The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-02-09
MURDERER'S ESCAPE AT SEA.
THE TALE OF IN a USTRI LIAM
LINER.
AS Told by State Prlsonorat Auburn,

NY
That the seamen of to-day are NOR
intelligent than those of couple of de
cades ago, and that shipboard life ha
been in consequence much improved, i
attributable chiefly to the passage o
the compulsory school education acts
both in England and America. Prior t,
noted for their ignorance, cruelty anC
superstition, the greater part of thei
leisure being generally passed in quar-
reling among themselves about the won
drous phenomena of nature. officer!
were continually being called upon t.
settle ignorant disputes among theil
men, for these discussions often termi
mated disastrously. A position as SUI
bordinate officer on one of the Clyde
clippers in the Australian service, with
such crew, was no sinecure; yet
held such station during long an6
memorable voyage.
She was a -yarder of the
first class, with twenty eight men for
ward and four mates aft, and the first
part of our outward voyage was made
| without anything happening worth re-
cording We were we'll to the south
ward of the line and were overhauling
the degrees in splendid style, keeping
well to the eastward so as to retain
the strong and invigorating trade-wind
as long as possible, when, one evening
about four bells, as the ship was rush
ing merrily through the water, with her
beautiful white sails inflated and tow
ering one above the other, her running
gear blown in semi-circles to leeward,
the water leaping and sparkling over
the catheads in showers of sunlit spray,
and the wake astern a line of glisten-
ing, swirling foam, a seaman named
Joe Blake, who was having noisy dis
pute with another sailor on the forward
part of the main deck suddenly
clinched his side of the argument by
stabbing the other to death with his
sheath-knife He was overcome with
some difficulty and confined in irons in
being detailed by turns to guard him.
The "old man" was furious; after the
dead seaman had been consigned to the
keeping of Father Neptune, he went
forward and gave the men to under
stand that if he heard any more wran-
Cling among them he'd keep both
watches at work all day, and through
the dog watches too. Joe Blake had a
brother aboard who was as ignorant
brute as himself, and the chief mate
spoke to the captain about the danger
of allowing him to take his turn in
guarding the prisoner Don't worry
your head on that score" the ''old
man" said. "Those brutes have no
more affection for each other than a
whale has for thrasher." The mates
thought differently, and although the
man was ordered to take his turn at
guard duty and attend to the needs of
the prisoner, he was closely watched.
The glorious trade wind remained
with us for few days longer and then
left us becalmed on the broad South
where for days we lay rock
ing to and fro on the gently swelling
ern breeze, taking pity on our swelter-
ing condition, famed our heated brows
and filled our bleached sails, bearing
us onward with an exhilarating speed
which made us feel once more like men,
and not like underdone roasts of beef
When the watches, day or night, had
been relieved, the mate in charge of the
relieving watch would visit the prison.
er, to see that he was secure, and to su-
perintend the changing of the guards.
Things went on in this manner for
few days. when ] began to notice that
the brother of the prisoner, whose given
name was Bill, was having many mys-
FERROUS colloquies with a man in the
other watch by the name Of Jack Wild
ar. These men, being in separate
could only meet for any length
IF time during the dog watches in the
evening, unless, of course, the one who
was below during the night watches
was willing to lose his sleep for the
purpose Of coming on deck and EARNING
with an idle hand in the deck watch,
which, when done, arouses
comment; for sailors generally employ
VERY HlOlllelll they Cel Sel III 'uOSS-
ng.'' I saw this Jack Wilder come on
leck couple of times one night during
lis watch below and Join Bill Blake I'M
Ter the forerigging, where they talked |
luietly on both occasions for at least |
en- minutes. The following night the |
anne thing occurred again, and al |
hough l thought 1t best not to say |
anything to the cold man" as yet, de- |
ided to keep close eye on them.
I watched for him pretty sharply the |
lext night which was Christmas eve,
tut as he did not appear I felt glad I |
lad said nothing to the captain |
christmas morning! Christmas morn
ng on shipboard in the far-away
outhern seas, with a bright blue sky
Locked with f1eecy Clouds a moderate
reeze which neutralized the intense
eat of the sun and made the ship ride
while little tongues of water
arted up her cleaning sides and burst
\ clouds of fine spray across the deck.
he big dinner served out to the men
t noon was quickly dispatched, and
uring the afternoon and evening they
ldulged in various boisterous games,
he prisoner being brought on deck and
Gated on coil Of rope under the fore
igging to witness the noisy sport. At
light bells the sport ceased and the
sual discipline was resumed; the chief |
aving the first watch that night, the
-, xva oh INV n |