The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-26
when he had told his story the club
decreed the mates death.

when he had told his story the club
decreed the mates death.
The Spaniards were employed to
bring this about by shipping on the
brig. They were to receive the sum
of $4,000 between them, and each re-
ceived a portion of the blood money
in advance. As confessed, the plan
was to strike the mate down some
dark night during his watch and
throw him overheard. do not know
that Mr.. Hope suspected anything,
but the days and nights passed peace
fully away, and the Spaniards found
no opportunity of carrying their muir
derous designs into practice.
we Were getting well down towards
the Seychelle Islands when the favor
able moment came One dark and rainy
night, as the mate hailed the lookout
and received no answer and went for
ward to see what was wrong, he was
stunned by blow and thrown over the
rail. 1t was the work of the Span
lardS, and all other men in the watch
denied seeing or hearing anything.
we were sailing at the rate of six or
seven knots an hour at the time. and
1t was a quarter of an hour before the
man at the wheel became alarmed and
sent word to the captain. The ship was
searched, and when no trace of the
mate could be found it was concluded
that he had somehow fallen overheard.
Had the Spaniards kept their heads
no one aboard could have connected
them with the affair, but having earn
ed their bounty they were anxious to
get back to Bombay to receive the bal
ance of it. They took three of the other
hands into their confidence so far as to
assert that they had a large sum of
money coming to them and were willing
TO divide up, and at noon the day after
the mates disappearance they fastened
the cabin doors while the captain was
at dinner, locked four men in the fore
castle, and then proceeded to take pos
session of a quarter boat and leave the
brig.
Before leaving US they spent half an
hour in cutting sails and ropes so that
we could not pursue them. They left
us as badly off as if we had passed
through typhoon. We saw them
head to the west, and in their exultat ton
one of the Spaniards openly boosted of
what had ben done to the mate.
Now, ask you to note the workings
of what we refer to as Providence 1t
was about half-past twelve o'clock at
night when Mr.. Hope was struck down
and thrown overheard. He did not even
remember of striking the water. When
he regained consciousness he was cling
ing to a piece of wreckage, and the sun
was just coming up. At three o'clock
in the afternoon he was sighted and
picked up by an American ship named
the "Joslyn,' which was on her way
from the Gulf of Alden to the port of
New York. The second mate, cook and
myself were the only persons on deck
when the mutineers showed off. AS
soon as they were half a mile away
we set the captain and the men at
liberty.
While the others were making repairs
was sent aloft to keep track of the
boat and see that she did not return,
and she had made a distance of about
five miles when a curious thing hap
pened. A waterspout formed within a
cables length of her and caught her UP
and overturned her as if she had been
a chip. I had the captains glass, and
could see things as if they were hap
pening only a few rods away.
After about two minutes I made out
a portion of the boat floating on the
disturbed sea with a man clinging to
her. When I reported this the captain
ordered away a boat to pick him up,
and the man proved to be one of the
Spaniards.
All others had persisted, and he had
had such a close call that he was thor
oughly cowed and humbled and anxious
to confess all his misdeeds. The boat
had been split in twain, and he was
clinging to one of the halves, and the
only thing left on his body was his
shirt, and that was badly. torn. He
claimed that the boat and her crew
were carried up by the spout at least
200 feet.
At 10 o'clock next forenoon, when we
had fairly repaired damages, the Jos
was sent aboard. Before his coming
the Spaniard had made confession in
writing. giving all the particulars of the
plot. He felt sure, as did all the rest
of us, that the mate was dead, and
when the officer was put aboard hardly
the worse for his adventure it was a
knockout blow to all. The SDaniard
gazed for long minute with a look of
horror on his face, crossed himself re-
peatedly, uttered a sort of shrek, and
then. before any one could reach out a
hand to stop him, he turned to the rail
and went overheard and sank like a
stone The plot had reacted on the
head of the active participants, and
both had found a grave in the sea, talk
ing with them three good men who had
been foolish enough to be led astray by
their talk.-(Copyrgiht, 1904, by t. G.
McClure.)