Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-16

asleep She sat down beside one Of them
in the bows wide awake with her thoughts
of the sudden change in their fortunes,
and long hour had passed when the sight
of a ship suddenly danced before her. II
was craft with all her sails set. ana
having been taken aback she was drifting
away stern first, though this fact was not
known till later. A cry from the woman
reused everybody up in an instant, and,
pointing into the south. she chokingly ex-
claimed:
"There-there-a ship-a ship"
by Josh, and there ISL answered Capt:
Elisha a second later. NOW, men, al
together and hail her."
A great shout went over the water, but
1t was not answered. and neither was a
light displayed The shout was repeated
again and again, and then, after long
look. Capt. Elisha cried out:
why, 1 believe she's an abandoned
craft and takin' care of herself! Well
run right alongside in five minutes!'
They reached the decks of the stranger
tn find her ship good deal larger than
the Mary Ann, and a search of ten minutes
proved that not living soul was aboard.
There was a dead man. though. Lying In
the main cabin fully dressed, was the
corpse Of the captain, and a sailors sheath
knife was still sticking in his back. Murder
had been done before the ship was aban-
doned. Did you ever read an account of
that ocean mystery? The ship Voorne
Capt. Bergen. master. had set out from
North sea ports bound for New York.
with valuable cargo. That was the
craft Capt. Hopewell found adrift in mid
ocean. Her crew, from the mate down.
were the men who took forcible possession
of the Mary Ann, after killing their cap
tain and abandoning their vessel.
What drove them to the deed of blood
why they didn't stand by their ship after
ward-where they headed for In the stolen
brig-these are questions that have never
been answered. Perhaps the mate and his
chief quarreled. and murder was done in
passion. Then fear of the law made the
whole crew clamorouS to get out of the
ship. They took nothing with them which
was not their own. They even left over a
thousand dollars in gold and silver behind
them. If any human eye ever sighted the
Mary Ann after her crew lost sight or
her the fact has not been reported to this
day. 1t is easy to guess her fate, how
ever. She either went down In a gale at
sea was wrecked on some iron-bound
coast to the north and every soul per-
ished.
No sooner had the body of the late cap
tain been given burial and the ships pa
pers overhauled to find her port of desd-
nation than she was headed for the port
of New York to be delivered up to the
consignees 1t was a short-handed crew to
work such big craft. but every man tried
to do two mems work. and 1T was recorded
on the log that Nancy Hopewell steered
her tricks at the wheel and kept lookoutS
with the men. While they had been de-
spoiled of the Mary Ann, they were to
find themselves largely gamers by it. At
ter a run which was bare of event the
derelict was safely moored in New York
harbOr, and Capt. Elisha babe Nancy re-
move the tar from her hands and slick up
to meet company. 1t is of the long ago l
have written. The tombstones of both
Elisha and Nancy are mossgrown in the
old cemetery, but the salvage money re-
ceived from the Voorne gave them years
of comfort and happiness. People some
times wondered that in their old age there
hatemont 9ffGcUOnS,
Elisha would always answer them with:
Then by Josh, It's because Nancy Is the
bravest and best woman on earth, ana l
don't care who hears me say So"