El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-07-07
coeva.esr 1895. sv rae Axrnoa

friendship has It's breaking straiu III
bit like that comfortable contemplate per
son, the miller of the Dee. l believe did
care for somebody once, and she made me
think she cared for me. Probably she
lied, because under persuasion she went
does it matter? Kettle, we re talking rank
sentiment, and that's an Improbable en-
p1oyment for men engaged on a piece of
delicate business. And-here'S a gentle
man come to tell me that the consignment
of specie is just commencing to arrive.
Now, captain, the stuff'll be in iron bound
boxes, and you and 1 have got to weigh
each one separately and check the invoice.
Then we've to act as our own stevedoreS
and stow half of it in the cabin next my
room and half of it across the alleyway
next the mate IS
why divide it?''
Because the weight is big. and it would
give your steamer a heavy list to star
board
''Oh, as to that, never mind. We can
easily bring her up again with trimming
tank. And 1 shouldn't feel comfortable if
any of the stuff was in that room next the
mates. You see, Mr. Cambel, any one on
board can go down that alleyway. In
fact, it's the only road from end to end of
the ship unless you go up over the bridge
deck. And I'd not guarantee but what
the bait would make some of them beau
ties try and tamper with the door. It's
big enough to smudge the honesty of an
archbishop if he was only earning "a a
month. Now the room next yours has iron
walls and opens only into the inner cabin.
There's a good lock on it already, and if I
make the carpenter bend on four more
you'll have a strong room the Bank of
England might boast about
THAT sounds sensible, - commented the
envoy from the bank.
Very well, ~ said Csmbel, Il believe it
is the best plan. Now, If you please, we'll
have the weighing machine in the main
cabin, and if you, sir, will instruct your
men to bring in the boxes one by one I'll
satisfy myself that they agree with the
tally, and Captain Kettle shall build them
up in the stateroom before us both. It's
very responsible job we have upon u.s. and
the more counter checkings and precau-
lions we can put into it the better for our
several reputations.
1t was responsible job. Not every day
is specie to the tune of 500, 900 British
sovereigns shipped from Liverpool dock,
and because gold boxes are made in a con-
veHtional pattern the shipment was spot
ted, and crowds gathered to stare at the
cased in wealth.
AS staring dumbly is dry work, self ap
pointed orators among the crowd natural
ly distribute gratis their own private
opinions upon the situation, and, accord
ing to their luck or eloquence, these at
tracted larger or smaller audiences. No
one took them very seriously, and they,
for the most part, treated the subject in a
jocular vein. 1t was not till Captain Ket-
tie and the Mersey pilot had gone into the
upper bridge and the mate on the fore
deck had cast off the first bow fast that
self appointed prophet arose who spoke of
the gold shipment in another key.
He was wild, unkempt, knockkneed
man, who first attracted attention by tying
a crimson handkerchief to an umbrella and
brandishing it above his head. Being on
the face of him a creature who never if he
could avoid it put his hand to honest la
Dor, he naturally addressed the crowd at
large as fellow workers. These things
awoke slight humorous interest, and be-
cause the man had the gift of glib and
striking speech the crowd continued to
listen after the first pricking up of their
ears.
The mans discourse need not be report
ed in detail. He was an anarchist, red,
rampant and ruthless, and by means of
arguments, some warped, some fair
enough, he pointed out to his hearers that
the mission of the Port Edes was another
Knife thrust of capital into the ribs of la
Dor. The statement met with very
niixed reception, but the anarchist silenced
both the jeers and the applause with be-
seeching wave of his hand and followed
along the curb of the wharf the steamer
which was commencing to float toward
the dock gates He spoke to those on
board her now rather than to his more i'm
mediate following, and unclean faces
stared at him from over the line of bull
warks.
Ito any man of you who values life"
he cried, Il offer solemn warning. That
ship is doomed. She will sink in mid
ocean, blown apart by our petards, and
her ill gotten cargo will be hurled out of
capitals reach forever. Those who are
misguided enough to be her guardians
will be blasted into space. Listen, you
men of her crew. Jump on the pier head
yonder she passes into the basin and
take the consequences. The brutal laws
of this country will hurl you into prison,
but better a season dragging ont n mar
tyr's sentence than death as an enemy to
the workers cause"
At this point the strong right hand of
the law descended on to the speakers ell
bow, and then, because he attempted to
resist, the willing right knee of the law
jerked up suddenly into the small of that
anarchists back, after which he was
hauled ANONYMOUSLY to police station,
and the place of his speaking knew him
NO more.
But the fellows threats had not been
without thei result. Every hand on the
Port Edes' deck had heard them distinct
ly, and disquiet arose under the belts of
nine out of ten. The mates grew nervous
and the men inattentive, and from the
bridge Captain Kettles voice and whistle
kept ringing out with biting clearness.
AS it was, only one man attempted to put
the warning into practical effect. He was
a miserable half clad wretch, a coal trim
mer by rating, already repentant of the
spell of physical toll which he had signed
on for.