The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-03-12
Was 1t Accident or =

They were telling incidents in the
life of a prominent and wealthy man
! who had recently died-the little tricks
he had played to catch his workInen
mapping, the ways he had employed &c
impress discipline upon them. and his
successful manner OF getting their hes,
efforts out of them. Then the naval
officer interposed an objection.
Il have seen great many men, and
some of them very bad ones, success
fully handled" he said, in the service.
but l don't believe l ever knew an
officer to be successful in commanding
men who stopped to little tricks.
There is something in a mans heart
that makes him resent petty persecu-
ton, when he will bear you no ill-will
at all for crushing him under great
provocation. And speaking OF petty
persecution, annoying men in lit
tie ways to keep them alive
and doing, 1 remember y,
poor chap. in the service years
ago, and the mournful way in
which he died
~" was a past master in that
small business of harassing seamen.
remember one of his tricks, when he
found man sleeping when he should
have been awake, was to dash 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 wa
ter at full force into the mans face.
And L have seen men go wild at the
shock of it, but X could never be
made to see that his way was unfair
and bullying. A man was asleep when
he should have been awake. He really
deserved punishment, but Y did
not punish him. He merely recalled
him to his sense of duty.
Il remember one night on deck
when the weather was terrible. 1t was
as black as pitch, and man couldn't
see where he was going or GO where he
wanted to go. Aseaman bumped into
y, and Quick as flash y hit
out, striking the man in the chest. In
stantly saw in the darkness great
arm and fist go up, and expected to
see Y IA little fellow he was. with
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 instant
Y raised his thin voice in an angry
cry:
Look out there he screamed
shrilly. Remember you are striking
the officer of the deck.' And then
saw the great fist and arm sink down,
slowly and hesitatingly, as the man
yielded to the officer OF the deck. But
the hatred in his heart, the passion
that had prompted him to crush his
officer, the savagery that was in him
the man could not sink them as he
could draw down his powerful arm.
don't believe there was ever a man
more hated by his interiors than V,
and all on account of his nagging and
his petty tyranny.
Zone day some OF the crew were low
ering the topgallant yard. Y stood
under them on 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 top mast 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 anything. |
The men could not explain how the /
yard got away from them. I
and when a thing like that starts to fall |
there is no stopping it.
But have often wondered over it. |
What could those sailors tell If they /
they never do tell any I
thing! How strange that there should I
nave been no warning cry to enable I
him to jump aside, and how strange /,
hat it should have been y, who |
vas so hated, TO die in that wayr'-N. +
WronSed a Cook.