The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-07
Capt. Thomas OueIIS lIutIny.

other dav. suppose?'' remarked the
former marine interrogattvely, as ne
polished his highly colored, snort stem
med clay on his coat sleeve, and then
turned it this way and that in the bright
rays of the sun to note the effect.
Il mean the old fellow met at Para
who shot the boarding house runners
in Baltimore" he continued.
His auditor. the captain of the Swift,
nodded affirmatively. as he settled him
self comfortably in his cabin chair, after
dexterously Sliding the square bottle,
the water pitcher and a ships tumoler
half way across the table.
I remember about hin-sail ahead,
he urged, as the former marine helped
himself literally and smacked his lips
Wen, sir, as L remarked the OtIeE
day, Capt. Thomas was one of the most
curious characters ever saw afioat or
ashore He was a reg lar puzzler, and
no mistake. THAT man wasn't more
than five feet high, and he couldn't nave
weighed more than hundred pounds,
and he must have been at least 70 years
old, although he looked older on account
of a habit he had Of sitting Wei Tor
W6rd in his chair with his hands clasp
ed across the head of his cane, after the
fashion OF very old men, but he GER
tainly was cautiOnI
why, that man had voice as SOFT
as a bashful schoolgirls, and his blue
eyes were as mild as a cherubs. In
fact. his whole appearance was that OF
a venerable pillar of country church.
well, sir, that old man had a big
four masted schooner anchored out there
in the river, and after we had got ac-
quainted through talking over the Bal
timore affair he invited all of us TO
spend an evening with him aboard the
Foam, which was the name OF his
hooker. It gifts pitch dark down in
those ATTITUDES at o'clock, and the
night we happened to pick out for our
visit was as black as ink, so that when
we pulled out from the Trapiche Gram
a O'Clock there MOTH ming
visible along the river front except the
twinkling mast head light Of a fleet OF
anchored craft and the green and red
side lights of the little police launch
that darted in and out among them.
we We're all in one boat, and had got
out pretty near where we thought the
Foam ought to be. when all at once
there was tremendous rumpuS raised
on a craft right off our port bow. F'irsr
there was crash like the sound which
might come from a cOllapsing hardware
store, and we thought the cooks galley
must have turned itself inside out As
soon as the din had subsidized a little,
we could hear the angry voices Of tive
men, followed by the shutting Of many
slip0ered feet across the deck. There
must have been two or three blows
struck after that, but whatever was go +
ing on was forgotten the next instant
when the most terrific noise that ever
emanated from human throat fell upon
our ears
THE black pail Of the murky night
seemed literally riven asunder by THAI
full-throated volume of raucOus sound.
We backed water and sat motIonless
with our oars suspended over the side.
1t was not until the first long drawn
crash had died away tht we realized
that some enraged giant must be givinS
vent to his pent-up feelings in aVticu-
late speech. But such speech Most OF
US had done our share Of mild cussins
on prOvocation, but none of US had ever
listened to the like of that before Awe
struck, we awaited the next outburst.
Tt came. and lasted for five minutes.
and then there was silence. From the
half-dozen vessels within earshOt We
could hear subdued murmurs of aston
ishment and admiration. We soon saw
that the exhibition was over for the
present. at least, and some one yelled:
= on board the Foam thereI
Ay ay,' cried voice from the craft
where the disturbance had been going
on, and we pulled for the spot where x
lantern was to light us to the ladder.
each wondering to himself il Capt.
Thomas had a lunatic aboard. We We're
soon in the schOoner's big cabin. and the
old skipper. seemed to imagine that we
were awaiting an explanation Of some
sort he was very red in the face, but
his eve was calm as he said. mildly:
The mate wanted to throw the
cook monkey overheard for some Of
his shines, and I was obliged to speak
somewhat firmly to the men to prevent
trouble You may have heard something
VI -iAE 0AGl III DdlttE dS you DullEQ OUT
Heard something of it, Well \
should say we hadl
After we had thawed out bit over
a social glass of first rate grog the talk
Tell to mutinies. Several yarns had been
spun when this little old Thomas
allowed that we might be interested il
something OF that nature in which he
had had a hand
I had a little trouble with my crew
going up the river one time he began,
meelly, nothing to speak of. you know,
out some OF them got dlsagreeable like,
and they had to be punished. They
took it to heart so that every man Jack
of EN- deserted at Rosario without so
much as asking for a cent, or saying
goodby. OF course I had to ship a new
crew, and we had to bring some of them
aboard by force. All but four or five
of them We're drunk like, you might say,
when we started, and when they did
come to they put their heads together
ana refused to go to work I tried to
reason with them, but 1t didn't do any
good, SO had them tied up to the fore
yard by their thumbs. They all begged
In less than minute. and said they
would go to work if they could have
something to eat. Well 7 ordered 'em
cut down and told the cook to feed EN-
AS soon as they slowed away
square meal apiece I'm blest if they
didn't refuse to work again. Up they
went to the yard again, and one Of them
had the grit to stay there fully five
minutes before he yelled. There were
half q dozen of them, and I had them
all cut down, and the two ringleaders
spent the next three days below in
irons
" Well, after that we had no trouble
for long time. The men worked as
faithfully as any fellows who ever
dropped into mess kit until we We're
around the Horn and well up toward
Valparaiso. where we were bound for
One night, just at dusk, while we were
driving along with a fair wind under a
fun spread of canvas the after com
paniOn was suddenly closed. and could
hear some one fumbling with the bolt
on top. While I was springing to my
feet the door leading to the main deck
from the front Of the poop was slammed
and before / realized it I was a prisoner
in my own cabin. A laugh in answer
to my demands to be released clinched