Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1922-08-25


stance turned and gazed at him; but
he dared not look at her. He felt her
hand warm upon his; it rested there
moment and moved away.
"There was a third man in the
wheelhouse when these things were
spoken" Father Perron said, "the mate
of the ship which had been laid up at
Manistique."
Henry Spearman," Sheriff. sup
piled.
"That is the name. Benjamin Cor
vet told me of that man that he was
young, determined, brutal and set upon
getting position and wealth for him
self by any means. He watched Corvet
and Stafford while they were speak
ing. and he, too, listened to the shoal
until Stafford had come back; then he
went aft.
"'I looked at him, Father Benjamin
Corvet said to me, and let him go
not knowing. He came back and
looked at me once more, and went again
to the stern; Stafford had been watch
ing him as well as l, and sprang away
from me now and scrambled after him.
The tug leaped suddenly; there was
no longer any tow holding it back, for
the hawser had parted; and l knew,
Father, the reason was that Spearman
had cut it
"T rang for the engine to be slowed,
and | left the wheel and went aft
some struggle was going on at the
stern of the tug; flash came from
there and the cracking of shot. Sud
denly all was light about me as, aware
of the breaking of the hawser and
alarmed by the shot, the searchlight of
the Miwaka turned upon the tug. The
cut end of the hawser was still upon
the tug, and Spearman had been trying
to clear this when Stafford attacked
him they fought, and Stafford struck
Spearman down. He turned and cried
out against me-accusing me OF haV-
ing ordered Spearman to cut the line.
He held up the cut end toward Rams
dell ON the Miwaka and cried out to
him and showed by pointing that it
had been cut Blood was running
from the hand with which he pointed,
for he had been shot by Spearman;
and now again and second and
third time. from where he lay upon the
deck, Spearman fired. The second of
those shots killed the engineer, who
had rushed out where / was on the
deck; the third shot went through
Stafford's head The Miwaka was drift
ing down upon the reef her whistle
sounded again and again the four long
blasts. The fireman, who had followed
the engineer up from below, faWned
on me! l was safe for all him, he
said; l could trust Luke-Luke would
not tell He too thought l had or
dered the doing Of that thing
"'From the Miwaka, Ramsdell yelled
curses at me, threatening me for what
he thought that had done! | looked
at Spearman as he got up from the
deck, and l read the thought that had
been In him; he had believed that he
could cut the hawser in the dark, none
seeing. and that our word that it had
D66u UTOktu WOuu HdNC as iiuNh
strength as any accusation Stafford
could make. He had known that to
share a secret such as that with me
would make" him on the lakes; for
the loss of the Miwaka would cripple
Stafford and Ramsdell and strengthen
me and he could make me share with
him whatever I made. But Stafford
had surprised him at the hawser and
had seen.
"I moved to denOunce him, Father,
as realized this; 1 moved-but
stopped. He had made himself safe
against accusation by me! None
none ever would believe that he had
done this except by my order, If he
should claim that and he made plain
that he was going to claim that. He
called me a fool and defied me. Luke
even my own man, the only one left
on the tug with us-believed it And
there was murder in it now, with Staf-
ford dying there upon the deck and
with the certainty that all those on
the Miwaka could not be saved. l
lclL Iuc uOOSC IL ~ Aiao ONNi 60
ready tied about my neck And
had done no wrong, Father! had
only thought wrong!
$50 long as one lived among those
on the Miwaka who had seen what
was done, knew 1 would be hanged;
vet would have saved them if / could.
But, in my comprehension OF what
this meant, I only stared at Stafford
where he lay and then at Spearman,
and I let him get control of the tug.
The tug, whose wheel l had lashed,
heading her into the waves, had been
moving slowly. Spearman pushed me
aside and went to the wheelhouse; he
sent Luke to the engines, and from
that moment Luke was his. He turned
the tug about to where we still saw
the lights of the Miwaka. The steam
er had struck upon The reef; she hung
there for time; and Spearman-he
had the wheel and Luke, at his or
ders, was at the engine-held the tug
off and we beat slowly to and fro un-
til the Miwaka slipped or and sank.
Some had gone deEn with her, no
doubt; but two boats had got off, car
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