The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1912-03-01
HE ESCAPES
THEGALLOWS
BY R. C. MARTIN
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.
BY r. C. MARTIN

ed him, pulling ON their own pipes. and
sat down near him. and one of them
said to him.:
Mate. we uns have made a rule
here that every newcomer intprdu'pS
hisselt by spinnin yarn. Tint Way
we can judge him. man general
ly gives hissef away when hes lelrln
his sper'ences.
about meselfT'
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 Biukr. | was
young then and full o life. and. though
/ say 1t myself. no man could get aiutt
quicker and hang on tighter. furiin at
the same time, than could. But
had the misfortune to get the enmity
O. the first officer. MrWhalIey. and
after that my life wasn't wO b
Twin He did everything he could In
get me overheard sendin mo oui Ia
the end of II yardarm VIII n nv -hu'
was rOilin' and dippin nr in The =
of the seas. Another time NJ -
on to the bowSprii when il was-t
cred with ice amt Iok N i'S-if I"tn
every wave that came along. We'd.
one day be- knWkeu me down wi II Il
marlinspikp and p:ck, q az IL capSi n
bar and hi him on the head.
The old fellow took MS pupp out OF
bis mouth. cOrkpd his eye al his np"r-
ers and asked IT the Snne iiarbni ~ -
locker for Sps rPt> lS-lny aS>u ii
that it was. he proceeded
IL was desperate ana didn't know
how hard StrurK. / cra' ktu MS skull.
and be died the same Il ternmn. ~
course | Was put in irons To i,e token
INTO port and tried~tOr both mutlny
and murder either one o whirh. IA
you know. mates. is enough tn hang a
man.
There wasn't a seaman aboard that
didn't like II D,aauSe I q duwnrd the
mate ana got rid % him. The zap
tain and the other ufti'pr didn think
that way. They didn believe i'm mn-
tiny nOhOw. and they was mound Ia
bring me- to trIai. They didn know
who to trust TO guard me- IN the brig
but it didn't make mucn dltferrn -,
for so long as we were at sea th..rr
was no way q gittin ashore. even if
4 had my liberty. Hut inc a trrno"n
after | killed the mate IN, glIaru. ~
soon as ne was put OH watch. pnt mis-
finger aside his nose. ana ne said IN II
whisper:
Mate. we seamen las brru con
sultin' a way to git you out o nangIn
We're nearIn' the coast. and the mate
you killed Is to be buried mt two bells
tOmorrpr mornin'. He's Spwpd 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 Iiteboats. a bottle . water an
some herrlngs.
II told him Id 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 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
1 put In my pocket. Then they watch
ed their chance to git rid O. the mates
body and after dumpin' 1t 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' nothiD' and then quiet
for awhile. when the captains voice
sounded sollum readin' the burial serv-
ice. This was more'n I'd counted on.
I knew I'd probably die, but objected
to the burial service bein' read over
me before | was dead.
"Howsomever, ! 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'. a weight hangin'
to my ankles, draggin' me down. But
I didn't have no time to be thinkin'.
If | didn't cut the shot loose quick
enough I'd 60 down where the water
pressure would keep me down. Be-
sides, l couldn't hold my breath more
than fifty seconds, though I'd been
practicin' dom o. it. l whipped out
my knife. ripped open the hammock.
got my arms out and cut the cord in
about twenty seconds.
''The bag fell of while was risin'.
There was danger that Id be seen
from the ship. So was. but this had
been perwided for. AS soon as I 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.
81 hoated on the water all that day
and the next. I'd had a good break.
fast before bein' h'isted overheard and
didn't eat nothin' till evenin'. when I
pulled out some herring from the pouch
around my belt and took little water.
1 saw several ships that day. but none
on 'em came near enough to hail. The
next day one passed me about mile
away. Another. twelve hours later.
pretty near run me down. l yelled.
and they took me aboard"