The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-08-22
THE BROTHERLY
LOVE.

places Mr.. John Hart was spoken of as
| one Of the kindeSt and most liberal
| shipOwners. Engaged with him in
bethel work was Mr.. Simpson, who
| believed in Mr.. Hart sincerely. Simp-
son sent nephew out on one Of Harris
ships. When the boy returned, he was
sight to behold from ill treatment.
When Simpson had heard his story
and cOrroborated it, he sat down to
| plan. He saw man, and that man
saw the other men, and the result was
that the captain OF the Brotherly Love
| was taken sick just as she was about
| tuted. The crimps were also put to
work and a reward held out One
morning as the ship left the wharf she
carried a victim who was entered on
| the articles as Joe Haines. He had
come aboard filled up with knockout
| drops and with neither bag nor chest,
| and the mate who received him asked
no questions After half a day out
Joe came to life, ably assisted by three
or four buckets Of cold water and sun
| dry kicks. He at once claimed to be
Mr.. John Hart, owner Of the ship. The
mate had no humor in his composition.
When he looked upon the ragged,
bruised and bloated man before him
and heard his declaration, he didn't
laugh at the absurdity of the thing. He
simply hauled off and knocked him
down and left him lying underfOot for
the next hour. Then he incidentally
mentioned the matter to the captain.
The captain wasn't feeling very gay
and wanted something to iyen him
up. He therefore had Joe Haines be-
fore him. 1t was with painful efforts,
owing to swollen lips, that Joe de-
clared he had been drugged and
shanghaied and brought aboard one of
his own ships. He insisted that he
was Mr.. John Hart the man who shed
tears when talking to sailors at bethel
meetings-the man who sent sailors to
sea with tracts and Bibles in their
chests and let his heart yearn for their
welfare.
| His story was secuted. -7J4
Joe Haines was Kicked out Of the
| cabin for an impOStOr and rated on
the articles as ships boy. His duties
were to help the cook and be the dog
Of the men. The cook was a negro,
and when he found a white man work
ir1cr 20 him hn ont m Z
got around among the crew that Joe
Haines had claimed to be John Hart.
| While the crew jeered at the idea, they
set out to practice on him. They owed
| the Shipowner one, and as long as they
could not get at him 1t was some COM
fort to get at the man claiming the
identity. They kicked him. They cuff
ed him. They knocked him about.
They made him eat of the worst faint
ed pork and gorged him on the bread
holding the most weevils. Joe Haines
! had never come in close contact with
colored man before. In a dim way
he had always considered the race
humble hearted and downtrodden and
long suffering. For the first day or
the cook, but in time he came to take
it as a matter Of course.
There was one man among the crew
who really knew that Joe Haines was
John Hart He had sailed on one of
his other ships and seen the great
man abroad. He had also been in
duced to attend bethel meeting one
l.. hi
speak with tears in his eyes. This man
led in making life miserable for the
victim. He did more. After couple
of weeks the captain got to thinking
things over. It was barely possible
that a mistake had been made. He
sent for the cooks assistant, and the
cook gave the man a kick aft. Joe
Haines retold his story. When he men
toned what the. cargo consisted of and
the names of the consignees at V; L
paraiso, with other information that
could only be known in the shipping
Office, the captains hair began to stand
up. He was about to acknowledge to
mistake when word came aft that
one of the sailors wanted to be heard
in the case. He was sent for, and he
lied like a good liar. He identified
Haines as the porter around the ware
house.
From thence on until port was
reached Mr.. John Hart led a .surpris-
ing life. That is, he was surprised to
awake in the morning and fpd him
self still alive; he was surprised to find
that he had life enough at night to turn
in; he was surprised that others could
be knocked about as they were and
fed as they were and still not mutiny
and murder the officers. He was an
object Of pity. He was starved and
worked and maltreated until he be-
came a woman in spirit and only the
shadow of a man. And in the midst
Of it all he had to remember that the
Brotherly Love was his best ship, the
one of the trio least complained Of in
regard to food and treatment.
1t got about at home that 1.-THE sud-
den and mysterious disappearance of
Mr.. John Hart" was owing to the fact