The Van Buren press., 1898-08-13

lot Aezl Hsss va 70 Rzsr &14Alz IskizH lz44-
ion and produce his papeFs after TIE
regular sez fashion, sjth cigar sad
a drop q somethia2 % keep tae cod
o4t. Instead Il made = hezdiOzg Fuzh
70 the galley forward. from which l.
pronpfir emerged waving = document
in one band and in the other hand ths
empty baking powder tn frora which
he had evidently extracted II This
document b. spread oaf gpon TIE main
hatch for the inspection of The collect
Or q et ztomz- That oEiEizH learned
nothing b inspection offhe paper szFe
that II va 7sr5tteu fn Spanish and had
sevefsI seals. bat + eoFTespoadsd .
No snip papers ever asea- Finding
that he con1f make aohezdsa - agaInst
the lack q common speech TIE o-fleisl
departed. leaving orders With the tide
waiter 10 keep street watch over TIE
cargo % unknown character and valas
beneath the hatehes. which ~ had
taken the usual pTeeastIDH y sealing
The next morning The whole party
vzs befOre fhe municipal Ha zistrzte.
70 whom The chief of police explained
that It Rad been engaged n . rot On
board the schooner adriatieo In the
harb0r that On complaint % the cap
tain BE- had arrested three members of
the eress and that others had EoIun-
feered 70 70 10 the ca5aDoose ard had
been accommodated. He did rot know
the names of the prisoners nor anx-
thing about TIE disturbance Whta
could Ie anderstood. The court
looked toward the I've prisoners and
the one Who had been in the position
Of captain and complainant: the court.
In fact. was distinctly IN = qaandarF
and was plainly seeking Z way out But
the people Of the Adriatieo booked
upon this az permission 20 state their
ease Or eases. shleh the did a. once
al ak simultaneously. The uproar
uas Immediately iutolerable. and i
took al the efforts Of the police and
bystanders 70 bring the party 20 Or
der. T. add 70 the trouble the com
planning witness got mixed with The
prisoner and the chief Of police could
not identify him again, In the last
eOmmotiOu only one man seemed TO
catch glimrner of what the trouble
vas. : local character Of Apia. Portu-
gee Joe. who vas Z oDe-armed boat
man. Poffugee Joe had never given
eYidence of very much sense. and his
English sas ao4 nlvdialeetic. but, Ike
most dialect. generally IncOnpre-
hensible. He saluted the court with
the stump Of his right arm. and an
nouneed that one Of the prisoners was
very fine gentleman. and that he
came from the AZORES. the western
Islands o. the kingdom of Portugal. and
the Algarves. ard that he spoke Portn-
guese. and therefore he, Joe Pereira.
would vaneh for him.
The judge employed Joe 70 establish
communication with the party and in
particular 10 ask why they had been
arrested. Putting his little gray hat
between his bare feet Portugee Joe be-
gan an address. presumably in his ma
tive tongue, punetuating II BY Wild
sweeps Of his ampufated arm. - soon
az he finished the ak began simulta-
neous ciamor. When the police had
reduced them TO the Epeechlessness
from which they were % ready TO
break. Joe picked up his hat and
tucked 1t uader his arm. Then he drew
II out and made a low bow 10 the court
and said: "1-he Portngec gentleman
be says he not know"
ASK the captain why he had them
arrested" continued the court.
Joe repeated his former perform
snce, the same clamor arose. and out
Of IL came Joe with the answer: ''The
Portugee gentleman he say cap'n he
not know"
On this showing. and particularly as
no prisoners names appeared on the
docket. no charge on the charge sheet
and the complaining witness had been
mixed up with the prisoners. the court
turned them looge.
Learning that the humble Portuguese
was recognized as official interpreter
Tor the Adriatico. the collector Of GUS
toms sent for him and gave him orders
for the captain Of the schooner 10
bring his papers ashore. Nothing ever
brought such delight 10 the heart Of
the poor. feeble minded Joe as TO be
asked 10 do n service 10 some one In
authority; a command from a consul
was "A thing ever to be remembered.
In this case Joe managed TO combine
both. as he got the consul's approval
Of the collectors order. and had two
Samoans to pull him of in state TO
the schooner. Returning he ushered
party Of three into the presence Of
the collector.
THE Portuguese gentleman, he my
interpret. ] bring the cap'n, also the
cock. They bring the pape', pape' Of
the schooH' Adriatico."
"What did you bring the cook for.
Joe?" asked the collector, who was
not used to doing business with that
functionary on vessels. Fetch ID chair
for the captain, and let the cook and
interpreter stand"
But the Portugee gentleman he
tella me the cook very big man on
the schoon' same thing he boss all
over"
Rather sighting the important cook.
the collector motioned his acquaint-
anee Of the. night before to take a
chair, and told Joe to ask for the pa
pers. But it was another who pro-
duecd the fat tin case In which these
important documents are commonly
carried. This developed the fact that
il was. after all, the cook on whose
complaint captain and crew had been
arrested on the afternoon nre,iors