Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-08-15
A Tramp IN Command.

American ship Curlew. carrying arms
and ammunition to the Cubans. had
among the crew shanghaied man en-.
tered BY the name OF Jones. He had
been a tramp along the water front
he had converScd with sailors 10
knew all about first mates and second
mates. To have back talked" would
have been To solicit broken head
The part OF wisdom was To saw wood
and say nothing until the steamer ran
into Key West or some Otler port and
then seek TO make his escape She ran
down TO the port named with the tramp
keeping quiet, but doing great deal
OF thinking. He wante,l To take care of
Jones and get back 10 New York with.
out any scars To boast OF.
The tramp's plan 10 desert the steam.
or didn't pan out. Men were stationed
ne the gangways TO watch The cargo
OF sewing machines" as the boxes
We're marked. came aboard through tue
Efforts of strange men. and when duly
stored away under the matches the
Curlcw put to sea. As she left the har.
Dor revenue cutter sent in search OF
morning hut the captain OF the cutter
didu't see her. Even when his atten
ton WAS called 10 her nam, hc screwed
mp his eyes and wlnked aud blinked
aud read her name backward ana said
Lee had never heard of such craft IA
The Wc'"uc Jones had been pa,i,nt
ANA hopeful. Now he was mad ana
desperate. The others might run their
hcail~ into the Hons laws n the
would, but their death would not maj.
ter o. the SO.uOO.OOO Of Americans left
behind. As FOR him. he wanted 10 I've
ON. As tramp he was expected Ia live
on. He had aims and ambitions ~ be
cnrried ont before being hanged or shot
He therefore Informed the second
ratc thar he had objections To filibus.
tcring und demanded that the stcnmcr
at once he headed back In return lac
was knocked down and jumped ON.
For The next three days. while tho
Cur.cw was Sneaking her way across
the gulf and keeping an eve open for
Spanish gunboats. all the officers and
most OF the crew made n football OF
Tramp Jones. Every few minutes ho
was knocked down or kicked or cuffed
AT least once an hour he engaged I'm n
fight I'm which ne was Invariably worst
ell. They tried To batter the life out
OF him. but only succeeded I'm making
him the madder He had just been
kicked for the five hundredth time
since leaving Key West when the sun
went down. the tropical darkness de-
scended. and with IT came fog thick
enough TO be cut with a knife.
The steamer had been crawling along
the Cuban shore To hit the rendezvous.
In bay not two miles away when
the fog came down was a gunbont I'm
ambush. She heard enough 10 be
sure that smuggler was at hand.
but when she crept out OF the bay the
lookouts might as well have been blind
men. She drifted and the smuggler
drifted, and by aud by they were with.
In quarter of mile OF each other.
The Spaniards gave themselves away
by their voices. The crew OF the Cur.
lew were as whist az mice. Orders
were issued TO brain any man who
spoke above a whisper. For fifteen
minutes there was the silence OF death
aboard. Then the gunboat began firing
into the fog n random. She fred shells
that went screaming into space I'm
way TO make the hair stand up. She fired
solid shot that whlzZed and groaned
and hunted for something TO mash
She fired grapeshot that came aboard
ana struck down four trembling men.
shot tore through the pilot house A
shell made matchwoOd OF boat hang.
Ing at the davits. The Spaniards didn't
know that they were hitting anything
but il was Il good time TO practice.
There were brave men aboard the
flibuster, but the firing drove them TO
cover. and they crOuched aud trem.
bled lll' r.l lrcn. !ac N.s 40. 90.
haphazurd fire for half an hour. hay.
Ing four mcI Killed uud 3d.. wounded
and then the Spauiards steamed back
INTO the bay ana dropped aurho. Sic
had blown the United States Sky ligh
and her commander pattcd himself on
the back When tie firing ceased
Tramp Jones looked around to find
himself IT, only man Oh Geek. He
had been kicked 50 often that lie no
longer felt fear He realized that nov
was the time for the steamer 10 es-
cape. and hc went man hunting. lie
found the engineers aud hremen I'm
hiding Joe the coal bunkcrs He hauled
them forth and kicked them 10 their
posts lie found captain and mates
hiding in their staterOons. lie sworc
at them lie cuffed them lie gave
them the boot lie played basket bail
with their carcasses until he had
driven them 10 their stations. He
found the rOustabOuts lurking aud
shiycrlng and wondering Why death
fingered aud lac tired Lis arms with
cutting ana his legs with Kicking II
was hc who gave the order for the on
gines to- back. II WAS lac who gave n
course ont 10 sea. il was he who held
he whole outfit mp 10 the mark for
three long hours or until the CurIew
finally crcpt into the rendezvous
Then there was au awakening on
the part Of captain, mates and crow.
They shook on their fear aud svurned
FOR Tramp Jones He had humHW
ed them He bad taken communal Ue
had made them look like r. cents
The tramp seized hnudspikc uuI