The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-02-22
ACCIDENTAL OR DEsIoNED7
The Tragic Fate OF n Naval Oficer Who
Was Hated by His Men.

The Tragic Fate OF n Naval Officer Who
Was Hated by His Men.
They were telling incidents in the
life of prominent and wealthy man
who had recently died-the little tricks
he had played to catch his worlsmen
mapping, the ways he had employed to
impress discipline upon them and his
successful manner of getting their best
effort out of them. Then the naval Of
ficer interposed an objection.
II have seen great many men, and
some of them very bad ones, success
fully handled" he said, sin the serv-
ice, but don't believe ever knew an
officer who stopped to little tricks to be
successful in commanding men. There
is something in mans heart that
makes him resent petty persecution,
when he will bear you no i'll will at all
for crushing him under great provoca-
ton. And, speaking of petty persecu-
ton, annoying men in little ways to
keep them alive and doing, l remember
x, poor chap! in the service years
ago, and the mournful way in which
he died.
"X- was past master in that
small business of harassing seamen. 1
remember one of his tricks, when he
found man sleeping when he should
have been awake, was to dash a dipper
full of water into his face. He would
not allow men who were awake to
arouse the sleeper but, selling the dip
per, he would rush up and slap the
water at full force into the mans face.
And l have seen men go wild at the
shock of it, but " could never be
made to see that his way was unfair
and bullying. A man was asleep
when he should be awake. He really
deserved, punishment, but x did
not punish him. He merely recalled
him to his sense of duty.
Il remember one night on deck WIN
the weather was terrible. 1t was as
black as pitch, and a man couldn't see
where he was going or go where he
wanted to go. A seaman bumped into
Y, and quick as flash " hit
out, striking the man in the chest. In
stantly l saw in the darkness a great
arm and fist go up, and expected to
see V Ia little fellow he was with
a shrill, high-pitched voice. smashed
into the deck planking by the weight
and strength of the powerful seaman
who lowered over him. But in that in
slant " raised his thin voice in an
angry cry.
"'Look out therer he screamed
shrilly. Remember you are striking
the officer of the deckr And then
l1 ct 4 O.,
slowly and hesitatingly, as the man
yielded to the officer of the deck. But
hatred in his heart, the passion that
had prompted him to crush the officer,
the savagery that was in him-the
man could not sink them as he could
draw down hin powerful arm. l don't
believe there was ever man more
hated by his interiors than was x,
and ali on account of his nagging and
his petty tyranny.
Zone day some of the crew were low
ering the topgallant yard. " stood
under them on the deck, directing the
work, looking at them now and then
to nag them with some piping cry.
None of us in the wardroom ever knew
how it happened. There was no sound
in advance. no cry of warning, no wild
yell as always happens when there is
an accident on shipboard. Suddenly
the topmast came away from those
who were lowering it, caught Y,
and unprepared, carried him
down heavily to the deck, and he was
dead. That was allan accident if
ever evidence counted for anything.
The men could not explain how the
yard got away from them.
and when a thing like that starts to
fall there is no stopping it.
but l have often wondered over it.
What could those sailors tell if they
woodland they never do tell any
thing! How strange that there should
have been no warning cry to enable
him to jump aside, and how strange
that it should have been x, who
was so hated, to die in that wayr'-N.
Y. Tribune.