Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-07-04
A DARING INCIDENT.
Beheading of the Figurehead of the
 Constitution.

] ton is too familiar to recount, put there is one remarkable incident in its career that is little known. This was nothing less than the beheading of her figure head while she was guarded by her full complement of men. 1t was not an act of mere vandalism, but the result of the high pitch of political excitement pre- vailing in 1884.
 1 The figurehead was a wooden statue of Andrew Jackson of heroic size which had been placed, on the bow of the frig- ate through the instrumentality of the old Jackson party, then dominant. The whigs were very indignant and the matter was a constant theme of angry controversy.
 The hero of this daredevil escapade was one Samuel Worthington Dewey, Cape Cod sea captain, full of that reck- less daring that long following of the sea gives. He had recently returned from a very unsuccessful voyage, and, being in the employ of H. & W. Lin- coln, naturally made the office of the firm his headquarters. Political dis cussions were the main topic of conver- SdGiOHs dlNN IldllA dIld DAlIGI WCtO t1lC comments on the fact that Jackson's statue had been placed on the famous frigate. Capt. Dewey became thorough ly worked up over the matter. finally remarking: 1T have a good notion to go over to the navy yard some dark night and cut off the head of that figure One of the Messrs. Lincoln, 4uI ic ,o..1y 5flx 5aI. .'I will give you hundred dollars, cap tain, if you do that"
 Very well, ;" he replied. q accept the offer"
 No one of those present believed for a moment that Dewey intended to at tempt the deed: it seemed a sheer i'm possibility. Even when, about two weeks later, he laughingly declared that he had made trip to the navy yard, had looked everything over and had concluded to carry out his agree ment," nobody had any idea that he was serious. His statement, however was strictly true.
 Not long after Messrs. Lincoln were surprised one morning to see large gatherings of people at various points exeitedly discussing something; and on making inquiry they learned that dur ing the previous night the fgurehead of the Constitution had been deeapi= tated, and that the perpetrator had es- capped with the head. Immediately sur missing who had done the act, they kept their own counsel and waited for a .meeting with the captain. He prompt ! ly came to their office andibehind closed doors related the events of his dan gerous exploit.
 Fortunately for Dewey the night was stormy-a high wind prevailing, ae- companied by thunder and lightning He had provided himself with a large gimlet and saw fitted with a lead handle to deaden the sound. Elm barking in small skiff at Battery wharf, he rowed across the rough water to Charlestown, where the frigate was anchored. During his previous recon hotter he had noticed small rope hanging over the side of the ship near the bow; and reaching the Constitu- tion unobseryed, he fastened his skiff to the rope, which fortunately had not
  been removed, and climbed up it to an open port hole in the gun deck. Thence he crept through the darkness, as- cending to the upper deck, plainly hearing the steps of the marine on duty, and sometimes seeing him when the lightning flashed. This was really the most dangerous part of the expedi- tion; in fact, the sentry more than once came within few feet of the captains hiding place.
 At length, however, he reached his destination safely. Clambering down under the bowsprit close to the figure head and getting firm position in the graces, he screwed the gimlet firmly into the head for a handle and started to saw off the head at the neck This work he had to do very slowly and carefully, in order that the sentry might not hear. The captain afterwards re- lated that in one of his turns the ma rine. actually stopped a moment and rested on the figure. After time, the saw struck something that it could not cut. This proved to be a heavy metal rod running through the body and up to the head to strengthen it. By no means discouraged, the daring adven- turer persisted in his dangerous work. Another start was made higher up. This time he sawed upward at an angle from the chin, and the head was finally severed.
 The captain had taken the precaution to tie his handkerchief to the gimlet and loop it about his arm to avoid any possibility of the head falling Laden with this large piece of wood, he found it very difficult to retrace his route to the skiff and avoid discovery, but again fortune favored him; he reached the open port and, sliding down the rope, dropped into the slSiff. Here he mar rowly escaped disaster, as the boat was nearly full of water which had flowed into it from the decks during the heavy 1 roff1 IIa finnlIu !,