The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1909-08-19
ADRlFTo
ev CHRISTIAN NIELSEN,

sCuOoimaJe OF mine by the name OF
Rudolf, one of the most noble charac-
ters 1 ever met. Both of us chose the
sea as way of earning a living, and
often shipping together 1 had many
proofs Of his devoted friendship.
The last time we shipped together
was In 1879 with the bark G., of our
home town. 1 remember RudoIf's
mother and his sweetheart standing
on the quay bidding goodbye. Turn
Ing to me his mother said, "You two
must stick together"
So we did, and his noble character
had good influence on me. BY his
friendship was often kept out CO the
saloons and dance houses. 1 took
sick and was sent to the hospital in
Hull, and 1 heard no more of my
friend.
On visit to my home town some
years ago L called on Rudolf's mother
In her hosEe With her was his
sweetheart. working at dressmaking
20 support his mother.
Rudolf is dead" said his mother:
nothing but death could keep him
from coming home to u.s."
1 cannot account for it, but I con-
1ected with this memory OF the past
miserable looking wretch, who on
The night before had asked for a tick
ct for nights lodging at the Saliva
Ion Army's lodging house. 1 deter
mined to find this fellow, so the next
lay went to the lodging house and
found him in the reading room.
When he saw me he tried to leave
the reading room, but L caught him
and asked him his name. After hest
Eating a moment he replied, Ernest
Johnson. Why do you ask?" 1 was
surprised. / could give no reason for
asking the question so abruptly. I
held his hand for a few minutes look
ing for something that would connect
him with Lily friend that would &C
count for my rudeness. I remem-
oered that while in the port of Dan
zig Rudolf had the letters r. J. tat
tooed on his left arm. l took his left
hand, pushed up tho sleeve of his
coat and there was the "R. j." in red
and blue ink just above the wrist
pass over the first two hours af-
ter this detection, but when I told
him of my sleepless night he broke
down and told me the following story:
was discharged from my ship in
Liverpool, and with the intention of
going home 1 took the train for Lon
don, and went to tho old boarding
house. There l got in company with
q number of former shipmates and
we had a game of cards. For the
hrst time in my life l played for
money and lost three or four games
was about to take the cards for an
other game when a woman said. 4
would not play that game; you know
nothing about it.
L threw down the cards and turned
to thank her for her advice. She was
a good looking girl. neatly dressed
and In her behavior so unlike the girls
we used to meet in the boarding
houses, that got much interested in
her, and when she asked me to go
with her TO dance 1 was quite will
ing. This was my first step to a
ruined life.
lost the boat the next morning.
but had money saved, and thinking
That no one need know anything of
what had happened / wrote home that
would arrive by the next steamer.
A day or two before the steamer
sailed l was told by the doctor that
my blood had been poisoned. l can
not tell what 1 had to endure the fol-
lowing weeks. l took the boarding
house master into my confidence. and
at his advice / wrote home that had
got so good a chance that would not
come home for a month. but | gave
no name of ship or address. My sick
ness went on from bad to worse. the
month turned and my money was
gone
Then a letter arrived from my
mother to the boarding house master
asking for information Of ship and
destination. The reply was that I
had given him no information what
ever. By his aid got ship for San
francisco. You take this chance,
he said, and from that port you can
write home, having a good excuse for
not writing sooner
1T was nine months voyage,
with the worst officers and crew that
/ had ever been with. The habits /
got into then have never left me. /
could not stand it on that vessel, and
believe that the captain worked it so
that we should desert. So we did.
and under the name of Ernest John
son / shipped on an American ship. /
rn1aDnQd "a a. I,
somehow l could not, save enough
money so could go home as a gen.
tleman.
I'm Newcastle, England, that hap
pened which forever killed the inten-
tioD tc go home. i used to go to the
sailors reading room to read the
and one day the mission
airy asked my nape Ernest John
son. / said. is yapr name not Ru-
.10lfo No err Mat ,notyao 10. /,