Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-08-21
CHE STORY Teller.
A QUbBR SEA-PIGHT.

Raphael Semmes, long dead, was in
his day q terror of the seas. Com
mander first of the Sumter and then
of the Alabama, northern commerce
rotted in China ports for the dread of
BIN. He was called "buccaneer,"
"pirate," and other choice names, by
the Federal press. The passions Of the
war have lessened, and men are now
willing to grant that he was a regular
| " commissioned officer of a regular
navy, belonging to regularly organ
| lied government whose rights had been
recognized by many of the European
powers. One man met him who pre-
serves a vivid recollection Of him.
This is old "Cap'n" Strout, of Lewis
ton, Me-, grizzled seadog now in bis
seventies, but still hale, and still hear
ty. Strout likes to sit and gaze over
the tumbling waters that roar against
Names rock.bound coast, and tell OF
the time that he saw Semmes. Incl
dentally his tale is indicative of his
own iron nerve.
II was master of the American brig
Cuba" he told Chicago Times-Her.
aid man, "and sailed out of Trinidad
on July 2. 1861. I had cargo of su-
gar, and was bound for London. The
Cuba was two hundred and thirty-six
tons burden, and with the wind dead
astern she walked the waters like a
thing of life. Which is poetry. Two
days out-which is to say on July A.
we sighted q vessel on our star board
bow. She was travelling nearly par
allel course, and pretty soon she veer-
ed in and fired shot across our bows.
Naturally 1 stopped. The Rebellion
had broken out, and Confederate cruis-
ers were securing the seas swapping up
our merchantmen, but I relied on our
bills of lading to see US through. They
had the stamp of the British consul at
Trinidad. I was ordered to 60 on
board the Sumter, and Semmes took
my papers. He was a sour-looking
man enough, and when he saw the
consul's stamp, he grinned. That's a
- Yankee trick he said. Then he
added Il am sorry to inform you that
you are a prisoner of war;" told
him that he wasn't half as sorry as |
was, and he seemed to believe me.
He sent me back to my vessel along
with a prize crew that was armed to
the teeth.
"The Sumter took us in tow at 10
o'clock in the morning. At three the
next morning the hawser broke.
Semmes tried three times to refasten,
but the sea was too high. He then
ordered the captain Of the prize crew
to take the Cuba to Cienfuegos. We
were only 60 miles west of that point.
We were unarmed and allowed to
walk the deck. got a chance to talk
to Jim Bebbage and Jim Carroll, my
two mates, and we determined to re-
capture the vessel. On July 8 I found
the prize master asleep on the round
house. Immediately we got posses
sion of all the arms. The prize crew
got on to the racket, and ran for their
arms. Finding them gone, two drew
their sheath knives and one got an
axe, and they rushed aft where we
were. The mainsail was down, and
lay between us. One of them tried to
Jump over it, and I hit him on the
head with a cleaver that had in my
hand. He fell, scrambled back, and
did not attempt to return. My mates
and my cook were now armed with
revolvers, and one of my seamen had
cutlass. If you STIR 1 shouted to
the prize crew, Il will blow your heads
off, They didn't stir. When l or
dered them to surrender they yielded
and went forward, followed by myself
and the crew.
II had on board only four pairs of
irons. I put one on the prize master
and the others on three of the most
dangerous of the prisoners. The rest
we tied with ropes. That day I fell in
with the brig Costa Rica. which took
two of the prize crew. I then headed
the Cuba for New York.
"Nothing of Importance happened
till July IA, when the prize master,
whose irons had been removed at his
urgent request, managed to get hold OF
pistol, and perched himself in the
maintop. Then he rolled cigarette
and lighted it, blew some smoke
through his nostrils and called down
that he had something to say to me.
DO you intend to carry me to New
York p he asked. I told him that l
did. He took some more smoke into
his mouth, blew it out, laughed and
said: well, you'll never do it alive
All right said I then I'll carry you
dead At that he yelled out, It's
your time to dodge and fred at me.
The bullet struck the deck at my feet,
and I did dodge. Johnny Reb told
the truth that time. He fired again,
and did some more lively hopping.
Then ran below and got my pistol.
As my head reappeared in the COM
panionway, he turned loose one more
time, and the splinters flew into my
hair.
~ got on deck at last, and proceed
ed to even up things. He was swing