The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1908-03-13
FRIDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 10. 1908
SAM MATTHEW'S GHOST.
How It Warned Captain Ezra OF
Danger Ahead.

II was q cold night The WING Was
blowing & gale and driving line snow
which cut the face and blinded inc
pedestrian. The vessels tied up al L
wharf looked bleak and cheerless; but
they were very comfortable unoeF na[
ches. In the cabin OF the schooner
Emily Parsons brisk FIRE was ourh-
ing in the round stove. and the odor
of tobacco so appeJiZing to those VINO
like it scented the air. Capt Ezra
Parsons. in a comfortable chair, with
his feet upon the stove fender, was pull
ling upon q yillainous looking pipe,
whiIe reclining upon one of the hunks
which lined the cabin was Seth jenkins
and half q dozen members Of the
crew were distributed about the little
room
Kind O. snug here said Seth Jen-
kins with z grunt of content Just the
same wouldn't like TO be outside the
bay in this"
The Emily is as safe as a church in
any kind Of weather" said Capt Ezra
Course she gets little vet now and
then. but you expect that | wouldn't
change her for the White House, 10
sir"
Well" said Seth. faint likely that
Roosevelt II ask yer 10 swap l don't
like these wet ships myself
You don't?- sneered Capt Ezra
Well, / don't see you ownin' or eoEz-
mandin' any dry ones or vet ones
either. Just pass that bottle this
way"
Il don't know II l ought 10 lei Eo1
have it," hesirated Seth Spirits amt
good for z man with your not IHpeE-
First thing you know you'll u sesLa
things. snakes and gTeeo bCS an1
maybe ha'nts-
Ezra acquired the bottle and poured
himself z liberal drink
Il saw q ghost once said CalE-
Ezra
There was z sensation SeTerI Of
the BOYS sat Up II Lheir beELasr and
the Nova Scotia man Jumped out HOE
the deck Only Seth laughed
Il knew you'd Be sesiu' things Il
you took another drink, he sid
Tell Us about IT. cap said the
Nova Scotian-
faint much Of Z stoEE, szid Ezra
but il happened, all right Any o TO1
boys remember Sam HzIIhs9s2 Well
he was al old dory nate o mine, and
one O. the EhiIesI lads that ever
breathed We sailed under Capt DIN
can McGann in the schooner Chey-
enne. one Of the fastest boats out o
Gloucester Is years ago
Sam and ue hzd some fine times
together and some tough ones; but
the last was one January day. We set
out from the ship in the mornin' with
not z drop 70 drink or bite 10 eat in
the dory. We set travis and tended
them till about noon, when fog came
On and We started for the ship She
was gone and We couldn't find her.
We was 30 miles from shore with wind
and tide against Us and it was bitter
cold Sam wasn't easily scared, but
he sez to me: 1 guess it's all day
with US, Ezra, and / couldn't see much
chance for U.s. But We started to row
ashore, and We roEed until our hands
was bIistered terrible. and the salt
water would get into the blisters-
The first day We couldn't ha' made
20 miles. That night it come on TO
blow and We shipped SO much water
that our clothes froZe on Us. That day
we couldn't ha' gone ten miles and we
wasn't sure we were goin' right We
both was so weak we couldn't hardly
keep at the work, but somehow We
was able to live till mornin'. Then
Sam gave in and lay down in the bot
tom and / couldn't get him up. "Taint
no use, mate he said, we've got to
60 In little while he died Not an
hour after We was picked up. | got
well, but ! lost toe from frostbite
| never forgot Sam, and always kept
thinkin' il he only could ha' held on
an hour more.
"A little later / bought the Emily
Parsons and took her out. / guess it
was five years after that / was On
Browns bank gettin' fish, and started
for home. There came on thick fog
and a heavy sea, and / had to go by
reckonin'. but / knew the place pretty
we'll and | thought 1 was goin' right
/ remember it just as plain as can be.
/ was at the wheel, Joe Wills was for
ward as lookout, everybody else was
below. 1t was just about midnight.
All of sudden seen man standin'
alongside O. me in oilskins, drippin'
with wet He looked up and it was
Sam Matthews.
Il was so scared / could hardly hold
the wheel, and / could only look at
him. His face was terrible pale, just
as he looked when he died
Ezra, old friend he SEE to me.
Do you know where you're goin'?
You're goin' straight for Cape Sable,
an you'll be on the beach in five min
utes. Get your anchors out Then he
seemed to kind O. fade away and /
was alone. / let out a yell that
brought the whole crew up, an l got
them anchors out in a jiffy. But we
dragged and dragged, and it seemed
hours before they held. The men
thought | was crazy; but l wouldn't
tell them nothin', but went down and
drank near quart of whisky. The
next mornin' when the fog lifted /
could ha' tossed biscuit on shore"
There was a silence for fully min
ute. Then the Nova ScOtian asked:
Are you sure you wasn't asleep"
THE rocks was right alongside"
said the captain.
Seth Jenkins didn't say anything at
all