New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-25
A QUEER SEA-FIGHT.
HOW CAPTAIN STROUT AND HIS MEN
RECLAIMED POSSESSION OF THEIR
CAPTURED BRIG.
From The Chicago Times-Herald.

From The Chicago Tmes-Herald.
Raphael Semmes, long dead. was in his day a
terror OF the Commander first of the
Sumter and then of the Alabama. Northern COM
merce rotted in China ports for the dread or
him 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 regularly
commissioned officer of regular navy. belong
ing to a regularly organized government whose
rights had been recognized by many of the Euro
pean Powers. One man met him who preserves
Il vivid recollection Of him. This Is old cap n
Strout of lewiston Me. a griZzled seadog now
in his seventies, but still hale, still hearty, still
able to smoke his pipeful Of Connecticut tobacco
strong enough to raise the roof, and still COM
petent to chamber more Medford rum than any
oiled and scented Assyrian bull of our cities.
Strout likes to sit and gaze over the tumbllng
waters that roar against Names rock-bound
coast, and tell of the time that he saw Semmes.
incidentally his tale is indicative of his own iron
nerve.
II was master Of the American brig Cuba" he
told me, and sailed out Of Trinidad on July =,
1861 ] had a cargo of sugar and was bound
for London. The Cuba was 236 tons burden
and with the wind dead astern she walked the
waters like a thing of life Which is poetry.
Two days Out-whch is to say on July I've
sighted vessel our starboard bow. she
travelling nearly parallel course, ana
pretty soon she veered in and fired shot across
our bows. Naturally i stopped. The ReDelilon
had broken out and Confederate cruisers were
securing the seas swapping up our merchant
men. but | relied on bills OF ladlnS 10 see
us through. They had the stamp or the BRUSH
Consul at Trinidad. / was ordered TO go OH
board the Sumter and Semmes took my papers.
He was a sOur-lOoking man enough, ana Wheh
ne saw the Consul's stamp he grinned. That s
q Yankee trick he said. Then he added:
L am sorry to inform you that you are a pris-
oner of war / told him that he wasn't hait as
sorry as | was. and he seemed to believe me- he
sent me back to my vessel along with prize
crew that was armed to the teeth
THE Sumter took us in tow at I'D O'Clock IN
the morning At , o'clock next morning the
hawser broke. Semmes tried three times to re-
fasten but the was too high He then or
dered the captain of the prize crew to take the
Cuba to Cienfuegos We were only sixty miles
west of that point. We unarmed and al
lowed to walk the deck. | got chance to talk
to jim Bebbage and Jim Carroll, my two
mates and we determined to recapture the yes
sci. on July | found the prize master asleep
on the rOundhouse Immediately we got pos
session OF all the arms The prize crew got on
to the racket and ran for their arms. Flndine
them gone, two drew their sheath knives ana
one got an axe. and they rushed aft where we
were The mansail down and lay between
US one of them tried to jump over it and l
hit him on the head with a cleaver that had IN
my hand He fell, scrambled back and did not
attempt to return. Ny mates and my cook
were now armed with reyolvers, and one OF my
seamen had cutlass. If you stir. shouted to
the prize crew, L will blow your heads on They
didn't stir When ! ordered them to surrender
they Welded and went forward followed by my
self and the crew
Il had on board only four pairs of irons. i
nut 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 Tell IN