The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-05-09


named 1alIman TO sc aGG ana say TO the
captain that we would cheerfully take a
short allowance of food and water if he
would stand back for the men. All of
us went with him as far as the main
mast Captain Duff and both mates were
Oh deck, and the instant the captain un-
derstood what Tallman had come for he
sprang to the rail, seized an iron Delay
ing pin and rushed at the sailor and
struck him down. We thought the blow
had killed the man stone dead, but
while Captain Duff was heaping abuse
on us over the body Tallman struggled
up, staggered to the rail, and holding
fast with one hand he pointed with the
other to the captain and said:
'As you have left those men to hun
ger and thirst and die, so will you be
leftp'
He let go his hold and staggered for
ward, followed by the curses of the cap
tain and mates, but he had scarcely
reached us when he fell down and died.
The blow had crushed i'll his skull, and
that he had rallied from it and spoken
the words he did was looked upon as al
most miraculous. For an hour or two
after Tallman's death the officers held
aloof making pretense that it was no
concern of theirs, but after awhile the
captain himself came forward and gave
orders about the preparation and the
burial and made excuses that he was in
bad temper and struck harder than he
intended to.
He Furthermore declared that he I'M
derstood Tallman to be finding fault
with the ships provisions, and he was
much put out when we refused to attach
our signatures to statement in the log
book which would have exonerated him
ashore. After the corpse of the murdered
sailor had been committed to the deep a
change was noticed in the demeanor OF
the officers. We were bound for an
American port, and one where the daily
newspapers would be apt to hear of the
heartless act of leaving shipwrecked
crew in midocean, followed by brutal
murder, and it was deemed polite to
Ego SOFT on the crew. The mates con-
tinued to bully and curse but there were
no further cases of personal violence.
In the course of a week, such is sailor
nature, two or three men began to make
excuses for the murder and declare the
captain was not bad fellow.
We had rounded Cape Horn and were
bearing up for the north when we met
the American whaler James Brady We
knew nothing about our captain and
first mate and were surprised to learn
that Captain Duff's brother was captain
of the whaler, and that the mate had
acquaintances among her crew. There
were very light breeze and a smooth
sea, and as soon as the two captains rec
ognized each others craft both We're
brought to the wind, and our command
er was rowed aboard of the whaler for a
visit. In about an hour, the breeze hav-
ing almost died away and the day being
clear, the boat returned for the mate.
This left the bark in charge of the Sec
ond mate, who was however, thor
oughly competent man. 1t was just aft
er dinner the mate left us, and at 3
o'clock in the afternoon we saw squall
gathering down in the southeast The
same thing was seen from the whaler at
the same time, and while both crews
were taking in sail and making all snug
aloft our captain and mate started to re-
turn.
The four sailors who had gone with
the boat had been allowed to board the
whaler and visit with her crew, and in
honor of the occasion bottle of CHILEAN
whisky had been produced. When called
away, they were half seas over with the
liquor. Captain Duff quickly discovered
their condition and few into a temper.
He and the mate were in the boat, and
as the first man swung himself down he
received a blow which knocked him
overheard. A rope was thrown him from
the ship, but seeing his fate the other
three hung back. 1t was just at this
moment that the squall burst. Both
ships were laid ON their beam ends, and
their crews had enough to do to hang
ON, and it therefore followed that the
boat with the captain and mate in 1T
went adrift without any one giving
W.