Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-12-09

anu tney TOleO tnelr eyes anu Tlppco
out oaths in the most approved style.
When they reached the Mexican two
Of the pirates went to the cabin with
Captain Butman, while the other three
loistered on deck. In a minute the
first mate came up and told several Of
the sailors to go down and bring up
the money. Luscomb and BATHS, two
Of the sailors, started for the cabin;
as they did so they met one pirate
coming up the companionway, who
gave the signal to the three on deck
to attack the two seamen. The pirates
swung at the heads Of Luscomb and
/ BATHS with their knives; a heavy
wooden hat saved BATHS and Luscomb
lodged in time to escape with slight
slash. Then. apparently, the pirates
decided to postpone the blood letting.
The seamen passed up the sacks OF
silver dollars from their hiding place
under the cabin to the deck, where
they were loaded into the boat and
taken aboard the pirate vessel. On
the return trip sixteen more pirates
swarmed aboard. They rushed into
the cabin and attacked Captain But
man and two Of his sailors. They
beat the captain with the fat and the
backs Of their long knives and smash
ed a speaking trumpet over his head,
but did not try to kill him. Then the
ship was ransacked and several hun
dred dollars that had been hidden In
other places was dragged to light.
Sailors were running to and fro all
over the ship with pirates chasing
them. Rattis remembered $50 belong
ing to various members OF the crew.
This money had been hidden in a
pickle chest and BATHS got It out and
dropped it down between the inside
and outside planking Of the ship.
Two sailors were chased so hard
that they dived head foremost into the
forecastle to avoid their pursuers, and
one of them broke two ribs In the fall.
Finally the whole crew was In the
hold. Whenever a man stuck his head
above deck a pistol was thrust at 1t
and he pulled 1t in again. Butman
was q prisoner in his own cabin.
Finally the pirates battened down
the matches, cooping up the men OF
the Mexican, who armed with sticks
and chair legs, crouched in the dark,
prepared to take few pirates with
them to death when the invaders
should decide to follow out their cap
tain's suggestion about dead cats and
mewing.
But the careless pirates failed to
carry out that order. Maybe they
realized that 1t would probably cost a
life or two; possibly they were just too
lazy or 1t may be that they figured 1t
would be a much more original bit OF
barbarity to burn the crew OF the
Mexican alive. At any rate these pi-
rates, after tearing up and cutting to
pieces all the ropes, sails and rigging
they could lay hands on, throwing the
nautical instruments and everything
else that was loose into the sea, filled
| the cooks galley with combustibles,
set fire to the mass and left the ship.
You have heard Of the horseshoe
nail whose absence caused such inter-
national complication. Well, 1t has Its
parallel in the case Of these careless
pirates. They had fastened every
opening securely-all except one.
There was little skylight in the top
of Captain Butman's cabin that had
been overlooked. And when Butman
saw the pirates finally board their
own ship and set sail. he climbed out
the skylight, cautioning the crew to
remain below. Too much energy In
the work Of fire fighting would bring
the pirates back in hurry, he knew.
So Butman had the crew fill buckets
of water. One bucketful at a time
was handed him, and, crouching low
along the rail, so that the departing
pirates could not see him, Butman
carried a bucketfrl at a time and
sprinkled the fire in the cooks galley.
He kept 1t in check, but he purposely
did not put 1t out as soon as he might
have, for he knew that IL the smoke
ceased to pour up the pirates would
know their plans had gone awry and
would return.
Finally, when the topmast OF the
black schooner had disappeared over
the horizon, Butman released his men
and they put out the fire that they
had held in check. Then temporary
sails were rigged up, and the brig
sailed safely home to Salem.
AS for the careless pirates. they
paid the penalty for being careless.
Butman was able to give an excellent
{. .cription Of them and their ship,
and the vessel was captured by Brit
ish warship off the west coast OF Ar"
rica. The prisoners were handed over
to the United States, tried in Boston
for piracy, and the pirate captain, Pc
dro Gilbert and six Of his men were
sentenced to be hanged. One Of the
condemned pirates, a benevolent soul,
who had saved the lives Of seventy
persons who had been wrecked In the
Bahamas, was pardoned. But six OF
them were hanged, among whom was
the astute Captain Pedro, who had so
truly remarked that dead cats don't
mew." II his men had only taken his
advice they would have saved them
selves and their commander world
of onvenience.-Kansas City Times.
- Columbia, December 6: For sew
eral days Commissioner Watson Of the