The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-06-29
A Maine Temperance Tale.
Luck Capt. Treworgy Got from a Pint Of
Whiskey.


turing tour through Hancock county
recently was a good speaker, but SEEM
ed to lack ammunition with which to
rouse the enthusiasm of his audiences,
all his horrible examples having been
cited many times before. So he was
greatly interested when some one ask
ed him why he didn't 60 and see Capt.
Solomon Treworgy down at Surry and
learn how the captain got rich by not
drinking pint of whiskey presented to
him by Boston shipbroker some years
ago.
.'By not drinkin that pint" said the
informant, I'm told the cap'n Jest
made his everlastin' fortin'. He's rich
as mud now-owns his own house'n got
morgidges on two or three others, an
owns pieces of two three-masters n I'd
know what more
The lecturer thanked the man for this
good tip and said that when he spoke
at Surry he would get the captains
story, and he did. 1t was good story,
but probably will not be used by the
lecturer on the cold water circuit.
Yes. said Capt. Solomon Treworgy,
as he slid down from the top of sugar
barrel in Chatto's chandlery to meet
the lecturer. ''I'm him-Cap'n IRE
worgy, though don't go to sea any
more, and so | amt so much cap'n's
] used to be.
''Pint O. whiskey? Oh, yes, s'pose
that story's true enough. If I'd drunk
the stuff p'raps | mightn't have any
prop'ty now, n be luggin' lumber out
of Bangor for one fifty thousan'. 1t
was this way:
''Thanksgivin' eve, IS, l settled up
my freight in Boston an was comm
out that night on the last trip home.
1t was cold with whistlin' northwest
er blowin', and Mr. Searles, that's the
broker, he give me that pint O whiskev,
sayin' it would be handy to warm up
on, that kind O. weather. Good stuff,
he said,
Il put it in my pocket and went
aboard, thinkin' no more about it Till
we got to Boothbay, where we had to
put in to dodge a northeast snowstorm,
the wind comm round sharp after we
left Boston.
well. sir. while we was layin' in
Boothbav. and that was good week,
Waltin' for a chance to get east ard,
some fellers come aboard of US from an
other vessel, Nova Scotia woodboat
that was layin' astern, and wanted to
know if we'd anything to drink. They'd
been on spree in Boston. and was all
burnt out. Couldn't get thing in
Boothbay, and was willin' to give their
shirts for one good drink.
Here, says l to myself, heres p
chance to make a trade So says
How much are you fellers ready to
put up for pint O. the best Ticker that
ever come out O. Boston,
"'Five dollars says one.
Its your licker,' says |, and hand
ed it out to them-the pint l got from
Mr.. Searles.
Il got the So, all in American quar-
ters and halves, and we set there talk
in while they drank the pint dry. Fin
ally one of the Bluenoses he says:
Got any cards?'
"'Certain,' says l. and pretty soon
we was playing pitch.
after "a while one of 'em says: Let's
make it interestin' and have a little
poker game, tive-cent limit.
''All right says /, and we went at it..
.'To cut long story short, when
those Bluenoses went back to their
woodboat | had s32 of their money, not
countn' in the five for the whiskey,
and they had just enough whiskey i'll
EN- TO he aggravatln.'
.'Wind come around after a While
and We got home to Surry. Coin up
from tht. wharf met old lilly Dunbar,
sort of a iack-of- all-trades, who makes
spars summers and goes trappin' Win
tiers, and lie had big bundle of fox
skins.
"'lou take 'em to Boston and sell
EN- for me and I'll give you c'mmis-
sion, says he to me. Or says he, I'll
sell You the lot right here for 800
'''Glve you $50, says |, and take my
chances.
"'Well,' says lilly, comm on Christ
mas and | want the money, SO We'll
split the difference and you take 'em.'
Il got twenty red pelts that was
worth, say $50 apiece, and that would
have let me out all right, but there was
a few squirrels and rats, and, down at
the bottom of the pack as pretty silver
grey fox skin as ever | see. | sold that
one skin to a heightened Boston fur
dealer for 5000, THROWN in the rest for
$50 That was good spec, but nothing
TO what come of it.
'.Feller down home wanted me to 60
up to Boston early III the spring and
get a load of -four for him, me to pay
for it there and him to pay me when
put it on the wharf at home. [ bought
the flour and started, but of all the
cussed times you ever heard of had it
tryin' to get east again.
I'm bet | had that anchor of mine
down in every hole and corner between
Gloucester and Rockland, dodgin' in
and out till we was sick and tired Of
making sail and takin it in, and payin'
out chain and heavin' it up again.
Never saw the like of it.
''Well, n days after we come out of
Boston we managed to get home, and
then found that the Teller I'd bought
the flour for had failed, and couldn't
take it. Just as we'll for me, though,
for while we'd been monkeyin' around
with that flour in the May Queen the
price had gone up dollar and quar-
ter barrel, and sold out quick at the
advance.
THAT, with the natural profit and
the freight, cleared me about $500, and
/ hadn't moren got the money fore
word come that a British schooner
that'd been piled up down to Deer Isle
was goin' to be sold by the United
States marshal on salvage claim, long
with what was left of her cargo, which
was pine shingles from st. John.
Weather was SO bad that no one
could get there from the West'ard an
so the biddin' wasn't very lively. l
got her as she lay for 1915, got her off
on the next high run O. tides, brought