Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1904-02-27

nature of the deceased laird, three men
there were. accounted good. worthy and
religious men. who sclemnly dcposed To
having seen "thc hand of the dead man
pen those words"
1t was case which made some noise
in those days. because thirty.six hours
after the alleged signature was given
John BalgOnic died
The law of Scotland requires that. af-
ter framing and signing such II deed. the
testntor must have been able to go once
at least to church or market. How IL
came to pass we know not now. hut the
dispute. though without a basis. was
brought before the supreme court 10y
some friends Of the orphan. for thcr"
were not u few persons in Strathcarh
who alleged that John Bnlgonic's hand
had certainly traced the signature which
was sworn to so socmnly as his--but
had done so after death; the pen being
placed in the fingers of the corpse. which
were guided by those of the pious and
worthy merchant of Dundee. who want.
ed his nephew's little patrimony in aid
of certain spccnlations of his own.
Pending q decision. the bercaved boy
was removed to the busy town on Tay-
side, and was left to solnce his sorrows
ut school. prior, us he supposed. to be-
coming a drudge In his niTectionatc I'M
clc's counting house, when the last OF
his slender inheritance had been frittered
away in the fangs of the law.
One day his worthy uncle Gam return
cd to Edinburgh by the packet. The
case had been decided against him. and
the court was about to name trustees to
i.,rt ~, vtnt o., Of nh
Mr.. Gamaliel Balgonic was unusually
grave. stern and distracted; but he de-
liberately seated himself ut his desk.
and while humming. rs was his wont. a
verse of u psalm. he penncd letter nd
dressed to the captain of vessel then
lying in the harbor. AMI gave 1t to his
nephew for immediate delivery, desiring
him to wait for the answer.
The boy then In his fifteenth year.
started oil his errand with alacrity. He
soon found the ship. which was moored
ut some distance from the shore, with her
fore topsails loose, to indicate that she
was ready for sea; yet Charlie had no
suspicion of the trap into which he was
running or the cruel fate that awaited
him.
The skipper. rough. sury and brutal
looking man. eyed the hoy kccnly, while
tearing the letter into minute fragments.
after he had pcrused It, with II grim
smile of satisfaction. lie then went to
locker. where he poured out II glass
of milk.
Drink that. my lad" said he. "whilc
| write an answer to your uncle
Charlie drained the glass; hut scarce.
~ had he done 50 when the cabin seem
81 to he whirling round him; he thought
that lie was becoming seasick. and was
in the act of staggering toward the cabin
stairs when he was fclled to the floor
by blow from the shippers heavy hand
I'll blow dealt cruelty and unsparingly.
lie recovered consciousness some time
after, to find himsclf-stiff, sore and
bloody. from u wound In the temple
king on deck in the moonlight. with some
twenty-five other boys. several of whom
were In the same state of stupor In which
| they had been brought on board. 10 his
horror and dismay. Charlie now found
that the ship was at sea. and running
between the dangerous reef known rs the
Bell Rock and the Hat sandy shore of
Barrie: and that, through the machnn-
,ions Of Uncle Gnmulicl. he had been
lurcd into the hands of one of the most
notorious plantation crimps that ever in
tested the Scottish coast. Captain Zach
nriah Colin of New England. whose
craft. the Piscatona, was n letter OF
maruuc. carrying twelve six-poundcrs
and fighting her own way.
After this the PiscatOua was hauled
M, In order to 20 north about by Cape
WRATH having on board nearly fifty
boys. Storms came on when the Piscn-
tona entered the Pcntlnnd Firth. and
four days after Dunnet Head with its
nnty brow, 400 feet In height. had van.
ished into the wrack and mist astern, u
sudden cry of fire caused every heart to
thrill on board the lawless vessel.
Whether an net OF treachery or not. 1t
was impossible to ascertain; but 1t had
broken out near the ships magazine. to
which 1t communicated with frightful ra.
pidity, for suddenly, while the crew were
nll running fore and AFT with buckets,
dreadful explosion seemed to rend the
PiscatOnn IN two. Half OF the main
deck was blown away with two Of the
boats. a whirlwind OF fragments few
In every direction. and then the flames
shot into the air In scorching volumes.
Discipline, or such a system Of II as
Zacharialr CONN maintained on board,
was totally at an end. NSome of the crew
lowered the only remaining boat and
fought like wild beasts for possession of
II. knocking each other into the water
without mercy. Captain Coffin cooked
his pistols ut the gangway, shot one man
dead and swOre that he would kill the
next man who dared to precede him. but
he was struck from behind by an iron
marline spike and. falling. together with
his savage dog, Into the flaming gulf that
yawned amidships, was seen no more.
Some of the crew ultimately pushed of
the boat; others sprang overheard and
held on to the spars and bOOms. But
these persisted miserab!y after being half
scorched. Some were crushed TO death
by the falling yards and masts. Many
held on to the fore and main chains, till
these became so unbearably hot that they
had to drop off. with screams of despair
when they sank. faint, weary and help
less, to the bottom at last.
How it all happened Charlie Balgonie
never knew. But hours after the whole
affair was over and the detested Pisco-
tona had burned down to her waterline
and sank, leaving all the sea around her
discolored and covered with floating
pieces of charred wood and the buOyant
parts of her cargo, he found himself
adrift in the wide and stormy Pentlnnd
Firth. but wedged with comparative
safety in a large fragment of the fore
top, to which, the yard being still at
tached by the sling, a certain amount of
steadiness was given; yet his heart leap
al All IN ,.,t,a