Galveston Tribune. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 35, No. 78, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 25, 1915 Page: 4 of 12
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FOUR
GALVESTON TRIBUNE, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1915.
GALVESTON TRIBUNE
The After House
(Established 1880.)
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A Story of Love, Mystery and a Private Yacht
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TRIBUNE TELEPHONES;
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Burns was about, and he had a
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Jones was at the wheel too.
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By MARY ROBERTS RINEHART
Ceas •s
“One of us will be on watch always.”
COMPULSORY EDUCATION.
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SANCTUM SIFTINGS
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Copyright, 1913, by the McClure Publications, Ing.
Copyright, 1914, by Mary Roberts ePjnehart,
Foreign Representatives and Offices
[astern Representative West’n Representative
woman.
. Why
night.
quarrel
dy.
C
DAVID J. RANDALL
171 Madison Ave.
at 33d Street
New York City.
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE TRIBUNE receives the full day tele-
graph report of that great news organiza-
tion for exclusive afternoon publication in
Galveston.
Any erroneous reflections upon the stand-
ing, character or reputation of any person
firm or corporation, which may appear in
the columns of The Tribune, will begladly
corrected upon its being brought to the
attention of the management
1
7
272
Published Every Week Day Afternoon at
The Tribune Building, 22d and Post-
office Sts., Galveston, Texas.
Eusiness Office .......
Business Manager
Circulation Dep’t
Editorial Rooms______
President.............
City Editor...........
Society Editor ........
.............83
_____83-2 rings ।
CHAPTER IX.
From the Crow’s Nest.
HE night passed without inci-
dent. except for one thing that
we were unable to verify. At six
bells, during the darkest hour
a "
9 a
PER WEEK.....
PER MONTH....
PER YEAR.......
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
Delivered by carrier or by mail, postage
prepaid:
\
........1396
..........49
-49-2 rings
.......1395
.......2524
L-(I/
Agung, Illi
Entered at the Postoffice in Galveston as
Second-Class Mail Matter.
I
Unfortunately, the man who loses his
temper always finds it again
THE S. C. BECKWITH
Agency.
Tribune Bldg., Chicago
.......10c
.......45c
.......$5.00
.....
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am afraid you will suffer for air, other-
wise the arrangement is good. You re-
lieve me of part of the responsibility
for your safety. Tom will bring your
food to the steps and leave it there.”
“Thank porp" _______
* (To Ue Continued.V
When a man is afraid to think for
himself it’s time the wedding bells
were ringing.
One of us will be on watch always,
am an excellent shot."
“I do not doubt it.” I faced her.
MEN OF AMBITION.
Austin Statesman.
The present session of the legisla-
ture is not without men of ambition.
In fact there are many men in both
branches who are convinced at this
stage of the game that they would
make awfully good congressmen. Their
only trouble is that things do not
loom as rosy for them at times when
they are just ready to undertake to
get to Washington as they do when
they are in Austin performing legis-
lative duties and dreaming about the
great national capital.
with the Hansen
gAQ
E85
asked Jones to strike the bell for him
and, going up on the forecastle head,
lay down on the boards and fell asleep
He did not waken until he heard six
bells struck—3 o’clock—and before he
had fully roused I had called him.
“Then,” I said, “when the lookout
saw you with the ax you were replac-
ing it?”
“Yes.”
“The lookout says you were not on
deck between 2 and 3 o’clock."
“How does he know? I was asleep.”
“You had threatened to get the cap-
tain.”
“I had a revolver. I didn’t need to
use an ax.”
Much as I disliked the man I was
inclined to believe his story, although
I thought he was keeping something
back. I leaned forward.
“Singleton,” I said, "if you didn’t do
it—and I want to think you did not—
who did?”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“We have women aboard. We ought
to know what precautions to take.”
“I wasn’t the only man on deck that
TEXAS CITY AGENCY—J. L. HOP-
KINS, AGENT.
Leave Orders at Goodson’s Drug Store.
Phone 105.
The Tribune is on Sale at the Follow-
ing Places, Houston, Tex.
Ward’s News Stand, Next to Interurban
Station.
Sauters News Stand, Main and Texas.
Milby Hotel News Stand.
Newsboy at Interurban Station.
Newsboy at Grand Central Depot.
