Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1908-05-06


him. 1t was the Scanlon way of rec.
osnizins that you were paying. and
the Scanlon receiving. two dollars and
fifty cents . day!
At the head Of his two satellites.
who kept pace respectfully behind
him. Skiddy next directed himself to
find Dillon. Dillon was a variety of
white Scanlon, though Of an infinitely
lower human type, who kept a tiny
store and cobbled shoes near the Null
vac bridge, and who, from some as
sumed knowledge OF legal procedure.
invariably acted as clerk of the court
any court-American, English or
the Samoan high. You associated his
heavy. bloated. grog-blossomed face
and black-dyed whiskers as an ineyi-
table part OF the course OF justice. It
was his custom to take longhand
notes of all court proceedings, as, OF
course. stenographers were unknown
In Apia, and at times it would seem
as though all Samoan Justice boiled
down to debating to Dillon AS a wit.
ness you never looked at the Judge:
you looked at Dillon, and wondered
whether he was taking you down
right. A careful witness always went
slowly, and used the words that Dill
lon was likely to understand.
What a stir WAS made in the little
town as the news went round. Sat.
terlee, the cherished. the entertained,
the eagerly sought after-Satterlee
had been discovered to be a pirate.
The Southern Belle was no Southern
Belle at all, but the James Ii. Pea
body! He had shipped as supercargo.
putting in a thousand dollars of his
own to lull Mr.. Crawford's suspicious.
and then had MAJ Doned the captain
and mate on Ebon islcnd and levanted
with the ship! Heavens, What
cackle, what excitement, what a furi-
Gus flow of beer in every saloon along
the beach! 1t was rumored that the
great bargain day sales might be can
celed; that the goods might have to
be returned; that not penny of COM
pensation would be paid to the un-
lucky purchasers. Then what a rub
bling off of marks took place, what a
breaking up OF tell-tale cases, what a
soaking off OF tags! The whole 80
tons disappeared like magic, and you
could not find soul who would even
confess to packet of pins!
The trial took place in the large
room OF the consulate. The big front
doors stood open to the sea, where a
mile away the breakers tossed and
tumbled on the barrier reef. The
back door was kept shut to keep out
the meaner noises Of domesticitiy but
nj 10 In,
you could hear the deliberate grinding
of the consular coffee; the chasing Of
consular chickens; the counting of
the consular wash; shrill arguments
over the price of Ash-a grotesque
Juxtaposition that seemed to make a
mock of the whole proceedings.
On the reassembling Of the court on
the morning of the third day little
Skiddy, from the majesty of the dais.
summed up the case at length. 1t
covered nine sheets of foolscap and
had cost him hours Of agonizing toll.
Beginning with a general rhetorical
statement about the policy of ma
tons" and "the security CT the high
seas" he descended by degrees to the
crime OF barratry-or, in palmer Eng
fish, the theft of ships. He looked at
barratry from every side, and the
more he looked the less he seemed to
like 1T. 1t was the cradle OF piracy;
1t destroyed the confidence of owners;
barratry, IL frequently repeated. would
shake the whole commercial structure
A person who committed barratry
would commit anything. In this man
ner he went on and on, reviewing the
evidence Of the case, destroying the
whole fabric of the defense. dwelling
at length on the enormity OF the en-.
tire transaction. The James ii. Pea.
body had been deliberately seized.
The prisoner had lawlessly converted
her, the property OF another. to his
own base uses. He had broken into
the cargo ana shamelessly sold 1t as
his own. He could plead neither the
extenuation of youth, nor ignorance.
nor the urging of others. He had con.
ceived the crime, and had carried it
out single-handed. The court could
not accept the contention that All
roy, the Chinaman. had been in any
sense a confederate or an accomplice.
The court dismissed the charge
against All Foy. But, after mature
deliberation, its unanimous judgment
was that John Forster. alias Satterlee.
was guilty. The court sentenced John
Forster, alias Satterlee to ten years
penal servitude.
Purdy popped up with some ques-
ton as to the scale of court fees.
Thacher winked at Dillon, and began
TO roll up his papers. Sklddy de.
scended from the dais and became an
ordinary human being again The
captain. leaning forward in his chair.
gazed absently out to see. The Scan.
Ion brothers appeared, ofIiclously
wanting to know what they were to
do next Skiddy was unable TO tell
tbem ovcapt tbaf tho, ,,o.o a. -.