Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-07-21
COMMITTED SUICIDE.
An English Captain Would Not submit to
Capture -ThrlIiing Experience Bring
ing in Pre- Crews and ships.

Key west, ria, july 1S $50 n. m.-The
schooner Three Bells and the sloop Pill
grim, captured by the gunboat Dixie near
Manzanilo on July g. arrived here to-day
. under prize crews consisting Of Lieut. $.
NJ. Blount and Guuners Mate j. K. Hat
ton, with four marines each. Marryat
never imagined n more grotcsquc tale of
marine misadventure than was cxperien-
ccd by these men in bringing their spells
to port. They encountered suicide and
Spanish bullets, and, buffeted about by
hostile winds, driftcd helplessy about in
strange seas until well nigh hopeless of
ever reaching shore.
Both prizes were under the British flag
hound from Kingston. Jamaica, for Man
zanilo, with food supplies. On the three
| Bells was Captain Il. J. Harding. an Eng
lishman and a crew Of five, three Jamaica
negroes. The Pilgrim carried Dutch
captain and four scamen of the same class
The captures were effected with difficult
ty and Blount and IIatton neither of
whom had ever been at Key West began
! the journey here.
| capt. Harding was much depressed over
tho capture and drank heavily until Lieut..
Blount stopped his liquor. on the eveth. G
OF July when about six miles south OF
Key Romano, Capt. Harding suddenly
/ capped overheard aStcrn. The Pilgrim put
out n small boat and caught him, but he
struggled desperately and capsizcd the
/
1 tho overturned boat and he was taken on
board the Pilgrim. But he was dead wacn
they reached the deck. 1t is thought that
he took dose OF laudanum before jump
ing into thu sra. There happened to ne a
church of England prayer book on board.
and the next morning, Sunday. Lieut..
Blount read the service and the dead can
tain was buried At sea. This dismal duty
was hardly completed when two small
schoohers were sighted near Key Romane
Neither of the prizes was flying a flag. but
hoth were evidently recognized by the
stranger as expected blockade runners
/ from Jamaica. for one of the schooners
put oLt small boat to pilot them in
AS IL approached Lieut.. Blount was run
| ming up an American flag to the fore pea k
| but he had some difficulty in breaking out
| so that when the small boat was within a
! hundred yards of the schooner the two
men who were aboard were still ignorant
of the fact that they were running near
| - an enemy. Then Lieut.. Blount shouted:
| Are you Spaniards?"
| As one OF the two with a proud gesture
answered; MO. Mo- Espagnol," the stars
and stripes broke from the fore OF tho
| Three Bells whercupon both occupants OF
the small boat cried in dismay' "Ameri-
| canos, Cararnba," and plunged into the
sea. Whether they reached shore is a
| question.
J
captured the nearest schooner which
! proved to be the Conception. The other
ran off into shoal water and escaped The
/ Conception was well loaded with fish
wine and other provisions, while scattered
over her decks were bags of small coin
aggrega'ing about $40, "A large number o.
niauser bullets and other cartridges. but
only one shot gun.
| They took her in tow and then began a
chapter of msfortuncs Violent tropical
squalls burst upon them the same day
and continued almost necessarily until
last night. They had no charts aboard
and only map OF the world torn from a
- cent guide book to help them as they
foundcred about In the seas-threc little
vessels. none much bigger than catbout
! IN the course Of the day the wind and
waves had played such havoc with tho
Conception that they decided to abandon
her and after transferring the money
they set her adrift. Gunners Mate Hat,
ton, VINO had gone aboard her, was Tho
last to leave, and he was compelled to ii,
ROPE around himself and jump over.
board the men on the Three Bells pulling
HIN over to her.
The little boats staggered along unit
! Wednesday morning, when n storm of un,
usual violence fell on them off Cape An
tono. Unable to make any progress anC
expecting almost momentarily to founder
they lay there all day. But this was tri
vial 10 what followed. Late in the after
noon us they bumped helplessly about tn,
.'ra, n body of Spanish rifiemcn on shor,
opened hre. The only arms on the tw,
prize vessels were tho weapons Of tn,
marines, four rifles and nine revolvers So
no attempt was made to return tho fire.
Just before nightfall fifteen OF the Span
tsh rifiemcn pushed off in a small boa
toward the Three Bells and drew as clos,
as 800 or 400 yards pouring a vicious fir
at the schooner's men. The bullet
whistled all around Kidding the sails an,
some going clear through the schoone
and sloop. One bullet passed through thu
cabin within two feet OF Lieut. Dlount
There was a little negro hoy at the whee
of the Three Bells but in spite of the fly
ing rife balls he never deserted his post
rcmark!ng to Lieut. Blount:--
Guess / might as well die now as an,
other time"
In fact all the negroes showed spiri
and sided with the Americans. Fortunate
ly for the storm bound mon, night drew
the Spaniards back to the shore and earl,
tho next morning the wind changed an,
carried the two prizes on.
Taking chances on their course bein,
the right one, they sailed on, when as ;
final blow, their water gave out. Yester
day OFF Rebecca shoal. the sight of /
strange schooner flying an American Ma,
restored their lost courage. She was III
four master r. NJ Hopkins from Balti
more for New Orleans. with coal AM
had been delayed by head winds. Sh
gave the prize crews n barrel of water
some tobacco and n chart and set then
strght on their course and weary an,
weather worn they drew into Key Yves
harbor after the worst fortnight any o
the crews had ever experienced.