Newsboy at Rice Hotel Corner.
the two men, we unconsciously relaxed
our vigilance. But by the first night
the crew were somewhat calmer. Here
and there a pipe was lighted and a
plug of tobacco went the rounds.
I find, on consulting the book in
which I recorded, beginning with that
day, the incidents of -the return voy-
age, that two things happened that
evening. One was my interview with
Singleton; the other was my curious
and depressing clash with Elsa Lee,
on the deck that night
Turner being quiet and Burns on
watch at the beginning of the second
dog watch, G o’clock, I went forward
to the room where Singleton was im-
prisoned. Burns gave me the key, and
advised me to take a weapon. I did
not, however. nor was it needed.
“For God’s sake, Leslie.” he said, “tell
them to open the window. I’m chok-
ane snip was searened on tne possipi-
ity of finding a stowaway in the hold.
But nothing was found. I divided the
men into two watches. Burns taking one
and I the other. We nailed up the after
companionway and forbade any member
of the crew to enter the after house. The
forecastle was also locked, the men bring-
ing their belongings on deck. The stew-
ardess recovered and told her story,
which, in her own writing, will be added
to this record.
The bodies of the dead were brought
on deck and sewed into canvas and later,
with appropriate services, placed in the
jolly boat, it being the intention, later on,
to tow the boat behind us. Mr. Turner
insisted that the bodies be buried at sea
and, on the crew opposing this, retired to
his cabin, announcing that.be considered
the position of the men as mutiny.
Some feeling having' arisen among the
women of the party that I might know
more of the crimes than was generally
supposed, having been in the after house
at the time they were committed and
having no references. I this afternoon vol-
untarily surrendered myself to Burns,
acting first mate. The men. however, re-
fused to accept this surrender, only two,
Adams and McNamara, favoring'it. I ex-
pect to give myself up to the police at the
nearest port until the matter is thorough-
ly probed.
The ax is locked in the captain’s cabin
RALPH LESLIE.
Witnesses, John Robert Burns, Charles
Klineordlinger (Jones), William McNa-
mara, Carl L. Clarke, Joseph Q. Adams,.
John Oleson, Tom MacKenzie, Obadiah
Williams.
Williams came up on deck late that
afternoon with a scared face and an-
nounced that Mr. Turner had locked
himself in his cabin and was ravingin
delirium on the other side of the door.
Turner refused to open either door
Tor us. As well as we could make out,
he was moving rapidly but almost
noiselessly up and down the room,
muttering to himself, now and then
throwing himself on the bed, only to
get up at once.
Mrs. Turner dragged herself across,
on the state of affairs being reported
to her, and after two or three abortive
attempts succeeded in getting a reply
from him.
“Marsh!” she called. “I want to talk
to you. Let me in!”
“They’ll get us,” he said craftily.
“Us? Who is with you?"
“Vail,” he replied promptly. “He's
here talking. He won’t let me sleep.”
“Tell him to give you the key and
you will keep it for him so no one can
get him,” I prompted. I had had some
experience with such cases in the hos-
pital.
She tried it without any particular
hope, but it succeeded immediately.
He pushed the key out under the door,
and almost at once we heard him
throw himself on the bed, as if satis-
fied that the problem of his security
was solved.
The city of Corpus Christi is gain-
ing an unenviable notoriety in pro-
testing against the appointment of
Mrs. Georgia Welch to the office of
postmaster. The only objection which
the protestants are able to raise in
the premises is Mrs. Welch’s alleged
lack of business experience, and the
fact that some of the Corpus Chris-
tians want a man for the office. Un-
der the prevailing system of postof-
fice appointments much of the burden
of responsibility for the conduct of
the office falls upon the assistant
postmaster, who is protected by civil
service regulations. Under such cir-
cumstances there seems no reason why
a woman should not serve as well as
a male incumbent.
spike. It was not there. Nor had
Burns picked it up. A splintered board
showed where it had struck, and a
smaller indentation where it had re-
bounded; but the marlinespike was
gone, and Burns had not seen it. We
got a lantern and searched systematic-
ally, without result. Burns turned to
me a face ghastly in the oil light.
“Somebody has it,” he said, “and
there will be more murder! Oh, my
God, Leslie!"
