The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-12
fChicago Inter Ocean.D

JuHlplu out OF a JiDDoOlu Wol d CouptG
of 'ands 'ad jest been swept of. to
pick up a sail. turn pale an get shaky
about the knees jest from hearin' some
one tell about a ghost.
I once sailed from Frisco in ship
called the Three Stars, with grain for
Liverpool, an as sailors was scarce we
'ad to take most anything the boardin'-
house runners could bring US. The
crew we got was sartinly a queer lot.
among 'em bein' a cattle man wot 'ad
never seen the ocean till e struck
Frisco, about a week before; three or
four longshoresmen Wot knew somethin'
about the insides o. ships, but blOOmin'
little about sailin' 'eTn; tramp, and a
Teller calm 'imself Perfesser Billin's.
wot was the queerest of the lot. Take
EN- altogether. they was like the fell
lers in the chanty.
Thinkers an sailors, whalers an all.
They all shipped as sailors on board the
Black Ball
"Of course you know, sir. these fellers
didn't come with US willin'; they was
all shanghaied by the boardin' -'ouse
runners, because they couldn't get sail
orsA Out o. the rest O. the crew We
jest ordinary.
"A big Yalise come aboard with Per-
fesSer Billin'S, but instead o clothes il
was filled with bottles an Jars an wire
an box about two foot square, which
was locked, an a brass 'orn Wot looked
like a speakin' trumpet E 'ad TO do
to the slOp chest fer clothes like the
rest o. the shanghaied men, an at the
same time e told the old man e wa n I
no sailor an asked TO be took into the
cabin as a passenger. sayiR' e 'ad
friends in Liverpool wot would pay is
passage wen e got there, but the old
man wouldn't ave it an treated i'm
very rough.
IAN l know about you. SEE e, is
that you're down on the articles O. this
ship as Peter Larsen, A. R., an you'll
go to Liverpool as Peter Larsen, A. B.,
an nothin' else; now get for'ard and
go TO work.
1.-The perfesser tried to tell i'm that e
would ave i'm in court wen e got i'm
ashore, but the old man jumped down
off the cabin an kicked i'm the ole
length o the poop onto the main deck,
an e come limpin' for'ard very angry
an swearin' e would fix the old man
some day.
When e found e couldn't get into
the cabin, e got terbacker from the
slop chest an give it to the carpenter
to pay fer maxim i'm a box with lock
an key to keep is clothes an belong
ms in. Some of us asked i'm wot the
things in the Yalise was, but e only
said e 'ad 'em 10 do experiments, an
not wantin' to show our ignorance We
said no more about 'em.
About this time likely young chap
named Bill Brown was lost overheard
from the royal yard one night in a stiff
sQuaIL We card i'm sing out fer 'elp
a couple of times after e struck the
water, an got Il boat over at once, but
couldn't find i'm.
90 course we felt bad about losin'
our shipmate an fer a little while after
didn't like to be left alone in the dark
Jest as we was gettin' over it a
fearful thing 'appened. 1t was in the
middle watch of pleasant night, ken
a few 'ands 'ad been trimmin' down the
jib sheets an was comm aft, that a
voice WOt sounded as if 'tWere over the
side near the fore chains jest W ere poor
ELL struck, sings out as if 'twere kinder
cryin'.
'"Elpl 'elp! 0h-h-h. Oh-h-hl'
well, sir, we all stopped. each look
in at the other, too scared to speak.
Who's that a singin' out there, for
'ard?' calls the mate from the poop.
We don't know, SIR SEE the third
mate; sounds as if it were over the
side an e got on the spar dashed
alongside the bulWarks to look over.
Jest then come a scream, oh! a most
DIRE dful scream, sir; it fairly frOze the
blood in US, an the third mate e
into John Johnson, a big Swede, an
the two of 'em went TO pOundin' one
another like mad, each thinkin' the
other some awful thing come aboard.
Now, WOt the devils that% SEE
the mate, comm runnin' for ard; but
none of US could tell i'm, each man be-
in afraid TO say WOt was in is mind,
an e began to cuss an swear, sayin'
some s}1ylarkin' was goin' on. z mus
tered all the watch aft an counted EN-.
but none were missin', an, Sayin, ed
put any one in irons caught playin'
games with i'm e ordered US for ard.
We didn't ear anything more of it
for a week or more. but was eXpectin'
TO an one night wen the mate 'ad come
for'ard with is nightglass TO look at
a ship wot 'ah been reported, a fearful,
wailin' cry come up out of the fore atch,
an then the voice come of one cryin',
a heart brokin' sound; then it began
to laugh again, the same 'orrible laugh
we'd card before.
''The mate dropped is glass. God be
with u.s. Sez e, that's an orful sound;
an e made fer the poop with the rest of
US close to is heels.
NO one went below that night an
'en mOrnin' come the mate called the
old man early an told i'm wot ed
card Now, that I've card il myself
capt'in,' sez e, I don't wonder the men
I - = IL
fore atch fer the ole ship
Well, l WILL. seq the old man, =
never see anything I was scared Of yet
an I'm a-gOin' down now. an e went
into the cabin an came out with pistol
an started fOr'ard
Now sez e, 'ain't there any one in
this crew either fOT'ard or aft, who as
got stuff enough in i'm to go down with
me an carry the lantern?'
I'VE ALL 'ung back an e was about
to go alone wen the tramp stepped
for ard an SEE, III go with you, capin
amt afeared o. ghosts
I'VE all hung back an e was about
the light
Down they went, an we stood about
the 'atch waitin' to see WOt would 'ap-
pen. They climbed up over the grain
sacks an went out O. sight an we
didn't ear anything fer about ten min
utes; then came three shots, one after
the other, an right after that the
tramp fiyin' down over the grain an
right behind him the old man. The
tramp was up first an they fell out
over the 'atch com'in's one on top O.
the other; they was that scared they
a-jumped overheard if we admit a 'ung
onto 'em.
'Wot was it?' SEE the mate. 'Wot
did yer see?'
Bill Brown, as I'm sinner!' SCI
the old man, a-gaspin' fer breath a
Sittin' on a bag o. grain all in white
with his two arms outstretchedr
AN with lis face all shinin' an
waves O. blue fire floating off his finger
tips an out o lis ears Hully geei but
e was 'orrible,' SEE the tramp.
Lord save u.s. Wot's e 'aUntin' Us