Year: 1875

Among the many interesting place
in the State Of Massachusetts, none
more picturesque, alike In its situation
and the peculiar character of its peo
pie, than the Town OF Marblehead.
From the infancy OF the town, tn
AarDlsiIvzd men lave cast their net
into the ,or anchored their stauncl
crafts far away from land on the fish
ing banks, and spent at least half o
the year on the deep. At the time o
the revolution It was the second tow
in the State for size, numbering a
least five thousand inhabitants. Th,
Z standard OF resistance to British tyr
amy was raised, and the fishermen
of Marblehead responded to the cal
with stern enthusiasm. When ,
navy was created their tastes fOunC
an outlet OF a more congenial nature
but at the outset they were Obliged Il
serve on land, and no more fierce RnC
valiant fishers were found among thI
> continental troops than the brOnzeC
and stalwart recruits who thronged Il
the front from the leading fishing
towns of Massachusetts, colony. Al
the close OF the protraeted struggle
/ more than one-half of the inhabitant.
of Marblehead were widows and
orphans. What more eloquent testi
mOny than this could there be Il
courage and self-deVOtion ?


Abner Taft was a man remarkable
even among his hardy and athletic
tOwnsmen, for gigantic strength anC
courage, traits which shine out in his
descendants, from one of whom the
writer heard a remarkable exploit o.
his ancestor. OF more than six feet
in statue, and otherwise herculean
proportions, he was feared and ad.
mired by those who knew him
Though gentle and kindly in his or.
binary moods, his wrath was terrible
when aroused by insult or injustice,
and had something OF that Berserker
fiereeness which gives such a strong
colOring to the songs Of the old Morse
scalds and saga-men. He had been q
leader among his fellows in the peril.
Gus adventures Of the deep and the no
less pressing dangers of the shore.


His fair wife, but few years mar
ried, idOlized her hero, and her heart
beat with terror at each parting,
though in her, too, burned something
Of the fiery spirit which has ever ami
mated the Marblehead women, and
gave occasion for Whittier to write
his picturesque "Skipper Ireson's
Ride" She knew, when he sailed
away the king of the fishing feet, or
marched to join the continental
armies, that her husband would be in
the forefront of every danger.


The sOldier-fisherman cannot linger
long in the sweet idleness Of home,
and rest in the clinging arms of wife
and babes. There is provision to be
made for the long, hard winter, which
would shut down on them for five
dreary months, and the mackeraI-
catching fleet is ready to start. Abner
Tafts fishing smack is mOored out in
the bay, everything taut and ready
for the two months of gpolfatiOn of
the deep, and his two hardy comrades
have completed their final prepara-
tiOns. Let US fancy the scene OF de-
parture on a bright September MORN
ing, as the waves smile and laugh
under the CLINT of the beams of the
lust risen sun. The air is full of per-
fume-sweet clover, the dainty after
math of the upland meadows, the
fragrant breath of kline, the delicate
scent OF sea weed, and fresh, wet
sand. Martha Taft kisses her hus-
band for the last time as he leaps
from the low jetty at the cliff into his
yawl, followed by his men.


"Thee must keep good heart, my
lass" he shouts, as the oars glisten in
the sun. "We'll come back again be-
fore thOu'st all the apples strung. It's
not like goln' off to fight the red
coats.n


Martha thinks of other sadder part
ings, and smiles gayly in return as
she waves her red 'kerchief to the
stalwart fisherman, whose huge figure
looms up in sharp proportions, as he
stands in his boat, against the level
rays of the sun, anxious TO catch the
last view of his wife.


After all, it was only as he said, q
short absence, and there was no
danger that q fisherman's wife herself
bred among all the hardy associa-
tiOns of the sea, should dread. Had
she herself not sailed away to the
mackeral grounds, and time after
time been rocked on the bosom of the
storm and the deep? Far from her
thoughts was any such mischance as
that which was to inspire her hus-
band to perform a deed, one of the
most remarkable in the chronicles OF
the times.


1t would be worth special article
TO paint in words, with the same
spirited and picturesque touch with
which Norton and De Haas put simi-
lar scenes on canvas, life on board the
the fishing fleet of the coast of Maine
or Massachusetts,. The same now as
it was 100 years ago, we can easily
fancy the scene so realistic, vet so
IpOetie-the staunch smacks riding at
anchor looming up like phantOms
through the gray mist as they rock ON
the long, lazy swell, or dancing Oh
waves that leap and exult under the
flash of noOntide, the hoarse cries that
pass from boat to boat, the wild life
of the seas tanned down into n shy
bondage and sympathy with the
human life, which builds brief viii
lage over its treacherous foam.


But Abner Taft and his sturdy
mates, though deeply and dumbly
conscious of the beauty and terror OF
the ocean, as all men OF the sea are,
had other thoughts to absorb them.
To perform their work speedily, to
catch and pack their boat load of the
finny food, which meant comfort and
content for those they loved, was the
thing to be done, that they might re-
} turn and make matters snug at home
for the cold weather. There was then
no patriotic commissions that Law
ishe3 money home, willie stalwart
! men fought in the field, to give time
ly assistance to the families of absent
soldiers. So the fishermen worked on
day after day, and week after week,
through fair weather and foul, TIL
the-'tcatch" was completed.


The night of its departure from the
fishing banks, the little fleet was
widely scattered by a storm. AbneH
Taftis smack was driven out to sea
before the gale and nearly suffered q
wreck. The warning of the tempest
was in his ears in the long dark beurs,
as he hurried he knew not whittier.
When the morning broke on the wild
waste of waters he knew that he
was far out at sea, for there was moth
ing in sight except low down on the
horizon a large vessel, which was
hardly noticeable between the con.
fused tumbling of the waters and the
thick, dark sky. The sight of a shin
at sea for the imperiled crew Of frail
fishing boat Is now q welcome one:
To these three men Of Marblehead
it was a thing more portentous Of evil
than the cruelty of the ocean and the
frown of the skies. It could be moth.
ing less than an armed vessel Of the
enemy's, for the colonies had but lit
tie merchant marine, and their ships
of war were as yet standing peaceful.
ly in their primitive woods. To b
captured had but one meanings lin
gering death by imprisonment il
, some dungeon hulk, or possibly to b
impressed into service which they
bitterly abhorred-in any case, a lont
IL not final parting from all those they
! loved.


There was still one chance thei
; little boat, lying low, might not b
7 seen, and the British vessel pass on
This hope was soon crushed, as th'
rapidly enlarging ship came up with
close reefed sails before the stiff
breeze, into which the gale of the pre-
s ceding night had subsided. Only
few minutes elapsed before a shot wa