Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1911-08-04
HE. ESCAPED
THE. GALLONS I. ]! :: J z }
By r. c. MARTIN .
By r. c. MARTIN
Copyright by American Press Assoc
citation, 1911. Il &

II citation, 1911. n
An old sailor was run into his last
port-the Sailors Snug Harbor. After
his first supper he sat on bench out
side. filed a pipe with short stem
and smoked lugubriously. Several Of
the inmates of the institution approach
ed him, pulling on their own pipes. and
sat down near him, and one Of them
said to him: ~.
Mate. we uns have made rule
here that every newcomer 1nterduces
hisself by spinnin' yarn. That way
we can Judge him. A man general.
~ gives hisself away when he's tellin'
his sper'ences."
about meself"
I'm course. How can we Judge o
you If your yarns about some one
else?''
"Well, here goes" said the newcom-
er after few thoughtful whiffs at his
pipe. my yarn happened when was
aboard the bark Sarah Blake. / was
young then and full o. life. and. though
say it myself. no man could get aloft
quicker and hang on tighter. furlin' at
the same time. than l could. But I
had the misfortune to get the enmity
o the first officer. McWhalley, and
after that my life wasn't wo'th
Twin. He did everything he could to
get me overheard. sendin' me out to
the end Of yardarm when the ship
was rollin' and dippin' me in the crests
of the seas. Another time he sent me
on to the bowsprit when it was COW
cred with ice and pokin' itself into
every wave that came along. Well.
one day he knocked me down with
marlinspike. and picked up capstan
bar and hit him on the head"
The old fellow took his pipe out Of
his mouth. cooked his eye at his hear
ers and asked it the Snug Harbor was
locker tor secrets. Being assured
that it was. he proceeded.
II was desperate and didn't know
how hard struck. cracked his skull.
and he died the same afternoon. In
course l was put in irons to be Token
into port and tried for both mutiny
and murder-either one O which, as
you know, mates, is enough to hang
man.
There wasn't seaman aboard that
didn't like 1t because I'd downed the
mate and got rid O. him. The cap
tain and the other officer didn't think
that way. They didn't believe In mu-
tiny nohow, and they was bound to
bring me to trial. They didn't know
who to trust to guard me in the brig.
but it didn't make much difference.
for so long as we were at sea there
was no way o. gittin' ashore. even If
had my liberty. But the afternoon
after killed the mate my guard, as
soon as he was put on watch. put his
finger aside his nose. ana he said in a
whisper:
"'Mate. we seamen has been con-
sultin' way to git you out O. hang1n'.
We're neartn' the coast, and the mate
you killed Is to be buried at two bells
tomorrer mornin'. Hes sewed up in
his hammock now, with a ten pound
shot tied to his ankles. Say the word
and We'll take him out and put you
in. We kin give you sharp knife to
cut yerselt out with. some cork from
the tfeboats. a bottle o. water an
some herr1ngs.'
Il told him "a Epther die that way
than b swingin' ct ! ropes end, and
I might git picked up. So that night
when the men that was my friends
was on watch they TUX off the irons.
give me the things. tyin' the corks
around my body under the arms. the
behring's in bag the sa1lmaker had
got up for the purpose around my
waist. bottle o. water hung from the
waist between my legs, and the knife
put in my pocket. Then they watch
ed their chance to git rid O. the mates
body and after dumpin' it overheard
put me in the hammock and sewed me
up.
I'm the mornin'. soon after two bells
struck. heard footsteps on the deck.
nobody sayin' nothin' and then quiet
for awhile. when the captains voice
sounded sollum readin' the burial serv-
ice This was more'n I'd counted on.
knew I'd probably die, but l objected
to the burial service bein' read over
me before | was dead.
"Howsomever, l lay still, and when
the skipper got through l felt myself
lifted up, laid on an inclined plank and
skidded of into the water.
"D'ye know, mates, that was
mighty mean feelin'. a weight hangtn'
to my ankles, draggin' me down. But
I didn't have no time to be thinkin'.
II didn't cut the shot loose quick
enough I'd go down where the water
pressure, would keep me down. Be-
sides. I couldn't hold my breath: more
than fifty seconds, though I'd been
proeticin' dom q 1T; a. whipped out
my, knife: ripped; open the hammock,
got my arms out ana scut. the cord in
ahouf twenty aeconda