The record-union., 1897-08-22
TALE OF JACK TkRS.
A LIEUTENANT WHO DUCKED
A CHAPLAIN.
Loyalty Of Sailormen is Unbound
ed Toward Officers Who Are
Popular.

until you have lived with them and
studied them you have no idea Of their
character. In some things they are
like children, but whatever may be
their faults, they cannot as a class be
accused of lacking generosity or loyal
ty. If a shipmate is i'll or in misfortune
and needs money the hat goes around,
and it never returns empty. / remember
one incident that happened in a Medit-
erranean port few years ago that we'll
illustrates the loyalty Of the men aboard
ship to an officer if the latter happens
TO be popular man. The story is well
known in the navy.
1T so happened that our ship and an
English squadron We're in port at the
same time, and the officers and men of
thine two countries fraternized. The
English Admiral was a fine fellow, and
so We're all his officers with the excep-
ton of his chaplain, who was sour,
straight Laced individual, very unpopu-
lar with the English officers. Chaplain
Smith-tfat wasn't his name, but it will
do-never attempted to make friends,
and I don't believe he would have sue
ceeded had he tried. We had on our
ship a Lieutenant who was a great ia
vorite with everyone on board. He was
one Of the most entertaining men in the
wardroom. and moreover, he was an
excellent officer There wasn't a jack
tar on board that wouldn't have jumped
overheard for Lieutenant Jones, as l
shall call him, and before we had been
in port week the English officers dis
covered that he was a good fellow
Jones had just one failing. and it man
ifested itself at long intervals. In the
company Of congenial men he would oc-
caSionally drink too much, and then he
became boisterous.
1t so happened that he found half
dozen English officers ashore one after
noon, and they were all good fellows.
They told Jones that he was a good fell
low, and he told them that they were
good fellows, and these statements were
pledged in the usual manner. The Eng
lishmen admitted that they were ali
good fellows in their squadron with the
exception of Chaplain Smith, and the
more they discussed the chaplain the
more Jones became convinced that he
must be an enemy of mankind So
many toasts We're drunk that when
Lieutenant Jones went to the landing to
get his boat to go aboard ship he found
the street none too wide for his prog
ress. He had concluded and stated aloud
for the twentieth time that the English
officers We're gentlemen and good fell
lows when he saw Chaplain Smith
standing at the landing waiting for his
boat. A boat commanded by a cox
swain and manned by eight of his own
men were waiting to take Lieutenant
Jones aboard ship but there was no
boat for the English chaplain. Jones
remembered what the English officers
had said about their chaplain, and
thinking that he might show his appre
citation of their hospitality by ducking
the chaplain, he picked him up and
threw him into the water.
"The chaplain had been taken by sur
prise. and he probably couldn't have
prevented the ducking had he been
warned, for the Lieutenant was a pow
erful man. The American tars picked
the chaplain out and helped him up on
the landing. He was too surprised and
indignant to talk, and while he was
trying to discover what the fuss was all
about and how he happened to have
been thrown into the water Lieutenant
Jones was helped into his boat and car
ried aboard ship. When he realized the
next morning what he had done he
made up his mind that his naval career
had about ended The English chap
lain had told his story as soon as he
reached his ship, and it looked as if
the ducking might become an interna-
tional complication before a court had
finished with it.
Lieutenant Jones had undoubtedly
grossly insulted an English officer but
secretly the other English officers re-
joiced over the affair as good joke on
the chaplain. 1t was necessary for US
to courtmartial Jones, and a day was
appointed for his trial The charges
We're to be made by the English chap
lain, and the only witnesses We're the
coxswain and crew from our ship.
Things looked pretty blue for Jones,
and the English officers were all sorry
for him. Some of them told the Eng
lish Admiral what good fellow he was,
and to our great surprise, on the day
before the courtmartial was to be held.
the English Admiral suddenly decided
that he would take his squadron to sea
for gun practice and stay an indefinite
time. This meant of course, that
Chaplain Smith would have to go along
with his ship, and it eliminated him
from the courtmartial proceedings. Il
was a graceful act on the part of the
Admiral, and, all things considered,
very polite one. Without anyone to
make direct charge against him. Lieu
tenant Jones prospects looked a little
brighter
THE caxswain and eight men who
witnessed the ducking of the English
chaplain, and they knew what Lieuten-
ant Jones' condition was on that after
noon. Their evidence was enough to
break him. When the court convened
the coxswain was called as the first
witness. He was told to tell what he
knew about the case.
Well sir, | was a-sittin' in the stern
sheets a-Waitin' for Lieutenant JONES'
he said when | saw this English chap
lain a-staggerin down to the landing
THE members of the court opened
their.eyes at this statement, and as the
coxswain continued discreet smiles fol-
lowed the looks of amazement
Yes, SIR continued the coxswain.
observing the effect of his testimony out
of the corner of his eye. 7 saw the Eng
lish chaplain come a-sta ggerin' down
to the landing. He had been drinkin',
sir. outrageous, and he didn't know
what he was a-doin' The next thing I
noticed was the English chaplain a
splashin around in the water. He had
fallen overheard. so he had. We pulled
hin, a,,+ apd r,,Yf him m fba 10 pI;p,r
again. About ten minutes later 1 saw