The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1916-02-24
A Sailor S
Confession
BY DWIGHT NORWOOD

while the vessel was burning OF the
coast Of Korea, This happened many
years ago when | was young man.
am now ninety year old hulk. laid
up at the Sailors snug harbor, ready
for the iunkheap The Julia Sturde
want was set aiire, aud | applied the
! torch that burned her. Before sailing
on my eternal voyage have 10 confess
this fact and tell how | came to do II.
There Is no sin on my conscience IN
that burning, but there are others that
are a hundred times worse than burn.
ing n ship,
When stepped on the Julia Sturde.
want ! was twenty-five years old We
sailed from Boston 10 Japan, taking
| out a cargo such as the little yellow
men needed then, hut don't need now.
for that wasn't long after Commodore
Perry sailed IN among them and began
their civili2mg. The Sturdeyant was
one of the early steamers having pad
die wheels and sails, and her engine
was Il primitive one Any well rugged
ship in a stiT breeze could outsail her,
We were blowing along through the
China sea against stiff Worcester
when before the wind came Chinese
Junk. Before she reached us she hoist
ed the skull and bones and fred n shot
at MS as an order TO stop. We hadn't
so much as a salute cannon aboard and
few small arms, There were ports
for four guns on each side Of the junk.
and her decks swarmed with men We
saw it was all up with us, and om
captain surrendered with a condition
that all our lives be spared.
As soon as the pirates came aboard
they began TO look the vessel over and
concluded 10 divide their force, run
ming her MS well as their own ship.
Without regarding the condition they
had made they forced all the crew ex-
cept five Of us to walk the plank.
What they kept us five for was TO di-
rect the working Of the ship, since they
knew nothing about the use of steam.
Two of us were the engineer and his
assistant The other three they kept
TO nost and holm them in working the
SHIN sofs mar were entirely unlike
those On the junk.
Fifteen Of them stayed ON the cap
tured ship, taking aboard two guns
and pIeutv If small arms while tho
otbers s.iled a,yav on tho innk We
whItn man wore obltaad ia ahrv their
,rdorq or varl, fine miami, Ire fine others
And thaf,s tho crjuIc | have ia confess.
For ,goor.s whom fb,v ,yerc oyrrgpv.
erinp unarIiad vessels laotipr ana
mnrdaripo ~ yrpra. dafp.r arr rart of
ira ,yarE What o,sa ro1ll We doq
We ranld have refused and given ma
el,r livos. and MS been frailltlipg mo.
for pora tl.,u half n ceptrry flat
diln't cb6osa tba hotter part
TN paf eair,g tp name mi Inc crimes I
,,a eaIgtnfttal borguso p.e bYa "a Inn
siniplg aatuq ia ten how we finally
rladn onr escane trtcr awhile we
9oread tbat We womb urcfapd tbgt We /
,yrrn confronted with air. Igt asE FOR
AFR mana NJ m plrp9pr mn as pyrrv.
tbg. rlap ~ could to pat tba yollow 4
devils oG tbcir guard. one thing wa
,yore afraid of. There was one shin
tbot No fried to capnIrn Dpd fai1pd .
NJ bogr1ol nor opl wore fehrpr
mana 4, ba,Id vim mar crow ,yben tbey
snw ~ uhjta mon 6obting with the
ynlloyv opes No ware ahout 70 ioiu
our avn color whom fred with hatred
,ooinst nj for boino nart OF 4 Chinese
piroto Grove tboy made desperate
Ioeh ana drove us hacl, on "a orr own
aim tftar thot we knew that If we
nsraued fine piratos and were recognlz.
81 lac any Of tbe mon on Tint shin we
vonld dangla If ! vardarm
Tho neyt shin ta;on had . lot az
innor aboard and everv pirate rot
l,unk We watched orr opnortunity.
to drink and no drunk like
.bn othore tnl thay wore nh Iaid ont
WHOM oioht ~ them wore either asInau
r. stnnid win llnuor hollow ana mo
.ost haing a tho eamo condition on
1ocl, III olounoJ down Tho b,tchoe ~,
hose hollow what wo dld n those an
loci, do,,t ,nontion evcont tbat tboy
Iidn,t tronbln y. any moro
W. bodn,t mora tbon Gvad thep all