Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-06-02
Murphy stood FIVE extra large police
men twirling their clubs

Murphy stood five extra large police
| men. twirling their clubs
Now, men, said Mr.. MURPHY with q
kindly smile, advancing to the string
| piece and looking down on the monitor.
''see that you load her smartly.' Then
he vanished.
Within five minutes the procession
| of cases came down the pier and the
| guncotton began 10 swing abroad the
vessel.
Presently Captain Bascom, feelinp.
thirsty from a solid half hours swear
ing to make the work go right. felt
the need Of a drink. He swung himself
up TO the stringpiece or the pier ant
the next instant was knocked head
over heels back to the deck by the
hard fist of a New Jersey policeman.
Re jumped up with a yell of rage and
reached the stringpiece the second time,
only 20 go down again.
There were some among the flibus-
ters who snickered, for they had sailed
with the old man and it tickled them TO
behold his own medicine served out 10
the famous sea terror, who was ac-
customed TO hit a sailor first and talk
afterward.
But the snickering stopped when one
OF the gunners, grown suddenly weary
OF the work of loading guncotton.
seized what he thought was a good
chance TO desert. He fell Imply to the
| deck with q bruise as big as a trade
dollar decorating his left eye.
Its no use, you fellows" said the
biggest policeman, not unamiably.
We've got the straight tip about
youse, n your captain has given us
| permission to half murder youse IL
they's any try at deserving. So right
ahead with you work and be good"
Captain Bascom picked up his ears
and roared: Captain? Who told he
was captain? I'm the captain of his
blink, blank outfit, blink blank ditto
ditto blank!"
"All right. old boy" said the police
man, soothingly. I'VE don't blame you,
but you stay right aboard, nice and
quiet lust the same"
Two hours later, when the last load
of guncotton swung aboard, Mr.. Muir
ply, smiling, happy, irradiating good
nature, strolled jauntily to the monitor,
where he was received with q chorus Of
| ~execration from men who were laboring
under the double sorrow OF work and
thirst.
But Mr.. Murphy only yawned. AT a
signal from him the tug hauled the
monitor off and the last of a raving
band of filibusters saw of him was as
he kissed his finger tips to them after
he had distributed handfuls of fat
cigars among the policemen.
Subsequent history, gathered from
the brave and reckless heroes piecemeal
as they struggled back to South street.
shows that the monitor was laid along,
side of the steamship that evening and
t 1t the indignant liberators had to
sweat the g%uncotton board. Then they
steamed to where glory awaited them.
But at st. Thomas, instead of an adj
miral, an agent came aboard and paid
off all hands. The merchant had sue
ceeded in making dollars do the work Of
bullets.
There was nothing surprising about
that. F~ilibusters become accustomed
to such happenings. But what none Of
them could understand was how ii hap
pened that the state of New Jersey had
gone '~tn partnership with this par
ticular filibustering expedition. That
was something that had never hap
pened before.
Because the ship stoker is Irish, the
mystery can be dispelled here. Jim
Murphy, though he does not go abroad
on the street like the ancient mariner,
unbosoming himself to all whom he
may meet, still esteems the joke too
good to keep entirely to Himself.
1T was so simple says he. Il just
walked into the police station stiff and
dignifled, and / said to the sergeant in
charge: Sergeant says I. Tn the
captain of a United States monitor
down here that we're loading with gun
cotton. I've got a bad crew, crazy to
jump ship for a drunk on shore. No
doubt you're as willing to get that gum
cotton loaded and away from your wv
town as I'll be. So if you can spare me
a few policemen to prevent any Of my,
men from going shore I'll be obliged
And those five bully cops stood there
so cocky and proud to think that they
were guarding a Uni d States war
ship that l had TO go away 10 q quiet
place and laugh"