Willmar tribune., 1909-07-07
THE DESERTED SHIP,
BY MILDRED 3. cowLEs.

BY MILDRED 3. coWLEs.
copyright, 1909. by American Press Asso-
c1atiOn.
On the 18th Of June, 1871, Diedrich
Ten Brock, sitting on his stoop at his
seaside residence on Staten Island, on
what is now known as New York har-
bor, smoking his pipe and with a glass
of Scheidam schnapps beside him, saw
Dutch ship drifting aimlessly in the
open sea near the lower bay. He knew
she was Dutch from her breadth Of
beam and height Of poop. Besides, at
her peak floated the standard Of the
Netherlands. Meinhecr Ten Brock
called for his spyglass. laid down his
pipe and studied the ship. Finally he
laid down the glass and muttered:
by thunder!'
In all the time he had looked through
the glass he had not seen a vestige
of life on the vessel There was just
breeze enough to fill her sails; but, the
tiller being free, she was alternately
luffing and falling off, sailing in accord
ance with her own sweet will But
since what wind there was blew from
the southeast her main course was di-
rectly toward the harbor's entrance.
Rising from his chair, Diedrich Ten
Brock waddled down to the shore,
called together several fishermen
mending their nets, got them into a
boat and pulled for the drifting ship.
Every moment they expected to see a
Dutch head above the bulwarks or a
thin cloud of smoke from the captains
pipe curl from the stern lights. But
no such visions appeared. Ten Brock
and his party boarded the ship. No
one was in her from stem to stern. In
the cabin the noon meal was set and
half eaten. There was no sign of q
disturbance, nothing broken, nothing
disarranged.
Above was the same condition. Not
rope had been cut, not yard dis
placed. And, most remarkable Of all,
not boat was missing.
Diedrich Ten Brock and his fisher
men took the deserted ship inside
Sandy Hook, where they anchored her
and later sailed her up to the city Of
New Amsterdam. She proved to be
the Stakeholder Of Antwerp, with a
cargo of trinkets for barter with the
Indians. She had sailed from Holland
forty-three days before, and her log
had been kept till the morning of her
appearance off Sandy Hook. There
it broke off suddenly, giving no ex-
PLANTATION Of the disappearance Of the
crew Of fifteen men and twelve passen-
| gers.
| At New Amsterdam the Stakeholder
was anchored under the guns of the
Battery, and every Dutchman, Dutch
woman and Dutch child in the town
went on board Of her. Never was
there such storm of guesses as to
the cause of the disappearance of so
many people without leaving the
slightest trace Of how or why they
left. Heller Van Gaasback suggested
that they had all been thrown over.
board as Jonahs and swallowed by a
whale. But when asked who had
thrown over the last man he had main
tanned dogged silence and resumed
his pipe. Frau Vanderbern thought
they had been blown of by hurri.
cane. But as the sails were set and
whole the conditions did not fit. Ka-
trina Stuyvesant's explanation was
that they had been eaten by an octopus
! The governor Of New Amsterdam,
fearing that the people would go mad
over the problem, issued an order that
Katrina's explanation should be adopt
ed as the true one and any one disput-
ing it should be fined ten gallons of
schnapps and hundred pounds of to-
bacco. This quieted everybody, and
the town clerk put the event on rec
ord, giving the government explana-
tion. He was not required to state
any proof of the fact.
For years the record 50 stood on the
town books and was disputed by no
one except Wouter Van Twiller, the
doubter, who paid his fine and did not
offend again. In time the people, thus
kept from even thinking, came to be-
lieve the octopus story, and there was
no necessity for government interfer-
ence.
But one day circumstance came
about that necessitated a change of
record. A ship of war came in bearing
the royal standard and looking very
terrible with a double row of guns.
True, beside modern battleship she
would have looked like pug COM
pared standing by st. Bernard. But
at that time she was awful. She an-
chored of the Battery and landed q
gang Of men who were to be hanged
for piracy.
Now, before the hanging took place
one Of the pirates sent word to the
governor that for a pardon he would
explain the case of the Stakeholder
The governor returned word that for
any explanation not in accord with the
one on the town record the man would
not only be hanged. but quartered.
But the people got hold Of the story
and demanded the pirates explanation.
The governor refused, but the man
gave 1t just before he was hanged. He
was quartered for his pains. It was
this:
Just before the Stakeholder reached
Staten Island pirate ship stole up On
her in fog and captured her without
q struggle. The pirate at the time was