Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1911-07-07
HE ESCAPED
IHEGALLOWS
BY r G. MARTIN
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911

said TO him:
Mate. We uns have made a rule
here that every newcomer interduces
hisself by spinnin' a yarn. That way
we can judge him. A man general
ly gives hisself away when he's tellin'
his sper' 'ences-"
About meself?"
"In course. How can we judge o.
you II your yarns about some one
elseT'
well, here goes" said the newcom-
er after few thoughtful whiffs Mt his
pipe. My yarn happened when was
aboard the bark Sarah Blake. | was
young then and full o. life, and, though
l say 1t myself. no man could get aloft
quicker and hang on tighter. furlin' at
the same time. than l could. But |
had the misfortune to get the enmity
o. the first officer. McWhalley, and
after that my life wasn't wo'th
livin'. He did everything he could to
get me overheard. sendin' me out 10
the end Of a 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
marIinspike. and picked up a 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 if the Snug Harbor was
q locker for secrets. Being assured
that 1t was. be proceeded.
~ was desperate and didn't know
how hard struck. cracked his skull,
course | was put in irons to be tooken
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 it because Id 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 IL didn't make much difference,
for so long as we were at sea there
was no way o. gittin' ashore. even il
1 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, and he said in a
whisper:
Mate, we seamen has been con-
sultin' a way to git you out O. hangin'.
We're nearin' the coast, and the mate
you killed Is to be buried at two bells
| tomorrer mornin'. He's sewed up in
his hammock now, with 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 yerself out with, some cork from
the lifeboats, bottle O water an
some herrings.'
IL told him I'd ruther die that way
than be swingin' at ropes end. and
l might git picked up. So that night
when the men that was my friends
was on watch they TUX of the irons.
| give me the things, tyin' the corks
around my body under the arms, the
| behring's in a bag the sailmaker had
got up for the purpose around my
waist, bottle O. water hung from the
waist between my legs, and the knife
l 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.
| "In 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'h I'd counted on
I knew I'd probably die. but objected
to the burial service bein' read over
me before | was dead.
"Howsomever, l lay still, and when
the skipper got through / felt myself
lifted up. laid on an inclined plank and
skidded off into the water.
Dye know, mates, that was a
mighty mean feelin. weight hangin
to my ankles, draggin' me down. But
didn't have no time 10 be thinkin'
IL | 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
practicin' doin' O. it. | whipped out
my knife. ripped open the hammock
got my arms out and cut the cord ir
about twenty seconds.
THE bag fell off while L was risin'
There was a danger that I'd be seen
from the ship. So was. but this had
been perwided for. As soon as | was
slid off some Of my friends TUX up the
attention o. one O. the officers, and
nobody saw me except men who was
In the plot.
II 6oated on the water all that day
and the next. Id had a good break
fast before bein' h'isted overheard and
didn't eat nothin' till evenin', when
pulled out some herring from the pouch
around my belt and took little water
saw several ships that day, but none
on 'em came near enough to hail. The
next day one passed me about a mile
away. Another, twelve hours later
pretty near run me down. | yelled,