Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1916-04-08
PREPAREDNESS IN EARLY TIMES

side or ohe other: and in the effort to
remain strictly neutral, America won
enemies on both sides.
Many Of the seizures We're made on Il
the plea that the Norwich craft had |
contraband goods on board Horses, |
one Of the most profitable articles sent /
| nom this town to the West India mar
| ket, were contraband-
Among the Norwich captains of
/ that time was Samuel Freeman, a
/ name which recalls a longtime faith
years. Capt. Freeman commanded the
schooner Commerce, which, when
| bound to Martinico, was taken by the
/ French privateer LEsperance. when
within an hours sail of her port. and
| a prize-master and four men put on
board Capt Freeman and a part Of
his crew were left with them.
/ Watching his opportunity, Capt.
! Freeman rose upon his captors, and
after an obstinate resistance, in which
one man was killed and several others
wounded, he succeeded in retalSing the
vessel. Capt. Freeman, in the conflict,
received three severe flesh wounds
from a cutlass. Unfortunately, the
privateer discovered that the Com
merce was altering her course. SO gave
chase, compelling the Norwich captain
at last to run his vessel ashore, among
the breakers on the east side of Dom
Unique where she went 10 pieces.
Armed, too, was the West India
fieet which sailed from Norwich in
January. 1893. This fleet consisted of
the armed ships Hope, Capt. 3. Colt,
the sally, John McCarty, the ship
General Lincoln, z. Lord. with J. KEEL
~ super cargo: schooners Fair Lady,
Benaiah Leffingwell, Friendship, j.
Williams. Favorite, p. Paine; the
slOops NegoCiator NIunsell. and Pros
that had sailed in December and were
then out were the brig Bayonne. Sat
te-lee; schooners Lark. Gilbert, Har-
riet, Webb, Jenny and Hannah, G..
Bin, Chloe. r. Cooley; and the sloops
Despatch and Farmer.
The Hope and Sally were bound to
! Barbados. They came home by way
rived safely but the Sally had lost half
her crew by illness.
The Hope sailed again in August,
under Capt. Sylvester Bill, but on her
n return voyage was captured by n
q French privateer. The Norwich vessel
= had fifteen guns and the Fren o. one
g only four. but the privateer conquered
n by strategem. They had eighty men in
t | their vessel and dressing part OF them
= ! in women's apparel. decking the shin
4
c joyous songs and shouts, they deceived
Capt. Bill, who. as they were near the
land, took the privateer for a coastine
d vessel with a pleasure party on board
d His ship was boarded and his dech
= covered with armed men before hC
d had an opportunity to make any re-
n sistance.
1t The General Lincoln, when only
a three days out from the mouth of tht
1aar IN. ~-~af- L..
It ond mate, Elisha Reynolds, overheard
Is and had so head OF stock swept away
l. She, however, pursued her voyage anC
e returned in May, with goods consigned
p TO G. L'Hommedieu, John Converse
n and others. The Fair Lady lost b!
ID sickness the mate, Oliver Barker an,
l. two seamen.
The Favorite was arrested by a pri
vateer on her outward voyage, an,
- plundered of all her small stock cabil
Z stores, furniture, charts and instru
ments, and then released.
Captain. c. Bills schooner and tn
sloop Prosperity were both seiZeC
carried into Guadaloupe, condemne
e and forfeited.
. a queer case of a shuttlecock voy
age was that of the brig Harrie
which. in 1900, with Capt. F'ranci
ir Smith commander, when on n retur
tie voyage from Demerara, was taken an
nd contraband on board. she was release
of by the French authorities. liberate,
to and proceeded on her voyage. BefoI
lie reaching the coast she was taken. tn
IN time by an English armed vessel, wa
OK sent into St. Kits, tried by the cour
t. but released, and came thence to MOI
TO witch, her home port, in % days.
re.
on Such stirring adventures as tho.
old-tire Norwich seamen had! TT
schooner Fair Lady. Capt. J. William
an was taken by a French armed vess
wv called Conquest of Italy" a pri;
az crew was put on board and she w
ri. ordered into a French port. Car
ie' Williams was detained on board q
De privateer: but presto, along came q
ne Connecticut sloop-of-war. Capt. TryC
no and captured the privateer, and Car
ne Williams Of course was released.
nv, Capt. Jonathan Lester, in q
Oh schooner Paragon, did not fare
well. Captured by the French.
AZ craft was re-captured by the Englii
Nc and taken into an English port. The
NJ Capt. Lester was forced to pay a sa
70 wage of one-th.rd Of his cargo and
~ the costs. after which the Parag'
lie was suffered to proceed on her vo
I'M age back to Norwich.