled.
1t was now that the terrified cook
told the mate what had occurred in
the gallery. But in few moments
his voice was silenced forever. He
was struck down by the murderous
pirates, who seeing that their work
was but half accomplished by the
poison, at once proceeded to COM
plete it with their knives.
The captain and chief mate they
killed in the cabin; the cook and one
of the foremost hands were murdered
close by the windlass, on the forward
part of the deck; while another sailor
was killed as he stood at the wheel.
Meanwhile, the second mate, whose