Eight bells rang out sharply. The
watch changed. I took the revolver
and Burns’ position at the companion-
way, while Burns went aft. He lined
up the men by the binnacle light and
went over them carefully. The marline-
spike was not found; but he took from
the cook a long meat knife, and
brought both negro and knife forward
to me. The man was almost collapsing
with terror. He maintained that he
had taken the knife for self protection
and we let him go with a warning.
Dawn brought me an hour’s sleep,
the first since my awakening in the
storeroom. When I roused, Jones at
pg
-11
COMPULSORY EDUCATION.
Sherman Democrat.
Compulsory education seems to be
on the way to an actuality, for the
bill has passed the house to engross-
ment and will pass finally, it is be-
lieved without much opposition. Every
child has the inalienable right to
gain knowledge and compulsory edu-
cation will raise the standard of
literacy in Texas, without working a
hardship on anyone.
Carter Harrison has been beaten by
, the woman vote in Chicago. The Har-
risons have been holding the job of
: mayor for so long that, apparently,
; they consider the office a hereditary
। privilege. Carter Harrison was a
strong woman suffragist, and in the
recent primary campaign Mrs. Har-
rison made a number of speeches- in
favor of her husband’s candidacy. In
spite of this the women helped to
defeat him in the primaries. This
case is of interest as it disproves the
allegations of those who do not think
the women capable of thinking for
themselves. TAxir menfolk had been
sending the Harrisons back to the
Chicago city hall with sheep-like
docility. The women were not so
easily led.
LAZY HUSBAND LAW.
El Paso Times.
Indiana has a new law in the form
of what has been popularly designated
as the “lazy husband bill,” and it
should be generally emulated. It pro-
vides: “Every husband who neglects
to support his wife and provide her
with necessary food, clothing and
medical attention, and every person
having any boy under 16 years of age
or any girl under the age of 17 years
depending upon him or her for educa-
tion or support who willfully neglects
to furnish the necessary food, cloth-
ing, shelter and medical attention
shall be fined any sum not exceeding
5500, to which may be added impri-
sonment in the county jail or work-
house for a period not exceeding six
months.” /
A
—e
. LyA
. Wc32
“If you didn’t do it, who did?”
face that she read my knowledge in it.
She turned back from the rail and
faced me.
“Surely I may go to the rail.”
“It would be unwise if for no other
reason than discipline.”
“Discipline! Are you trying to disci-
pline me?"
“Miss.Lee, you do not seem to un-
derstand,” I said as patiently as I
could. “Just now I am in charge of
the Ella. You will go back to the part
of the deck that is reserved for you or
you will go below and stay there.”
She flushed with anger and stood
there with her head thrown back, ey-
ing me with a contempt that cut me to
the quick. The next moment she
wheeled and. raising her hand. flung
toward the rail the key to the store-
room door. I caught her hand—too
late.
But fate was on my side after all.
As I stood still gripping her wrist the
key fell ringing almost at my feet It
had struck one of the lower yard
braces. I stooped and. picking it up
pocketed it.,
Ml
65
I
don’t you lock up Jones?”
“We are all under suspicion,” I ad-
mitted. “But you had threatened the
captain.”
“I never threatened the girl or Mr.
Vail."
I had no answer to this, and we both
fell silent Singleton was the first to
speak.
“How are you going to get back?
The men can sail a course, but who is
to lay it out, Turner? No Turner ever
knew anything about a ship but what
it made for him.”
“Turner is sick. Look here, Single-
ton. you -want to get back as much as
we do or more. Wouldn’t you be wil-
ling to lay a course if you were taken
out once a day? Burns is doing it, but
he doesn’t pretend to know much about
it, and—we have the bodies.”
But he turned ugly again and refused
to help unless he was given his free-
dom, and that I knew the crew would
not agree to.
“You’ll be sick enough before you
get back!” he snarled.
With the approach of night our vig-
ilance was doubled. There was no
thought of sleep among the crew, and
with the twilight there was a distinct
return of the terror of the morning.
Gathered around the wheel, the crew
listened while Jones read evening
prayer. Between the two houses,
where the deck was roped off. Miss
Lee was alone, pacing back and for-
ward, her head bent, her arms dropped
listlessly.
The wind had gone, and the sails
hung loose over our heads. I stood by
the port rail. Although my back was
toward Miss Lee, I was conscious of
her every movement, and so I knew
when she stooped under the rope and
moved lightly toward the starboard
rail.
