Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1907-02-14

"Give 1t him forard," roared Black;
and the shot that answered his command
struck the quivering hull not twenty feet
from the windlass and you could see the
splinters carried fifty feet in the air, while
the shrieks of terror came over the sea
to us.
Screaming like wild beasts, the men
turned the handles of the Maxim guns;
the balls rained upon the defenseless liner
as hail upon a sheepfold. | saw strong
men reel and fall their length as death
took them; the breeze bore to me the
wailing of women, and the sobs OF chill
dren.
The flag dropped and the signal was
made to us to come aboard.
Lower away the launch, you John J!
cried Black. "and take every shilling You
can lay hands on, and hang up that skip
per for a thin-sk inned fool"
You'd better 60" said Osbart to me,
you'll. be amused :" and suggested it to
Black.
"Yes, he shall co. he cried; eff we
swing, he shall swing. Let him get
aboard"
might as well have put pistol to my
head as to have refused. They bundled
me into the launch; but they would not
leave me when they came alongside, and
Roaring John" himself drove me up the
ladder. Seven Of us at last stood on the
bridge. and were face to face with the
captain of the Bellonic, and four of his
officers.
The deck was very babel of sounds,
of groans, of weeping. The ships surgeon
himself seemed paralyzed before the sight
of the carnage. around him. But above
all this terror, | know Of nothing which
struck me with such fearful sorrow as the
sight of a fair young English girl lying
by the door of the great saloon, her arms
extended, her nut-brown hair soaked in
her own blood, while man knelt over
her, and you could see his tears falling
upon her dead face, and his rawlings were
incoherent and almost those of maniac.
Meanwhile another scene was passing on
the bridge between the man John and
the captain of the Bellonc.
"What do you want aboard of my
shp?" cried the latter; and Roaring
John" answered him with a mocking
leer:
We've come aboard to hang you, to
begin on.
The men with the young officer cooked
their revolvers at this, and | said in
mad frenzy which would not brook ST.
lence:
You scoundre, if you touch another
soul here III shoot you myself" for |
had my revolver on me. "Do you make
a business of killing children" l cried
again, and pointed to the dead body OF
the gir-child. don't know who was
more surprised, the captain of the Bel
Ionic, listening, or the man John.
You cub he cried; "if you talk to
me III skin you alive" but | said quick
ly:
Gentlemen, these men want every
shilling on this ship. Give it them now
and save your lives, for you have no al
tentative. If you give the money up, you
have my word that they won't touch you"
"As there's a heaven above" exclaimed
the young captain, they shall pay for
this days work with their lives. hand
my specie over under this protest; but
don't deceive yourselves-half the war
ships in Europe shall follow you within a
week"
He turned away, and presently the ruff
lanS with me nad lowered money 10 tne
value of a hundred and fifty thousand
pounds into their launch. When at last
We put off again, and the launch was full
If the jewels and the money, it seemed
hat | had passed through hdeous
lream.
On the second day after the robbery
,f the Bellonic, we stopped a second and
hen a third ship; though | saw nothing
If it. as all the fighting was on the star
BOARD side, and my cabin was to port:
,ut there was a sharp fight on the third
morning with a Cape-bound vessel, and
again towards the afternoon with one Of
he North German Lloyd boats home
ward bound to Bremerhaven: Osbart.
,oming to my rooms, delighted to give me
he details of these captures.
Ito be contnued.)