Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-02-14
ACCIDENTAL OR DESIGNED?
Ihe Tragic Fate of a Naval Officer
Who Was Hated by His Men.

Inc Tragic Fate of a Naval Officer
Who Was Hated by His Men. ,
They We're telling incidents in the
life of a prominent and wealthy man
who had recently died-the little tricks
he had played to catch his workmen
mapping, the ways he had employed
to impress discipline upon them and
his successful manner of getting their
best effort out of them. Then. saws
the New York Tribune, the naval of
ficer interposed al objection.
Il have e a great many men. and
fully handled" he said. "in the ser
vice, but l don't believe l ever knew
an officer who stopped to little tricks
TO be successful in commanding men.
There is something in a mans heart
that makes him resent petty persecu-
ton, when he will bear you no i'll will
at all for crushing him under great
provocation. And, speaking of petty
persecution. annoying men in little
ways to keep them alive and doing, |
remember O. poor chap, in the SER
vice years ago, and the mOurnful way
in which he died.
@ was a postmaster in that small
business of harassing seamen. | re-
member one of his tricks, when he
found a MAJ sleeping when he should
have been awake, was to dash a dip
perful of water into his face. He
would not allow men who were awake
to arOuS the sleeper, but, Selling the
dipper, he would rush up and slap the
water at full force into THE mans face.
And | have seen en- go wild at the
shock of it, but O. could never be
made to see that his way was unfair
and bullying. If a man was asleep
when he should be awake, he really de-
served punishment, but O. did not
punish him; he merely recalled him
to his sense Of duty.
81 remember one night on deck
| when the weather was terrible. 1t was
as black as pitch, and a nan couldn't
see where he was going or go where
he wanted to go. A anna bumped
into @, and quick as a flash @
hit out, striking the man in the chest.
Instantly l saw in the darkness a
great arm and fist go up, and l ex-
pected to see o "a 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 I'VE him. But
in that instant O. raised his thin
voice in an angry cry.
"'Look out here!' he screamed
shrilly. Remember you are striking
saw the great fist and arm sink down,
slowly and hesitating1y, as the man
yielded to the officer of the deck. But
hatred in his heart, the passion that
had prompted him to crush his officer,
the saYagery that was in him-the man
could not sink them as he could draw
down his powerful arm. / don't be-
lieve there was ever a man more hated
by his interiors than @, and all on
account Of his nagging and his petty
tyranny.
zone day some of the crew were low
ering the topgallant yard. O. 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, ne cry of warn
ing, no wild yell as always happens
when there is an accident on ship
board. Suddenly the topmast came
away from those who were lowering
it, caught @, unwarned and UMPIRE
pared, carried him down heavily to the
deck, and he was dead. That was all
ar accident if ever evidence counted
for anything. The men could not ex-
plain how the t~opgallant yard got
away from them, and when a thing
like that starts to fall there is no stop
ping it.
But 1 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 tt enable
him to jump aside, and how strange
that it should have been O., who
was so hated, to die in that wayr.'