Quick as she was I was quicker.
There was still light enough to see her
face as she turned when I called to
her:
“Miss Lee, you must not leave the
rope!”
“Must not?”
“I am sorry to seem arbitrary. It is
for your own safety.”
I was crossing the deck toward her
as I spoke. I knew what she was go-
ing to do. I believe when she saw my
9 629
I Ns*
A9u,
f 6
s 2
of the night that precedes the early
dawn of summer, Adams from the
crow’s nest called down in a panic that
there was something crawling on all
fours on the deck below him.
Burns, on watch at the companion-
way, ran forward with his revolver
and narrowly escaped being brained,
Adams at that moment flinging down
a marlinespike that he carried aloft
with him.
I heard the crash and joined Burns,
and together we went over the deck
and both houses. Everything was
quiet—the crew in various attitudes of
exhausted sleep, their chests and ditty-
bags around them; Oleson at the
wheel and Singleton in his jail room
breathing heavily.
Adams’ nerve was completely gone;
and, being now thoroughly awake, I
joined him in the crow’s nest. Nothing
could convince him that he had been
the victim of a nervous hallucination.
He stuck to his story firmly.
“It was on the forecastle head first,”
he maintained. “I saw it gleaming."
“Gleaming?’
“Sort of shining,” he explained. “It
came up over the rail, and at first it
stood up tall, like a white post.”
“You didn’t say before that it was
white.”
“It was shining,” be said slowly, try-
ing to put his idea into words—“maybe
not exactly white, but light colored.
It stood still for so long I thought I
must be mistaken—that it was a light
on the rigging—then I got to thinking
that there wasn’t no place for a light
to come from just there.”
I accepted the story with outward
belief and a mental reservation. But
I did not relish the idea of the spike
Adams had thrown lying below on
deck. No more formidable weapon
short of an ax could be devised. I
said as much.
“I’m going down for it,” I said; “if
you’re nervous, you’d better keep it by
vou. But don’t drop it on everything
that moves below. You almost got
Burns.”
I went down cautiously and struck a
match where Adams bad indicated the
She was dazed, I think. She made
no effort to free her arm, but she put
her other hand to her heart unexpect-
edly, and I saw that she was profound-
ly shocked. I led her unprotesting to
a deck chair and put her down in it,
and still she had not spoken. She lay
back and closed her eyes. She was too
‘ strong to faint She was superbly
healthy. But she knew as well as I
did what that key meant, and she had
delivered it into my hands. As for
me, I was driven hard that night, for
as I stood there looking down at her
she hald out her hand to me, palm up.
“Please!” she said pleadingly. “What
does'it mean to you, Leslie? We were
kind to you, weren’t we? When you
were ill we took you on, my sister and
I, and now you hate us. Please!”
“Some one will suffer. Would you
have the innocent suffer with the
guilty?”
“If they cannot prove it against any
one”—
“They may prove it against me.”
“You!”
“I was in the after house,” I said
doggedly. “I was the one to raise an
alarm and to find the bodies. You do
not know anything about me. I am—
‘Elsa’s jailbird!’ ”
“Who told you that?”
“It does not matter—I know it. I
told you the truth, Miss Elsa; I came
here from the hospital. But I may
have to fight for my life.' Against the
Turner money and influence, I have
only—this key. Shall I give it to you?"
I held it out to her on the palm of
my hand. It was melodramatic, prob
ably; but I was very young, and by
that time wildly in love with her. I
thought, for a moment, that she would
take it; but she only drew a deep
breath and pushed my hand away.
“Keep it,” she said. “I am ashamed."
We were silent after that, she staring
out over the rail at the deepening sky;
and, looking at her as one looks at a
star, I thought she had forgotten my
presence, so long she sat silent The
voices of the men aft died away
gradually, as, one by one, they rolled
themselves in blankets on the deck, not
to sleep, but to rest and watch. The
lookout, in his lonely perch high above
the deck, called down guardedly to
ask for company, and one of the crew
went up.
When she turned to me again, it was
to find my eyes fixed on her.
“You are not getting much chance to
rest,” she said, with a sigh, and got
up. I went with her to the companion-
way and opened the door. She turned
and looked at me.
“Good night.”
“Good night, Miss Lee.”
