San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-12-15
JOSEPH HOLLANDS YACHT

He Lost it Through a Trick Played
On His Boat BY the Jeffersons.
From the Chicago Chronicle:
Joseph Holland, the comedian who
is playing the leading role in "The
Mysterious Mr.. Bugle," is the godson
of Joseph Jefferson. Every summer
Mr.. Holland spends his holidays near
the summer home of his godfather at
Buzzard's Bay. Holland is an enthus-
iastic yachtsman, as are also all the
jefferson boys-and they all own Cape
Cod catboatS.
Last spring Holland ordered a new
catboat built by the celebrated blind
boat builder of Bristol, r. l., Heres
hOff. As soon as the season closed
Holland took the Madeleine, as he
called his boat after the fair author
of THE Mysterious Mr.. Bugle," to
Buzzard's Bay. The first serious trial
of the new boat in competition with
the boats belonging to the JefferSons
was to occur on the Fourth of July.
Prizes had been put up for the event
by Joseph jefferson himself. PreSi-
dent Clevenland, who, as is well
known. is 4 neighbor and warm
friend of the JeffersOns, was one OF
the spectators of the race. The day
before the race Holland had put the
finishing touches on his trim little
craft. and. as he expressed it, she
was fit to race for kingdom"
But after Holland had left the Mad
eleine securely tied up in the private
| I, no TnffnpSnnS
there was a mysterious gathering OF
the jefferson boys. The boys worked
like beavers for several hours, and be-
fore midnight they had succeeded in
attaching to the keel of the trim little
Madeleine enough old rubbish to re-
quire a gale of wind to send her
over a course at a greater speed than
two knots an hour.
1t was q glorious day for the race,
and a spanking breeze filled the sails
of the little fleet which started in the
race at Buzzard's Bay. Hollands
trim little Madeleine seemed a little
sluggish in her movements, but the
sanguine Joseph simply laughed and
said as the Jeffersons flew past him
in their boats: wait until the Made
leine gets where she can feel the full
strength of the wind"
1t was n sorry race for Holland.
The Jeffersons had come home flying
before the breeze, and the trim little
Madeleine, with Holland at the helm,
was still laboring over the course like
a thoroughbred race horse harnessed
to a coal cart When Holland finally
reached the end of the course, one
hour and fifteen minutes behind every
body else, the Jefferson boys gave him
the laugh, and Tommy Jefferson said,
IN bet you so Joe, l can bring her
over that same course in less than
half the time. The trouble isn't with
the Madeleine. but you don't know
how TO handle her."
Thoroughly dishartened. Holland
agreed and Jefferson took the yacht in
hand. Before he hoisted sail he quiet
ly severed the rope which neld all the
rubbish attached to the Madeline's
keel consequently when the word was
given the new boat swept away like
a bird freed from confinement She
went over the course in quicker time
than any boat ever owned in that mar
Dor, demonstrating that she would
have won the race handily in the first
instance
When Holland saw young Jefferson's
success with the Madeleine he said:
well, l thought | knew how to han
die catbOat. but | see I've got to
begin all over again.
The story was too good to keep,
however. and in a few days Holland
was formally presented with the
prizes which the Madeleine would have
won had she not been weighted
down with old iron.