Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1910-01-21
The HbME[ESS ship
a. AncaEW c. EWING.

TAX about the Flynn Dutchman.@
said the eenfenarfan Of the sailors
Enue Hartlor. twa'u't a circumstance
to the phantom ship my gran'father
used % tel ne about when | was
tov. The cd man was pretty nigh as
ed as an now when he tod il TO
me and had sailed the Spanish main
when pirates there was thicker n
buubaafs about a newly arrived Amer
lean ship Ct FayaL And nv gran
father seen her. too. with his own two
eyes and her wild cap'n on his wild
ship. He was the fust pirate to git
his deserts Hangin' don't do it
THAT'S only siIlin But I'll tell you
the story as ny gran'father told it
"A ship-my granfather didn't know
her name: fact Is. she didn't have a
IA me: some said that bein. intended
for a phantom from the start she
sailed without name-well. this
naueless ship sailed from Medford
with 4 cargo o. rum and gold and
silver bars She headed for a West
Indian port. but got into the doidrums
and Was so long without q breeze that
the water and provisions give out. The
crew was reduced TO chewin the leath-
er Of their boots; but. as for water.
there was none even to be got from
damp out o the sails. The weakest
died fust. then the stronger. and so
on TIL the most endurin' O the crew
give In and their sperits went aloft
When the last man had persisted. there
bein' nothin' more for the doldrums
10 do. the wind sprung up and the ship
sailed away with her crew of dead.
THE wind bein' out O. the nor'east,
the ship KEEP on her course toward the
West Indies Then IL was that Juan
Castres. the most onmercifui pirate
that ever sailed the Spanish main. saw
her and chased her Ii was an easy
matter TO catch her. though every rag
was set and she was a fine sailer. for.
beis withou. helmSman-at least
Twin one-she'd luf now and then
and have 70 wait for her sails TO FL
again When the pirate come up with
her the dusk Of night was settlin'
down. ard al the pirates could see
was a figure behind the wheel. another
scattered \ ,anf in different positions
where they'd died
But Gast-es seem the ship hadn't
guns for defense drifted NJ beside her
when the wind lnlIed and. leaxin' some
Of his men - make fast. jumped
aboard his Pre-. The two vessels
bumped and separated. II that mo-
ment sudden puff o wind strnek .em.
Th. pirate had lowere< most Of his
sails. ard befere she could get EN- up
again the ship without name sailed
away from ser into the thick night.
and that's the last the pirate seen o
her
The next seen 4 the nameless ship
was By E-itisher Cap'n Castres
was at the wheel sinrin' and shoutin'
and laughin, and THROWN his arms
about He had found himself alone on
a ship with nothin' but dead men.
though she WAS the richest prize be
had ever taken. with the easiest cargo
TO dispose Of. geld and silver bars.
with rum enough to kess him drunk
for the rest of his natural life. Wheth-
ef drinkin' the rum helped him TO go
mad or a crew Of dead men was
enough to do 1t, nobody didn't know,
but be was mad sure enough-stark.
etarin' mad-a-swearin' at his dead
crew Just as though they was alive,
and he must have found plenty of am
nunition. for be was pluggin' 'em all
the while. One o. the sailors on the
Britisher recognized Castres. for be
had been taken by the pirate. forced
TO walk the plank and got picked up.
he told the cap'n. and the cap'n turned
away without even speakin' the othe.
ship
The next seen o. the namelees,'
as the Brltishers called her. was by an
Italian brig There was more super
stition among the Italians than the
Englishmen. and. seem crew o. dead
men commanded by mad pirate. they
all knelt en- deck and crossed their
selves. Then the cap'n. who was the
only man among em that had any
sand at all. took the helm and sailed
on another course as quick az be could
go about
"But what I've been a-comin' to all
along is the time my gran'father seen
the phantom. for after some years
sailin' about, seen by var'us craft. that's
what they called her. II was one
evenin' on the equator My gran
father WAS young Teller O. nineteen.
an bed heard o the nameless. as she
was then called. when he WAS six
years Old Sc. yeu see. the story's
true. Well the sun was a-settin'.
goiu' down into the water biz enough
10 take In a dozen craft ON tle torizon,
when suddenly i ship seemed e come
ap near H. n If cut O. tiafss and
sailed right between him aud TIE SIN.
On 6eek WIS Capn Cas;5as llaaia'
over the gua.ale shati9' - e.. rs
eyes a-glarias ard horrible ssns =s..s s.aa.a-
IN out ef his throat tn ns7Hf.a.t
must a ratt.ed censiG'ra - nvly
her ribs VAS 10 be seen ae'fa the sHa.
ookin for Al the world NE a grid
ron on a redhot ire
The phantom always br#u5hf had
luck. Ships seen her in re cary
nornin'. at twilight after =aaSe, by
moonlight or in storm SIZE vas A.
Ways scuddin'. breeze or no breeze.
manned By dead men ard s.aerel! bv
,he mad pirate And TO sip ever
sighted her that didn't either have
,lague aboard afterward or 90 ashore
r strike rock or somepin terrible.
Just go 10 New Bedford and ask
EN- about her They'll tell ron Of the
women and children OF New bedford