The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-12-21

tives instantly realized that they had
caught tartar, and they saw, too, that
their only means of escape lay in cap
turing the ship. Therefore, instead of
running away, as we had looked for,
each craft bore down on us to board.
They were handled as easily as an In
dian maneuvers a canoe, and it WASH t
five minutes after the first gun was fired
ere they were on our quarters like
wolves seeking to hamstring a deer. 1
fred another solid shot and then loaded
with grape, and this last charge was
fired right into mass of natives wait
ing to Chamber up the side. The gun
next to me fired a solid shot, which
tore through her bottom, and two min
utes later she foundered right alongside
of us. The second craft got near enough
to grapple, but the irons were thrown
off and two guns played solid shot into
her hull until she went down stern fore
most, leaving 80 men struggling in the
waves
The third craft had forged ahead,
sailing five feet to our one, and would
have boarded us at the bows but for the
sudden destruction Of the others. Their
fate frightened her off, but she had
scarcely laid her head for the island
than it was brought around, as if her
crew had made some desperate resolve.
Now occurred curious thing. She had
about 80 men ON board, and she came
down on us with every one of them
shouting and screaming and tried to lay
us aboard We could have sunk her
with one gun even, or we could have
picked off the whole crew with our
muskets before they had crossed the
rail Word was passed to give her a
full broadside at command, and when
the smoke cleared away she was not
to be seen. There were over 30 of the
pirates hanging to the wreckage around
us, however, and boat was lowered to
pick them up. You can judge of their
desperation when I tell you that every
one of them fought like tiger against
being rescued and that we got only five
out of the lot. The others we had to
kill as they 1oated about, with the
sharks swapping at them. Two of the
five leaped out of the boat after being
pulled in and were seen no more, and
the others gave us SO much trouble that
the captain swung them up to the yard
arm.
Thus not one single man of the 100
or more who came out to attack us es-
capped with his life. was in one Of the
boats afterward sent ashore to see what
sort of lair the pirates had made for
themselves. The only human beings
ashore were an old native woman, one
armed Japanese and white boy about
IA years of age. The boy was off an
English trader captured year before
and had been held prisoner ever since.
He said there were LOT men in the gang,
and we found enough plumber on the
island to load our ship.
They had captured about a dozen
different vessels, large and small, and
in every case had plundered and sunk
them. They did not always kill all the
crew. Soon after the boy was captured
they brought in an American sailor off
spice trader. The lad knew him only
by the name Of William, but remem-
bered that his home was in Boston. It
turned out that they had spared his life
to make use of him as blacksmith, but
when they found he had no knowledge
of that work he was put to death with
great cruelty. By order of the chief he
was hung III chains on tree about
quarter of a mile from the village and
was five or six days in dying. The boy
went with us and showed us his bones.
still hanging.
The one armed man and the old wo-
man, assisted by the boy, were the cooks
for the gang. They at first seemed very
much alarmed and protested their inno-
cence of any completely in the crimes of
the pirates, but when they came to I'M
derstand that all the villains had met |
their fate and that we had come ashore |
to clear the island of its last bale of |
plumber they suddenly ran into rude
storehouse, blocked up the doorway
with boxes and opened fire on us with
pistols. We had two men wounded be-
fore we could dislodge them, and they
were then hanged to the same limb and |
their bodies left to the birds. What |
plumber we could not bring off we
burned On the island, and before leaving
we set the forest on fire in a dozen /
places, and the flames did not die out
until the whole length and breadth had
been swept clean of vegetation.
The Profits of Monte Carlo.
The merchant whose losses are the re-
suit Of untoward and unforeseen changes
in the market receives sympathy and
help, but what bank or private friend
will advance money to a gambler? The
betting man who has staked his last
shilling and lost it is pronounced fool
and has put himself beyond the reach
of practical compassion. The sharper
who has feeoed him has neither graft
tude nor pity. He uses his victim as the
butt Of his ridicule And the victim
himself, who has risked his money on
mere chance, or on baseless information,
or on fraudulent representations, freely
pronounces himself fool, judging him
self i'll the light of the issue. To fancy
that we shall be exceptions and win
where others have lost, that we shall be
the solitary lucky ones among the thou
sands unlucky, is a folly to which we
are all liable, but it is none the less a
folly.
1t is stated that the winnings Of the
table or bank at Monte Carlo last year
amounted to $500, 0O0-that is to say,
this was the net sum lost by those who
played. Yet each gambler who stakes
his little pile fancies he will be the one
to win. There are some thousands Of
bookmakers in our own country Out Of
whose pockets do they pick SO comfort
able living? Out of the pockets of
their dupes, who SO beautifully contrib
ute to the maintenance of their worst
enemies. Good Words.
The Word s'Toast.1
The word "toast, - used for describ-