The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-08-07


Gus pirate then pulled his ship off and
fled.
Captain Stephen Decature had also
captured a Tripolitan ship and was
moving it out to the squadron when he
heard of his brothers staying. In
stantly he swung about and tore into
the midst of the Tripolitans, charging
straight for the offending pirate. Like
an avenging angel he leaped aboard,
plowed through a wall of Turks,
attacked the commander and killed
him. The Tripolitan ship, twice con-
quered by Decaturs, was sailed into
the American squadron.
Decature assumed command of the
frigate Constitution and later of the
Congress in which he returned to
America. Then followed the quieter
pursuit of experimenting a fleet of
gunboats in home waters. During this
period he married a Miss Wheeler, of
Norfolk
Late in 1906 he was called to COM
mand the frigate Chesapeake. Commo-
dore Barren had been her commander
but he was under arrest for offering
no resistance to the British ship Loop
ard which stopped the Chesapeake,
fired a broadside into the American,
boarded her and seized alleged British
deserters.
AS Commodore of the Southern
Squadron, Decatur's duty now was to
protect American ships from the in
solent British search and seizure"
practice, the forerunner of modern
"undeclared war"
In 1910, Commodore Decatur re-
turned, as commander, to his first ship,
the 44-gun frigate United States in
which he entered the War of 1912. On
October 25 he captured the 49-gun
Macedonian and carried her and her
crew to New London.
The following year his squadron
was blockaded by a superior enemy
fleet at New London. Traitors exposed
every effort to escape. He finally dis
mantled the United States and the
Macedonian and presented himself to
the Navy Department for further or
ders.
In trying to run the New York
blockade his new ship, the frigate
President, ran aground on a bar.
Though damaged, she continued on
her course, was overhauled by five
British ships and although she put
out of action the 50-gun Endymion
was at last overwhelmed and captured
Decature was taken to Bermuda until
the close of the War
There was one serious aftermath
that revealed the extent of British
treachery. During the War, they had
persuaded the Barbary pirates to
violate their treaties with the United
States by allowing British men-of-
war to enter their neutral ports and
capture unsuspecting American ships
The bride was London equipment
amounting to 100000 for the Alger-
inc navy.
Commodore Decatur, commanding
squadron of nine vessels, sailed in
the Guerrero for the Mediterranean
and on June II, 1915, captured the
frigate MaZeuda, killing the notorious
Admiral Hammida. On June 80 the
Bey of Algiers capitulated. On the 25th
of July Decatur arrived before Tunis
and forced the Bey to pay $4,000 for
two prizes lost to the British in that
port. At Tripoli, the story was re-
peated to the tune of $4,000 for two
American vessels seized by the Brit
ish.
He then returned to America where
he was appointed to the newly or
gained Navy Commission. In this
capacity he denied Commodore James
Barron's appeal for reinstatement in
the service. In the heated correspon-
dence that followed, Barron challenged
him to duel. They met in the famous
duelling grove at Bladensburg where
both were wounded, Decature dying
the same day, March %, 1920. Thus
the terror of all enemies of America
died at the hands of brother officer.
! The Packard Motor company began
manufacture of 5000 Rolls-Royce