Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-07-15

Jimmy stood beside me as we bore
down on the brig, and, although l
twice asked him what hs thought
about it, he did not seem to hear me.
| turned to look at him as he closed
his glass and found smile on his face.
"You don't think it joke, do you?'
asked rather brusquely.
"Oh, no, MOI" he replied, smiling and
chuckling at the same time. mo; it's
no joke. There will be no laughing
over it."
| His tones were sarcastic, and for an
] instant there was look of triumph in
his eyes. Then ne turned away, and l
gave the brig my attention. We ran
down to within half a mile of her be-
fore our engines were stopped Only
three men were visible on her decks,
and she hadn't a boat in sight. The
trio beckoned and motioned that we
should send a boat, and the captain
gave orders that one should be lower
ed.
1t will be case of fever" he said
with all the officers and most of the
men down, and the surgeon was sent
off with the boat, which was in charge
of the second mate. Eight Of our crew
were thus taken. The boat had pulled
half the distance to the brig when we
had something nearer home to attract
attention. The sleek, slick little Jim
my suddenly held a cooked revolver
to the captains ear and marched him
into his stateroom. Fourteen of the
railroad" men from the steerage. each
armed with pistol and knife, sudden
ly appeared among us, and it WASH t
! three minutes before the whole crowd
OF us were in the cabin and a guard
over u.s. The engine room was taken
possession of at the same time, and
the Ocean Queen had been taken pos
session of without a shot being fired
The brig was lying broadside to U.S.
She had two boats down on the far
side, with Is men in each boat, and
as soon as they had pulled around and
captured our yawl one boatload of the
rascals came aboard tue Queen, and
! the steamer was worked down along
side the brig. The sea was smooth,
and the fellows could lash the craft
together without fear of disaster
We had been taken completely by
surprise and had no show. They In
the gold out and transferred within an
hour. 1t is to the credit of the rascally
gang to say that they were unlec good
control and insIlte1 no one. After
the gold was disposed Of they robbed
the ship of a lot of boiling and pro-
visions, and at the last the sleek, slick
man came down into the cabin to say
a few words. He was smiling and
good natured. He patted the children
bowed to the ladies and waved his
hand to the men.
my dear friends" he said in that
! soft, silky voice Of his, Il hope that l
! have given you no trouble Rather let
me hope that you will look upon it as
an incident to break the monctony of
! the voyage. | do not wish to Search
you one by one. like a footpad or a
bushranger, but will trust to your hon
esty to hand over your money and
J jewels. l have figured on about The
amount / should get. If I get il, no
one will be further disturbed. If l
don't get it, there will be room aboard
! the brig for most of the ladies'"
gave up half my possessions, and
! presume the other passengers retained
share as well, but the money, watch
es rings, brooches, ETC., laid on the
table before the pirate, had a good
round value and seemed to satisfy him.
| He swept everything into a sack. babe
us fond adieu and with,a ten minutes
was sailing away in the brig The en-
| gines were disabled before they left,
and the crew of the mates boat was
sent back to US, and as no one had beea
/ killed we were faiE to think we had
come off fairly well. We lay rolling in
i midocean for four days before the en-
! gineer had made repairs, and by that
i time the brig was several hundred
miles away. Even had we known her
/ course and position, il would have
availed nothing We made slow run
/ for the remainder Of the voyage, and II
was three weeks before a man-of-war
I started out to look for the pirate craft
| 1t had been a job put up in Australia,
and it had worked to perfection. It
may be that the brig returned to that
coast and landed and divided he swag
but as she had dozen different places
to choose from she had 10 fear OF cap
ture. So far as | have been aole to
learn she was never heard from, though
the search was kept up for a year or
more. There was enough plumber TO
set each one up handsomely, and
have always thought of Jimmy the
slick one as touring about in the finest
raiment, drinking the rarest wines and
making himself faForite wherever be
stopped for week.
PILGRIM JOE.