The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-17

would have come up to his shoulder,
and l am sure that he could not have
measured less than six and half feet.
1t was strange among SO many sad and
weary faces to see one which was full
OF energy and resolution. The sight Of
storm. l was glad, then, to find that
ne was my neighbor, and gladder still
when. in the. dead Of the night, I heard
a whisper close to my ear, and found
that he had managed to cut an opening
IN the board which separated US.
Hullo, chummy,'' said he,
M UNA 8 fs.yo oyr name, and what are you
:" T answered him, and asked in turn
who was talking with.
=, IN Jack Prendergast, said he
and by God, you III learn to bless
my name before you we done with me, -
IL remembered hearing of his case,
Tor 1t was one which had made an i'm
mense sensation turnout the country
some time before my own arrest. He
was man Of good family and of great
ability, put, Of incurably vicious hab-
It's, who had by an ingenious system of
fraud fraud obtained huge sums of money
Aio X. tn9 leadlng London merchants. >,
- said he, proudly. NY
' "Very well, indeed.''
Then maybe you remember
something queer about itg' '''O'A
-! What was that. then9,'
-. "a had nearly quarter of a
million, hadn It 1872 VI t"
" so it was said.''
ut..BBut none was recovered, ehq"
bs1sn. mW say, " where re dye suppose the
- h9un iIoo
80" Right between a' m Sa'f fin l.: and
thumb, !" he cried. "By God! I've cot
more pounds to my name than Won we
hairs on your head. And if Won ,ve
money, my son, and know how to handle
1t and spread it, you can do ANYTIME
Now, you don't think it likely that a
man VINO could do anything is going to
YEA M?af ms breeehes out sitting in the
s!lnklng hold of a rat-gutted, beetle
fGlSa!aen, mouldy old coffin Of a Chin
look after himself and viii look after l
ms chums. You may lay to that! You
hold on to him, and you may kiss the
book that he III haul you thru
mat was his style of talk, and at
nrst L thought it meant nothing: but
after a while, when he had tested me
and sworn me in with all possible
s9olemnity,, he let me understand that
there really was a plot to gain command
OF the vessel: A dozen of the prisoners
haa Matched 1t before they came aboard
frendergast was the leader and his
money, was the motive power
! "a partner,' said he ga rare
good man, as true as stock to a bar
rel. He's got the dibbs, he has. ani
where do you think he is at this mo
ment? Why, he's the chaplain of tbi.
shlp-the chaplain, no less! He cam,
aboard with black coat and his paper
tight, and money enough in his box t,
BUY The thing E, right up from keel t.
and soul. He could buy 'em at 81
much gross with a cash discount. anf
he did it before ever they signed on
He's got two Of the warders AM
Mercer, the second mate, and he'd ge
the captain himself if he thought hin
worth Of ! si it;,, 49,,
asked. 1911,
- What do you thinkq' said he
1--WE III make the coats of some Of thes
did, ,...':SD '''-Ao
but they are armed,' said L.
And so shall we be my boy
There's a brace Of pistols for ever,
mothers son Of us, and if we can
carry this ship, with the crew at GU
back, it IS time we were all sent to
young misses boarding-school. Yo1
speak to your mate upon the left to
night, and see if he is to be trusted. ,
HsI did 50 and found my othe
1Sig ID o., to be young. fellow in mucl
crime had been forgery. His name wa
Evans, but he afterwards changed il
like myself, and he is now rich an
prosperous man in the south Of England
He was ready enough to join the con
splracy, as the only means Of savin
ourselves, and before we had crossed tn
bay there were only two of the pris
oners who were not in the secret. On
of these was of weak mind, and we di
was suffering from jaundice and cou1
not be Of any use to US.
From the beginning there wa
really nothing to prevent us from tax
ing possession of the ship. The GREY
were set of ruffians, specially pickle
for the job The sham chaplain cam
into our cells to exhort us, carrying
black bag, supposed to be full of tract:
and SO often did he come that by tn
third day we had each slowed away a
the foot Of our beds file, brace O
i. slugs. Two of the warders were agent
| of Prendergast, and the second mat
was his right-hand man. The captain
the two mates, two warders, Lieutenan
Martin, his eighteen soldiers and tn
. doctor were all that we had against u
Yet, safe as it was, we determined t
neglect no precaution, and to make OF
3 attack suddenly by night. It cam
| however, more quickly than we expec
7 ed and in this way:
One evening, about the third wee
q flor n,,rs CT rt bo Inotor ho1
down to see one of the prisoners VIII
was ill, and putting his hand down O
: the bottom Of his bunk he felt the GU
7 line of the pistols. If he had bee
:. silent he might have blown the who]
thing, but he was nervous little cha
} so he gave a cry of surprise and turne
: SO pale that the man knew what WE
: up in an instant and seized him. II
3 was gagged before he could give tt
alarm and tied down upon the bed. =
: had unlocked the door that led to tt
: deck, and we We're thru It in a rus
: The two sentries were shot down an
t so was a corporal who came running |
9 see what was the matter. There wei
0 two more soldiers at the door of tt
stateroom and their muskets seemed NJ
4 to be loaded, for they never fred upo
e us and they were shot while trying |
), fix their bayonets. Then we rushed {
into the captains cabin, but as "
9 pushed open the door there WIS an e.
e plosion from within, and there he Ia
1 with his brains smeared over the cha
e of the Atlantic which was pinned upc
J, the table, while the chaplain stood wit
s a smoking pistol in his hand at his G
e bow. The two mates had both bee
e seized by the crew and the whole bus
|, ness seemed to be settled.
d The stateroom was next the cabi
e and we flocked in there and loppe