The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-02-04
A Sailor S
Confession
By DWIGHT NORWOOD

Inere ~ record OF tne snip Julia
Sturdevant having been burned at sea
with all on board except five of the
crew, who we're picked up in lifeboat
while the vessel was burning Off the
coast of Korea. This happened many
years ago when was a young man. |
am now ninety year old hulk, laid
up at the Sailors snug harbOr, ready
for the junkheap The Julia Sturde-
want was set afire, and ! applied the
torch that burned her. Before sailing
on my eternal voyage have to confess
There is no sin on my conscience in
that burning. but there are others that
are hundred times worse than burn
ing ship.
When l stepped ~ the Julia sturde-
want was twenty-five years old. We
sailed from Boston to Japan, taking
out cargo such as the little yellow
men needed then, but don't need now.
for that wasn't long after Commodore
Perry sailed In among them and began
their civllizing The Sturdevant was
one of the early steamers, having pad
die wheels and sails, and her engine
was primitive one. Any we'll rugged
ship in stif breeze could outsail her.
We were blowing along through the
China sea against stiff nor'easter,
when before the wind came Chinese
junk. Before she reached us she hoist
ed the skull and bones and fired shot
Mt us 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 our
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 to divide their force. run
ming her as 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 post and help them In working the
ships sails that were entirely unlike
those on the junk.
Fifteen of them stayed on the cap
tured ship, taking aboard two guns
and plenty of small arms, while the
others sailed away on the junk. We
white men We're obliged to obey their
orders or walk the plank like the others,
And that's the crime have to confess
For weeks, when they were overpow-
ering unarmed vessels, looting and
numbering, we were doing our part of
the work What else could we dol
We could have refused and given uI
our lives, and it's been troubling me
for more than half century that
didn't choose the better part.
Pm not going to name all the crimes
we committed because we had to. I'm
simply going to tell how we finall!
made our escape. After awhile W,
agreed that we would pretend that W,
were contented with our lot. ask TO
OuT SudTe vi tut pluhuCi anu wv CNGly
thing else we could to put the yellow
devils off their guard. One thing W
were afraid of. There was one shi
that we tried to capture and failed
We boarded her and were fighting
hand to hand with her crew when the.
saw us white men fighting with tn
yellow ones. We were about to joil
our own color when, fired with hatre'
against us for being part of Chimes
pirate crew, they made desperat
dash and drove us back on to our owl
ship. After that we knew that If W
escaped the pirates and were recogni7
ed by any of the men on that ship W
would dangle at a yardarm.
The next ship taken had a lot o
liquor aboard. and every pirate &c
drunk. We watched our opportunity
pretending to drink and be drunk lik
) the others, till they were all laid ou
When eight of them were either aslee
or stupid with liquor below and tn
/ rest being in the same condition o
, deck, we clapped down the matches o
those below What we did to those o
QecK OOn I mention, except tudt Iue
didn't trouble us any more.
We hadn't more than fixed them a
: when looking ahead I'VE saw shi
/ coming and made oft the stars an
a stripes at her peak for in those day
!. our flag was often seen ON the oceal
: Some of US thought that If she owe
hauled us and we told our story W
would be believed. Others didn't thin
'' we would Some day some Of L
e might meet some of the crew of th
t. ship we had boarded. 1 made up m
: mind what to do and without sayin
S anything got lot of tow and oakul
together and set fire to 1t. The win
was high, and in fifteen minutes Il
- whole ship was ablaze. We lowere
3 one of the boats. got into her and pul
II ed for the Yankee ship.
4, When we reached her we reportt
r, that we had been afire for three da!
d and if we hadn't met the Yankee
time we would have been lost. Al
that's how the ship Julia Sturdeval
came to be reported burned at S,
with five of the crew saved. 1t WI
never made clear whal oecame os Il
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