Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-08-17
THE SANTA DIAVOLO.

THE SANTA DIAVOLO.
Twenty years ago the name and face Of
Captain Cephas Brown We're as we'll
known to the n~avigators and officials Of
the Erie canal as the guard lock at Pen
dleton itself. He had been born and
brought up on the canal and sailed on it
all his life. Every stumbling post was an
old friend, and he knew every foot of the
towpath between Buffalo and Albany and
often was heard to say that you could put
him down blindfold anywhere on the
canal, and he could tell exactly where he
was.
His boat was always the first one down
in the spring and the last back in the fall,
and he never knew what it was to have to
wait for q load, for his well known reli-
ability and perfect integrity made him a
favorite with the shippers.
His invariable fairness and generosity
caused him to win the respect and good
will Of his competitors, and SO highly was
his word esteemed that the saying, "Well,
Captain Brown said So" left no room for
further argument.
For these reasons the count of an ex-
perience he had one night on the canal,
and which he admitted was true, certainly
deserves at least the careful consideration
of all fair minded and unprecedented people.
There were very few boatmen who be-
grudged Captain Brown his success and
almost constant good luck, for no one was
SO ready to assist a person as he, and many
a poor canaler had to thank him for help
ing him out of a tight pinch. One of the
few exceptions was Captain Jonas Crapp,
commonly known as the pirate from the
sinister expression of his face, who was in
tensely jealous of Captain Brown and tried
in every to circumvent him.
That he was a man of enterprise and de-
termination, however, there was no doubt,
and he had the record of making faster
time than any one else on the canal.
No II knew much about him or his
antecedents except that, from what was
gathered from odd scraps of conversation,
he had once sailed in Chinese waters.
Owing to his surly and disobliging man
ner he had few friends and was cordially
disliked by most men on the canal.
He had the faculty of picking up the
most villainous looking characters to form
his crew that could possibly be found out
side the state prison. He very seldom hired
them for more than one or two trips, SO
every little while he had q new collection
of ruffians.
Both captain and men were of such for
bidding appearance and unsavory reputa-
ton that no one would have been sur
prised to have heard of them, some fine
l,x, nc boxinn bptcfnl tho I1ooIv Aor ,rl
held up boats OH the canal.
The Santa Diavolo, as the white letters
on the stern of Captain Graphs boat in
Dictated, was its name, differed somewhat
from the majority of those seen on the
canal. 1t was painted entirely black with
the exception of a narrow streak Of red
just above the water line, the bow was
made higher than usual and came to
more Of a point, having a yellow painted
dragon as a figurehead, which, according
to some, bore a remarkable resemblance to
the captain himself.
These two men, Captain Brown and
Captain Crapp, although dissimilar in al.
most every respect, had this in common,
that they were singularly fortunate in all
their ventures and never had to wait for a
load.
The firm Of Sparks & Jones, at that
time one of the largest shipping houses in
Buffalo, used to give them most of their
work, especially in cases where extra care
and dispatch were necessary.
Early in October, 1875, the firm tele-
graphed to both men, who happened to be
In New York at the same time, that on
the 18th of the month, 12 days later, they
would have a special load at greatly ad-
vanoed rates, and whichever one got back
first could have the contract.
Captain Brown was unable to get a tug
to tow him up the river at the time he was
ready to return, which was the means of
his rival getting "a hours start Of him
and at the same time making 1t almost
certain that the latter would succeed in
securing the coveted cargo.
Although regretting this unavoidable
delay, Captain Brown did not allow it to
disturb his equable temperament, know
ing full we'll that a load would be waiting
for him at the other end, ii it were less re-
munerative than the one referred to.
He left New York with a mixed cargo
and made an uneventful trip up the river
and canal, although somewhat delayed by
disagreeable weather, not an unexpected
occurrence at that time of the year.
When he reached Rochester, he learned
that Jonas Crapp had been murdered and
his boat souttled in Buffalo harbor.
1t seemed that he had got the load and
had made all arrangements to leave Buffa-
10 about 4 o'clock the following morning,
but Sparks & Jones having been informed
that he had not passed through Tonawan'
d., made an investigation, with the result
Of finding the boat scuttled, the captain
kNled, and the Grew, with some valuable
plate that had formed part Of the cargo,
nowhere to be seen.
There was a great deal Of mystery about
the affair, and great excitement was
aroused. 1t came out that besides the CAP
tain only two Of the crew had passed the
night on board. One wal the cook, a Por.
tuguese sailor, and the other an examiner
from South Africa, who was commonly
supposed to be a fugitive from Justice and
| went by the name Ugly Pete, from a deep
scar that extended from the corner Of his
mouth to his ear and rendered still more
| repulsive a oountenance in which nature
had originally left much room for i'm
provement. The remainder Of the crew
had spent the night on shore and could ex-
plain their movements to the police, 20 the
crime was supposed to have been commit
ted by the two who had disappeared, but
no clew as TO their whereabouts had up to
that time been obtained. The news Of the
tragedy was quite a shock to Captain
| Brown, for, although he had no special
cause TO mourn his rivals untimely end,
still the dreadful manner Of his death