Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-03-08
!lady's accusation? We found her fiont-
ling. Are you her husband? What's
your name, sir? What did you do to

: lazy accuSauOn. we found her Hon
d ling. Are you her husband? What
your name, sir? What did you do t
herr"
: HE would have drowned met
screamed the poor Girl and indeed sh,
: Was scarce more than a girl in years
While in looks she might have passed
for eighteen. ''Oh, guard me from him
make him leave the Ship-''And here 81
screamed NEST dismally.
, Then, while the woman still scream
ed and was making for her to lend
Mrs. Godbold a Misunderstanding as L
stepped a huddle OF hairy faces staring
down the skylight in plain expectation
of being in time to see the worst of
1.-THE captain of the Kinda twisted ON
his heels, in a spring or two gained the
deck and was gone.
The captain went on deck and 1 quick
lily followed, and when / looked over
the rail l saw the Hindas boat making
for the Indiaman. The men seemed to
be pulling for dear life; probably they
had heard the Shrieking through the
open Sbylight and the captain may
have started them hard at their oars
with some affrighting lie about our
ship.
Even while our white tipped yard
arms glanced through the sparkling
wind to the drag at the braces swing
ing the fabric of white cloths into lean
ing aud swelling breasts of canvas, the
Indiaman as her own boat was hoist
ing at the davits, filled on her main
topSailS, and we saw that she was for
losing Us by the easterly course she
made, and, indeed, long before the
afternoon was gone she had sunk her
self below the horizon to the tacks of
her courses. :-...
That same evening Mrs. Cole took
Mrs. GOdbold into her confidence, and
this is the story she related, just as it
reached my ears a day or two later:
Her husband was Capt. Charles Cole,
commander of the Kinda Indiaman.
and the person who had come aboard
our ship to borrow hands. They had
been married three years. She told
Mrs. GodbOld that from the hour of
! their marriage life had been made a
burden and curse to her and himself
voyages with him against her wish;
she detested the sea; but he was too
suspicious and jealous to suffer her out
of his sight A married sister of hers
lived in London, but he would not
trust his wife with her
Well, it fell out that on board the
Hinda-he was undoubtedly one of
those figures [ had observed on the
poop of the Indiaman-a particularly
good-looking young nobleman formed
one of the dozen or so officers who
were going home in the ship He be
gan to pay Mrs. Cole marked attention
before the vessel was fairly under way
She could only avoid him by keeping
her cabin. Her husband requested her
to do so. She refused to iinprison her
self in a small berth in a roasting eli
mate. Quarrel after quarrel resulted.
white hot by the significant looks and
half-lallghs and purser's grins Of my
! lords brother officers.
One afternoon while she sat on the
poop, his lordship pulled a chair to
her side and entered into conversation
with her. She could have no other eX-
CJlSe than her husbands jealousy to
rise and walk away. She remained
seated. Presently the officer was called
on some pipeclay business to the quar-
terdeck, and Mrs. Cole went to her cab
in. 1t was a stern cabin under the
wheel. lighted by couple of large old
fashioned windows, which were open.
While she stood at one of them watch
in hn Nf q 70
from under her into the evening dusk,
the door was opened and her husband
entered. He approached her with the
looks of wild man; he could hardly
speak for passion.
Capt Carter and I talked this yarn
over, and I clearly saw how the thing
stood. The man had attempted to muir
der his wife in a fit Of jealousy. No
doubt she had provoked him to the last
degree. He had backed her to an open
stern window, choking her cries with
his grip of her throat, and tumbled her
overheard. The slope of the ships
great square counter no doubt Tended
off the noise of the splash-if splash
there waS-from the ear of the helms
man or any one standing aft; and the
figure foated in the white bubbles and
foam bells of the ships furrow, and
went swiftly and noiselessly astern out
of sight in the gloom.
We calculated that when this tragedy
happened the Indiaman was ahead OF
Us by two hours and q half, sailing at
our then speed Of five knots, which was
rapidly slackening into the Stagnation
I described at the beginning of this
story.
To end which-for nearly all that is
interesting. in it is told-On our arrival
in the Thames Capt. Carter depOsed to
having rescued a woman in midOcean;
fuller information wa communicated
to the police, and Capt. Cole WAS to be
taken into custody upon the arrival Of
the Kinda at the first Channel port she
called at. This port happened to be
Portsmouth; but when the ship was
boarded the chief mate Of the india
man stated that the commander had
been found dead in the cabin three
days after visiting a bark called Can
terbury. The ships surgeon found that
! he had poisoned himself, and the body
was buried at sea.
| Capt. Carter lost his heart to the wild
ow and, needless of the experiences OF
the wretch whose poisoned body was
sunk in the Indian ocean, married her
Pail Mall Magazine.