Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-12-05

the Monico, well knowing 7 was leav-
ing behind me an innocent man to be
hanged for the murder had commit
ted. The revolver with which shot
Mr.. Rowling is in my box. All which
is true, as l declare"
Cappermole signed this statement,
and the clergyman, the captain, the
doctor and myself witnessed it, and
shortly after five bells G0:30 o'clock
at night Cappermole died, being bur-
led at sea the next day, Tuesday.
had been melancholy and depressed,
without hope, before, but now began
my anxious time.
Cappermole's statement was of no
use unless l could get the knowledge
of it to the authorities in England in
time to stop my friend Rupert's execu-
ton on Thursday morning, and it was
race against time. We were, in or
binary course, due at New York on
Wednesday afternoon about four
o'clock, which would be about nine
o'clock at night in England. We had
favorable weather and had made good
way, and if we kept on we should be
in on time, if not before; but on Tues.
day morning we ran into a dense fog,
and our course was impeded and the en-
gines were slowed down.
1 sought the captain, and told him
exactly what was depending on our
not losing time. He was fine fellow,
was Capt. Mariner, and he fully sympa-
thized with me. We debated the mat
ter, and considered it all around for
few minutes. To get full steam ahead
was terribly dangerous, as the lookout
men could see no distance to speak of,
owing to the fog, but the captain at last
determined to do it.
"I'H do it, Sparton," he cried. 81
feel that this man was sent on board my
ship and injured so that he felt himself
dying and bound to confess, by Prov
idence, and if l don't try and save Ru-
pert Rowling, l shall consider that I
have been the cause of his being hanged.
If do try, and anything happens to
our ship, then may God preserve usl"
To which l answered solemnly;
"Amen!"
Rushing off to the chief engineer,
l briefly explained matters to him and
gave him the captains orders. The en-
gincer was big, hard-headed Scotch
man, and, gripping my hand in grasp
like wise, he cried:
"I'll maxi the ship go, Robert. But
it'll be bad thing for onything we run
into. I'm thinking. 1t will that"
Well, we tore along through the fog
all day Tuesday. 1 was in a dreadful
state of mind. On the one hand was
all anxiety to reach port in time to
cable to England and stop the execu-
ton of Rupert, while on the other we
were risking the lives of the crew and
some $50 passengers, to say nothing
of the ship and cargo.
/ didn't leave the deck for moment
all day. Ipromised the captain would
not leave stone unturned to insure
the safety of the vessel. We put three
times the ordinary number of men on
the lookout and kept fog-horning and
whistling all day long, but by merci-
full providence we had a clear course.
We only sighted one vessel, about mid
day, but l could not discern what she
was. Toward night the fog lifted and
the stars shone. McGreig, the engineer,
now had the Goals piled on at fearful
rate, and we shot through the water
like an arrow; but early next morning
the wretched fog came on again.
We were, of course, nearing land,
and the risk of collision was every
minute more serious. We kept on our
mad career. The passengers knew there
was something queer about steaming SO
fast through fog, but answered them
all:
"Oh, we're all right. We're on our
usual track, and nothing gets in our
way"
| This was true to some extent, but the
risk was enormous, and every mile that
we got nearer land got more and more
nervous.
However, to cut a long story short,
we gained New York harbor at 3: so on
ming down an outgoing steamship some
go miles out, and which we avoided by
the skin of our teeth.
AS soon as we arrived l hurried
ashore, by the captains permission,
and hunted up the British consul, whom
l dragged off to the cable company's
Office, and we sent joint telegram
from him and the captain to the home
secretary in London. i also wired to
the governor of the jail where Rupert
was waiting execution, to Rupert HIM
self, and to my sister. The message to
the home secretary was long one; /
remember it cost me about five pounds.
l waited at the cable Office for re-
ply. 1t came within four hours, which
was pretty quick work, as my message
would not reach London till about nine
o'clock at night, English time being
about five hours ahead of New York.
Rupert was respited till our evidence
could be brought home and inquired
into, and in less than another month
had the pleasure of shaking him by the
hand as an acknowledged innocent
man, her majesty having, in the pc.
culiar fashion of the English law, been
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