The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-09
OF
P|RAT|CAL CREW
IS DISASTROUS
Fail to Heed Order of Buc-
cancer Captain and
Imprisoned Sailors
Fire the Ship

|
and the moral of 1t, from a piratical
standpoint at least. seems to be that a
knife In time saves nine. 1t Is true
| story, though 1t Is not widely known at
all, and 1t was told In paper read be-
fore the Essex Institute, February 81, 1898,
by Edward G.. BATHS, one of the men who
profited by the pirates carelessness. Bat
tls account has recently been reprinted
by Houghton-Mifflin in a book entitled,
Wonderful Escapes BY Americans"
/ These things happened in the year 1892,
when sailing ships still ruled the sea, and
the town of Salem. Mass. of witchcraft
fame, was famous seaport. Out of Salem
Harbor, the 29th day of August, sailed
Capt Joseph putnam, in command of the
merchant brig Mexican. He was bound
for the Caribbean Sea. which in those
| halcyon days was still the Spanish
Main," and. because banking facilities
/ were feeble in those days, he carried.
stored under his cabin floor, $4,000 in
silver, with which he meant to purchase
| a return cargo.
Everybody aboard the Mexican was
bothered by an unexplainable feeling that
| this voyage to the Spanish Main was
| going to be a Jonah trip. Two or three
seamen who had gone to fetch the cook
| from his home to the docks had seen a
black hen fly up ON a fence and heard
her crow-and everybody knows that
when hen crows there is something
mighty bad in the wind, says the Kansas
| City Star.
| Then. too. several Salem ships had come
to grief at the hands of pirates In the last
| few months-and, as everybody knows.
the Spanish Main is the prime place in
the whole universe to encounter pirates.
No. decidedly the crew did not relish this
| voyage. They sat around and told pirate
stories in the dusk of the evening, and
even Captain Butman admitted that he
was worried. and began to talk to his
| officers about selling his life dear.
| 1t was September 10. however, before
| anything happened. That night a schooner
crossed the Mexican's bows. Next morn
Ing this same schooner was plainly visible,
| lowering to windward like a hawk ready
to swoop. 1t was long, slim craft and
1t was painted black, with white band
| above the water line Captain Butman
looked at 1t through the glasses, and the
| appearance of the vessel was anything
but reassuring. He counted 80 men cus-
tered on deck-more men than any re-
spectacle merchant vessel of that size had
any need of.
The captain ordered more canvas
spread. Maybe 1t would be possible to
sail away from this unpleasant stranger,
| 1t wasn't. The schooner soon overhauled
and headed the lhappy brig
There were only two small cannon
aboard the Mexican. and 1t soon ap-
peared that the round shot that had been
brought aboard were several times too
large to go into these guns. So when
the strange schooner fired shot that
sailed over the Mexican's docks Captain
Butman ordered his ship to heave to.
Then the schooner came within hailine
distance.
1t was flying the flag Of Colombia, and
it's captain. after inquiring where the
Mexican hailed from and where 1t was
bound. ordered Butnam to lower q boat
and come alongside. and bring his pa
pers with him. The captain had little
hope that this Colombian ship was any
thing but a pirate, but his men were un-
| armed, and there was no choice. He
| went over the side with four of his men,
and rowed alongside the black schooner.
| Before any Of the merchantmen could
go aboard five pirates leaped into the
Mexican's boat, pushed off and ordered
Captain Butman to return to his brig. Be
fore leaving the schooner one of the
pirates shouted to his captain in Spanish
to ask what he should do with the Amer
lean seamen.
i dead cats don't new" replied that
worthy.
Hard Looking Crew
Then the boats crew, with its five
ferocious looking passengers. rowed back
to the Mexican. The pirates were a
hard-looking crew. They carried pistols
in their belts and long knives, and they
rolled their eyes and ripped 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
loitered 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 for the cabin; as they
did so they met one pirate coming ur
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
heavy woolen hat saved BATHS and Lus-
comb lodged In time to escape with q
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. They rushed into the cabin and
attacked Captain Butman and two OF
MS sailors. They beat the captain with
the flat and the backs Of their long knives
and smashed 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. Bat
tis remembered $50 belonging to various
members of the crew. This money had
been hidden in a pickle chest and Battfs
got it out and dropped it down between
the inside and the outside planking OF
the ship.
Two sailors were chased so hard that
they dived head foremost into the fore.
castle to avoid their pursuers and one
OF them broke two ribs In the fall. Final.
ly the whole crew was in the hold When
ever man stuck his head above deck
pistol was thrust at It and he pulled
1t In again. Butman was a prisoner in
his own cabin.
Finally the pirates battered down the
hatches, cooping up the men of the Mex.
lean, who, armed with sticks and chair
legs, crouched In the dark, prepared ia
take a few pirates with them to death
when the invaders should decide to fol-
low out their captains suggestion abou,
dead cats and mewing.
But the carless pirates failed to carry
out that order. Maybe they realized that
it would probably cost q life or two:
possibly they were just too lazy. or II
may be that they figured 1t would be a
much more original bit of barbarity To
l,,rrv tho of< <ho