Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-05
Red Nights and Highhights in the Stirring
Career Of Inhaler Hitler, No70 Ninety
Years old, Who Went ON His First
Sea Voyage When Boy of Fifteen.

TabOrS sons Robert and Orlando and Dan
Tinkham from Tinkhamtown third mate.
viii Cobb and John Perry from Marys Pond
were with us, too.
"A few months later cruising in the
Atlantic whaling grounds in the vicinity of the
Western Islands on the lookout for blows. up
to then we hadn't caught a whale-nor even
sighted one. Along about noon one day was
standing by the ships vice bench talking to the
second mate, Jim Blankinship. Suddenly out Of
the sun glare we sighted strange looking ship.
Jim was saying, What q queer looking rig and
I remember said, joking, That must be an
Irish man-o-war.'
"NExr thing we knew. gun fired acrOst
our bows, q signal to heave to. Then
we knew she was a privateer. She had pur-
posely stayed in the sun glare, so she was onto
us almost before we saw her. We obeyed her
signal and hove to. Her lieutenant ard board
ing crew came alongside and ordered the cap
tain to get his ships papers, American nag,
and go aboard the Alabama.
After taking whatever supplies from our
ship that might be useful, they left it to be
burned later, to attract other ships. It was
always Capt. Semmes' custom to burn q cap
tured ship ut night and then he would 60
cruising for another victim. The burning Of
our ship that night made great Illumination.
1t was an awful sight for to witness; the
flames shot up that tarred riggn and burned
the sails, set to hold her, sthe topsI t'mast.
Capt Semmes may have been an able man,
give the devil his due, but could have killed
him that night He burned up everything
had and more too, and changed my career for
never went back to whaling.
"Our ship was burned early in the evening,
and before night was over they captured the
Benjamin Tucker out of New Bedford with
Capt. Childs and % men on board. The next
morning she took the Courser, schooner out OF
Provincetown. There we're "a of us captured in
the three crews, and we were all sent ashore in
seven of our own boats to the nearest land the
Azores. IS miles away. We were all landed on
the beach, you might say, simultaneously.
They made a target of the Courser, firing
three rounds from each gun. Capt. Clark Of
the COurSer had the misfortune to have another
vessel burned later the whaer Nimrod, which
was burned by the Shenandoah. But his wife
was a smart one. She had heard Of the Shen-
andoah so she insured her husbands catch at
New Bedford, although having no idea what
it was. few days later the news cane and
suppose Capt Clark got rich out Of his
claims for damages. only got 1--WE or six
hundred dollars from what they sunk Of mine
and the entire loss of my voyage.
"WelI, as say, we lost everything lost my
good Sea-cheSt my father lin law made for me-
beautifully dovetaied. We were not allowed
to bring anything aboard the Alabama except
what we could carry done up in our hand
kerchiefs In our hands. But the quartermaster
brought my sea-chest, for it was so good end
he wanted to save it for small arms, guess.
When Capt. SemmeS saw all the dunnage
that had been brought, he made them throw
it all overheard, except the chest, so later it
went down with the Alabama.
"As soon as we got aboard we were i'm.
mediately handcuffed, and shown the place we
were to occupy on the deck in the lee scuppers
with a sail our only shelter from the
weather. We were guarded by men with pistols
and cutlaSSes, so there was no chance to get
away"
On my showing pictures of the of the
Alabama to Capt. Hitler, he at once recog-
nized Midshipman William H. Sinclair, Pay
master Francis L. Gait Lieut.. Armstrong
Midshipman E. Mafit Anderson, who locked
and unlocked the handouts, and Engineer
william p. Brooks The captain exclaimed ex-
citedly at the picture of the Alabama, That's
her rig all right" Then he continued
while aboard the Alabama I overheard a
man say TO Capt. Semmes, I had the pleas
Of relieving that Yankee skipper of his
gold repeater to which the captain replied
sternly, Haven't I told you that no personal
property is to be disturbed? Deliver the man
his watch It q special treasure to Capt
Childs, beautifully engraved and highly priced
by him. as we boys could see when he got 1t
back.
CON the evening before putting us ashore, I
heard the men talking about different
ways of getting their handouts as souvenirs
One sailor asked the quartermaster If he might
buy them but got the reply I guess not! Well
need those when we get more Yankees aboard
thought II so many wanted them, why not
me? was only % years old and had all a
boys SmartneSS and wish to make folks
laugh and thought If could get the hand
cuffs it would be a great joke. I wouldn't at
tempt such thing now said the captain with
a sly grin as it would be liable to run me I'm