The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-04

Strait Of Belle Isle in September, 1885, the
Allan Line steamer Austrian came along
to rescue the passengers and crew In
making a roster and searching the ship,
| two women stowaways were found. The
Pacific steamer Monowai. on a recent
| trip to Sydney from San Francisco, ran
into storm the first day out As her
master. Capt Carey. was descending from
the bridge to so TO breakfast, an n-year-
old girl, as pale as a ghost and dreadfully
seasick, approached him.
Il know 1 have no right here she said
to the skipper, "but 1 want 10 go to my
mother, who is in. Australia, and am
willing TO work for my fare"
The girl gave her name as Rebecca
Levy, and told the captain a straightfor-
ward story. She said that her father
had failed in business in San Francisco
and had sent his wife and two smaller
children back TO their home in Melbourne
He died after that and she had slipped
aboard the ship to get home to her
widowed mother. The law compelled the
captain to enter the fact in the logbook,
and when the other passengers heard Of
this they raised purse for her fare
This they gave to the captain. He sent
for the little girl when the ship reached
Sydney and handed her the money that
the passengers had subscribed, saying as
he did so:
IF the British Board of Trade OF any
body else wants to find fault because you
came as a stowaway aboard this ship, let
them find fault with me. I've got a little
girl Of my own, and she doesn't cry when
she gets money, either. Good-by, and
God bless you"
When the passengers cheered him as
they were going ashore Capt. Carey
turned to them and said: you mustn' t
think I would not fog fuil-grown
stowaway. would That isn't troubling
me though. I'm thinking of section 3l3
Of the merchant shipping act of 1894 I'm
afraid they'll make me toe that seam"
But they never did.
In June of last year six japanese girls.
packed up in mating, were removed from
the Japan mail steamer before leaving
Nagasah for Shanghai. A japanese
woman arrived in San Francisco as a
stowaway three years ago and was
promptly sent back.
ate was recently brought to light by the
arraignment in a London police court of
a man named Armstrong. The incidents
in his career are well authenticated. He
began his slowing away al GLASGOW and
went to Liverpool. There he stole aboard
of Cunarder that took him to Boston.
The United States officials compelled the
ship to take him back to England or
pay a fine of LOCO The man remained a
few weeks in the lookup at Liverpool and
again secreted himself on a ship leaving
for New York. He was discovered at
Queenstown, but some of the passengers
subscribed sufficient money to pay his
passage. He crossed and recrossed three
times in all, after that, having his pas
sage paid on two occasions.
Finally he tired of the sea and beat his
way on railroad trains to the far West
He reached San Francisco and hid him
self aboard a ship loading for Melbourne.
Thence he slowed away to Yokohama,
Shanghai. Hang Kong, Singapore, CAL
cutta, Port Said and finally fetched up at
Malta. The British cruiser Scraps was
lying at Malta, and this enterprising
tourist succeeded in some unknown way
in concealing himself on her the night
before she started for the East. He was
promptly put ashore at Port Said and
turned over to the British consul, with
instructions to him to send him to Eng
land. The utmost penalty for his free trip
around the world was three months i'm
prisonment with labor.
In nine cases out of every ten, the
stowaway has outside aid in secreting
himself on board a ship. But he is loyal
to his host, and there are few instances
where he has betrayed him That's the
only feather in his cap.