The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-02-20
TREASURE AFLOAT
copyright. 1902. by G. B. Lewis

doued for a week or more. The fore
castle and cabin were empty of bed
ding, and not a single article of cloth
ing could be found. We searched in vair
for the logbook and the ships papers
nor could we find a scrap of writing OF
any sort. The flag locker was empty
but we should have known the brig tC
be Russian without seeing her name
Her clock, chronometer Gf she had
one), log line and officers instruments
together with her charts and the com
pass from the pinnacle, had been re.
moved
We thought that we might learn
something by look at her cargo, but
when we got the main hatch off we
found she was only in ballast. We
made a discovery of Importance in the
cabin, however She had a shallow
lazaret reached by a trapdoor, and
from out of this recess we hauled four
large leather sacks of silver plate.
About half of the lot was oh: CHI plate,
while the rest had belonged to some
private individual. Every piece was of
solid silver, but many of them had
into the sacks. These latter recepta-
cles were made of cowskin, with lie
hair still on, and were laced up at TIE
seams. 1t took our united strength to
haul the bags out and on deck. 1t was
little wonder, though, as there was
about 400 pounds of dead weight to a
sack.
Here was something worthy of the
name of loot, and in the course of an
other hour we had the sacks aboard
of the bark and had left the derelict to
her fate.
AS to the silver, it seemed plain
enough that it was the proceeds of a
robbery somewhere in Russia. 1t was
given out that it would be taken home
with us and solo for the benefit of the
crew, and for two or three days we
were busy figuring out our respective
| shares.
Then we encountered a Swedish mer-
chairman in distress and stood by him
for portion of the day to render as
sistance. He had come out of the
White sea and while conversing with
our captain incidentally inquired if i'll
cruising about we had ever got sight
of small brig named the Grodno.
That brought out the story and solved
the mystery, and it also got our entire
crew into peck of trouble.
| The Grodno was owned at the port of
| KEN, in the White sea. 1t appeared
that while she was waiting for cargo
a band of eight robbers plundered a
church and also the residence of the
governor of the province on the same
night. In getting away from the latter
place they had fight and killed two
of their pursuers. They had carts in
which to carry off their booty, but in
stead of proceeding inland they took
| forcible possession of the brig. Only
her mate and a boy were aboard, but
two or three of the robbers were also
! sailors. They compelled the mate to
put to sea, and, though pursued the
next day, they had the luck to get clear
off
The idea was to get to England with
the booty but after getting around on
the north coast ii was thought better
to go into hiding until there was 10
longer fear of pursuit
The island of Tana. at the entrance
of Tana bay was selected. 1t was
the intention TO strip the brig of every
| thing and live ashore for few months,
but when this had been partially ac-
complshed and while all hands were
| ashore one day the craft broke loose
and went drifting out to sea, to be
boarded by us four or five days later.
| don't know whether the captain in
lended to put into any Russian port or
not but if so he was saved the trouble.
Two days after we left the Swede a
| Russian man-of-war which he spoke
and put on our track oyerhauled us
and demanded the plate. When that
was given up, we We're commanded to
accompany him to KEN and were vir-
tually under arrest during the voyage.
When we reached KEN, every man
aboard, from captain to cook. was
marched off to jail. The captain was
| liberated on bond of some sort after
few days, but the rest of us were
treated like dogs,
| 1t was five weeks before we were
taken before the governor and judge
! to be examined. Two of the robbers
had been hanged, one sent to Siberia
and the others imprisoned at home.
You viii think it a very funny thing,
but these latter actually charged us
with having robbed them. While they
had been convicted of robbery. they
claimed the booty as legally theirs.
One of the questions asked me by the
ed and searched the brig. The captain
was asked by what authority he or
dered and assisted in the removal of
the silver. And when he gave them
piece of his mind he was fined $50 and
sent to Jail for two days as punish
ment. 1t looked for a time as if our
entire crew We're to be sent to prison
because we had taken the plumber from
the wreck, but | think the whole thing
was a sort of bluff to prevent us put
ting in a claim for salvage. Some of
our men outside of court happened to
say that the brig did not seem to be
greatly damaged. For three or four
days her owner was loud in his threats
that he would sue us for her value be-
cause we had made no effort to save
her. but he finally decided not to do so.
1t was nearly two months before the
authorities We're through with us, and
whether we would have been freed or
sent to Siberia | cannot say. 1t looked
as If we We're in for the latter, and by