The Republican journal., 1914-12-03
A "REMINISCENCES.
How Three shipnaster Friends Decorated
The Last Resting Place of a Deceased
=, To Each Other

How Three Shipnaster Friends Decorated
The Last Resting Place of Deceased
Shipmate Unbeknown To Each Other.
1t is our opinion that there is no class
of breadwinners less cannish than SHIP
masters. Our experience is expressed
in that old saving, Everyone for him.
SELF" But a shipmaster's widow or
family need never suffer for the neces-
stiles of life if their wants become known
to the deceased's friends and former
shipmates. A case we recall which Will
prove this occurred in New Orleans in
1869. A Morgan Line captain. we'll
known and popular with all the shippers
of American steamers running to that
port. died. We will call him Capt.
Tom and the other connected with this
brief story also by their first names.
AS the writer and several OF the de-
ceased's friends had been welcome vlsl-
tors to his home while living, 1t was put
natural after brief season OF mourning
was over for them to call and comfort
the widow and see if she needed assist
ance 1t was also natural that any OF
Capt. Toms friends who called on mary
This widow should sneak OF by tnem-
selves, as it an old saying that Two IS
company and three is crowd AS Tar
as we know, we were the hrst 10 can.
After spending a pleasant hour, mostly
in discussing poor Tom $ good points, on
leaving we asked Mary II she needed any
financial help. She replied. that her dear,
dead Toms life insurance OF 20, OU' en-
abled her to live comfortably, out sne
didn't think she could afford to fix his
- ,Lo ho Sbo SaJ6. - +
you could afford to pay the bill Tor SOD
ding our plot and having some rose oushes
set out so that it would look NICE ana
tidv. I would be very grateful" Cheer
sullv complying, l babe her goodbye,
ordered the work done and paid the bill,
which was actually more than could
afford, but nothing was too expensive
for nv dead friend Tom. That was,
however, my last call on Capt. Toms
Mary.
About six months after the foregoing
occurrence two shipmaster friends and
myself met in the Crescent City for the
first time since Capt. Toms death and
while taking our trick at the bar in dear
old Johnny" Hawkins s saloon, one OF
the two asked how lately either OF us
had seen Capt. Toms widow. The writer
replied, mot since l paid the bill for
making Toms grave presentable to the
curious passerby." "What!' says Capt.
Bob. did she ever take you out to the
cemetery to see that grave and plot!
81 never gave her chance" "Well,
had she done so you would have seen
fine iron fence around that plot you had
heautifed." YES" said Capt. John.
"and two as handsome gravestones as
Mary or the cemetery could desire, winch
l had placed there at her request.
The establishment, yes, modification
that Immediately covered the weather,
beaten features of these three graveyard
beautifiers was sufficiently pronounced
to attract the attention of friends at an
adjoining table. Capt. Bob, who could
always crawl out of undesirable condl-
lions neater than anyone we ever knew,
said: CHOW let's keep this to ourselves,
for if it ever gets out our friends will
laugh US out of town." Then adding,
Here waiter, give us another round.
Capt. George L. Norton in The Marine
Journal.