Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-10-22

"A tJON Ia DELI OClODD
starboard side Of the ship. As the Ameri-
cans dashed after them. they flung them
selves overheard and began 20 swim for
shore with their wits about them, they
might have given the alarm 20 the wait
ing gunboats, or flashed a signal to the
men behind the cannon in the fortress.
on the gun-dcck there was a sharp hand
to-hand fight which left as It's memento
the bodies of several hapless Turks. The
others vaulted over the rail az fast as
they could shake off their assailants. II
ell happened so swiftly that in ten min
utes Stephen Decatur stood upon the
quarterback In undispnted possession.
His men had their work 30 carefully
cut out for them, that already the crews
had darted toward tho cockpit the store
rooms, the after-hatches and the steer
age. carrying the oombustibles that were
10 make certain the destruction of the
frigate. From the quarterback, Decatur
sent UP a rocket TO announce 60 Captain
Stewart. on board the Siren, that the
ship had been captured. and before the
SIRENS rocket could reply the flames
were seen ieaping up from every part OF
the lll~bEdTIea I'M dNelUilds Al hWllNiN
as they had boarded Il, the Americans
departed, dropping back 90 the deck Of
the ketch and cutting loose The en-
gagement had lasted but twenty-three
minutes. But ~ was not ended. for the
fort and the gunboats might begin to
beloh fire and shell at any moment. and
q far greater menace was close at hand.
As the Intrepid severed it's dangerous
connection with the burning frigate its
boom fouled and its iigger swept against
the quarter gallery Of the Philadelphia,
the sterp-line became TANNED. and a
sheet OF flame poured from one Of the
port holes, directly over the tarpaulin
that covered the store Of explosives that
had been placed there as a last resort.
The Escape.
A shout from Decatur dispatched q
dozen men, with swords, to cut the en-
tangllng ropes, and mighty shove sent
the ketch ous Of reach OF the roaring
flames. In another instant the sweeps
had been manned, and a succession OF
long oar-strokes carried the craft well
out into the channel OF the treaoherous
harbor. Now the men could hold in no
longer, and a mighty shout OF triumph
PApEtt HubuA lndl WAS uTOWHeu LnG
roar of the batteries. for the sleepy gum
ners had been startled into activity by
the sight OF the burning Philadelphia.
Two corsairs and q galley gave chase
and the surface OF the water was torn
by a rapid succession of explosions. as
the fro in the burning frlgate reached
its batteries. BY strange freak of the
wind. the flaming hull was shifted around
a N Al l-fN n.
into the town-the American warship's
almost human retaliation upon It's hated
captors From their prison windows, Cap
tain cambridge and the 900 men who had
been captured on that once proud ship
watched with mingled joy and grief the
work Of destruction. At least. the Phila-
delphia would not serve as the enemy's
slave.
In a verltable rain of shot and shell
that sent brilliant Jets OF ilumined water
all about it, the Intrepid dashed out OF
the harbor, Joined tho Siren and set sail
for Syracuse 1t had not lost a single
man, and only one member of its crew
had need OF the surgeons aid. The Tri-
politans lost twenty men in addition to
those unnumbered victims who had re-
treated to the depths Of the burning
ship.
When the story of the adventure was
told aboard, the pirate nations along
the northern coast OF Africa sat up In
wild-eyed amazement. This was not the
sort OF thing they had been accustomed
to- The war had dragged along for al
most three years and nothing much had
happened. They began to ask who this
stephen Decatur was, and a little while
alter they had a reply when one OF their
commanding officers, under pretense OF
surrender, boarded the ship commanded
by Decatur's brother and murdered him.
No sooner had the news Of this dastardly
act come to the newly appointed captain
than he made off for his dead brothers.
ship. engaged the murderous Turk in a
hand-to-hand fight, bore him. struggling
and pleading for mercy, TO the deck and
ran him through with his short sword.
the only weapon he happened TO have al
hand when the death of his brother was
reported to him.
without waiting to wash the blood from
his hands, he gave orders for the occupa-
ton of the Turks ship. and that night he
Joined the American fleet with two cap
tured vessels.