Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-10-19


coming serious menace to the health
of the Lenders personnel. The Bit.
ism could have starved, smoked or
drowned the helpless American prison-
ers below decks into submission. But
your true Englishman loves fair play
and on this occasion he determined to
fight the devil with his own weapons"
Accordingly "half dozen of the best
English songsters in the I.eander were
picked to lead the crew in, singing
the Yankees down." continues our
chronicler. These singers were as.
seinbled around the hatch above us for
the purpose of silencing US, singing
us down. or to rival us in noisy melody
ana patriotic verse. They were allowed
to finish their songs unmolested by us.
but the moment they were through we
struck up with ours, each one striving
to QUITO his shpmate. especially in the
choruses. Knowing that the character
OF our country was at stake and that
1t depended much upon our zeal and
good management whether it should be
upheld in the face of our enemies. We
strove accordingly to do our best "a
its representatives
The contest was kept up for some
time. evidently to our advantage. NOT
only as to the quality Of the SINGING
(for in this our opponents could not
hold their own for a nement), but as
to the number and subjects Of the
songs; they having run out with their
victories over tho Yankees before our
party was fairly warm with the con-
test That they should not flag at the
game. they took up with tho First of
june. the Battle Of the Nile,' besides
many other songs about their naval
victories over the French and Spanish,
We told them in plain English that
they were lodging the contest. This
they cared far less for than they did
for the home thrust victory over them
from the Yankees to each one of tAsirs
over the French and Spanish. At last
our fire became SO warm that they were
compelled to back out, chopfallen, and
they had the satisfaction of having
their defeat announced 20 all on board
by three-times-three cheers from the
victors. accompanied with the clapping
OF hands and such other noises as each
and all could invent in our zeal to Guido
one another and uphold the honor Of
the country from which we hailed, whose
emblem Is the Stars and Stripes"
Grimiy acknowledging their defeat
the English songsters retired in the
hope that the American prisoners
would soon quiet down after their
exhausting vocal battle. But these
Englishmen had not counted on the
effectiveness Of American teamwork
Amos Whipple had organized a sys.
tenn OF RELAY" singers. SO when one
group became exhausted another
stood ready to take up the noisy
demonstration without delay.
y y Il Il
These tactics were kept up so long
that word finally came from the deck
that the noises must cease and that
the prisoners must keep quiet. But
this only served to arouse the Amer.
leans to greater exertions and 'in a
few minutes" says our chronicler,
"the officer of the deck came down
with clustering threats If the most
savage tribe OF Indians had at once
broken loose with terrific war;
whoop 1t could not have been louder
or more grating to the ear than the
that followed the termina.
ton OF the watch officers speech.
When he could get hearing he tried
to reason as to the absurdity of this
prisoners carrying on SO and cone
cluded his remarks with: The order
Of the ship must and shall be maine
tanned If by no other means, l will
order the marines to fire into the
Continued on Seventh Page.)