/“I—I feel very safe with you on
guard,” she said and held out her
hand. I took it in mine, with my
heart leaping. It was cold as ice.
That night, at four bells, I mustered
the crew as silently as possible around
the jolly boat and we lowered it into
the water. The possibility of a dead
calm had convinced me that the sooner
it was done the better.
We dropped the jolly boat astern and
made fast the rope. It gave me a
curious feeling, that small boat rising
and falling behind us, with its dead
crew and its rocking light and on its
side above the water line the black
cross—a curious feeling of pursuit, as
if, across the water, they in the boat
were following us. And, perhaps be-
cause the light varied, sometimes it
seemed to drop behind, as if wearying
of the chase, and again, in great leaps,
to be overtaking us, to be almost
upon us.
do we know what you are giving him?
You are not friendly to him or to us.
We know what you are trying to do.
You are trying to save yourself at any
cost. You put a guard at the compan-
ionway. You rail off the deck for our
safety. You drop the storeroom key
in Mr. Turner’s cabin, where Elsa will
find it and will be obliged to acknowl-
edge she found it, and then take it
from her by force, so you can show it
later on and save yourself.”
Elsa turned on her quickly.
“I told you how he got it, Adele. I
tried to throw it”—
“Oh, if you intend to protect him!”
“I am rather bewildered,” I said
slowly; “but, under the circumstances,
I suppose you do not wish me to look
after Mr. Turner?”
Mrs. Johns got up and lounged to
the table.
“We have decided,” she said inso-
lently, “that if the crew may estab-
lish a dead line, so may we. Our dead
line is the foot of the companionway.
Had the European war not come
along to divert the attention of the
European powers, the United States
would probably have been forced to
intervene in Mexico. Since Carranza's
high handed treatment of the foreign
ambassadors in Mexico City, the
European nations have again become
restive in spite of their troubles at
home. In sending Duval West to
Mexico, Washington is evidently work-
ing along some new line in an effort
to reconcile the various factions.
Washington has made repeated ef-
forts to settle the Mexican trouble
through the “convention” method with-
out avail. There is not a chance that
the Mexicans will be awed into a re-
spectful attention to the American de-
sires through threats of non-recog-'
nition, the imposition of an embargo,
or the various other harmless devices
which have been attempted.
CHAPTER VIII.
The First Mate Talks.
ERSONALLY, I was convinced
that Turner was guilty. Per-
haps, lulled into a false
security by the incarceration of
the wheel had thrown an extra blan-
ket over me, for the morning was cool
and a fine rain was falling.
The men were scattered around in
attitudes of dejection, one or two of
them leaning over the rail watching
the jolly boat riding easily behind us.
Turner was violent that day. I found
all four women awake and dressed and
Mrs. Turner, whose hour it wus on
duty, in a chair outside the door. The
stewardess, her arm in a sling, was
making tea over a spirit lamp, and
Elsa was helping her. Mrs. Johns was
stretched on a divan, and on the table
lay a small revolver.
Clearly Elsa had told the incident of
the key. I felt at once the atmosphere
of antagonism. Mrs. Johns watched
me coolly from under lowered eyelids.
The stewardess openly scowled, and
Mrs. Turner rose hastily and glanced
at Mrs. Johns, as if in doubt Elsa had
her back to me and was busy with the
cups.
„ “I’m afraid you’ve had a bad night,”
I said.
“A very bad night,” Mrs. Turner re-
plied stiffly.
“Delirium?”
“Very marked. He has talked of a
white figure. We cannot quite make it
out it seems to be Wilmer—Air. Vail.”
She had not opened the door, but
stood, nervously twisting her fingers,
before it.
“The bromides had no effect?"
She glanced helplessly at the others.
“None,” she said after a moment.
Elsa Lee wheeled suddenly and
glanced scornfully at her sister.
“Why don’t you tell him?” she de-
manded. “Why don’t you say you did
not give the bromides?”
“Why not?”
Mrs. Johns raised herself on her el-
bow and looked at me.
“Why should we?” she asked. “How
Probably the one influence of great-
est weight in holding back the general
adoption of compulsory education is
the word compulsory. We have lived
for so long a time in an atmosphere
of implied freedom—freedom of
speech, freedom of religion, freedom
of action, that anything even sugges-
tive of compulsion is out of harmony
with what we have been taught to
believe was the American environment,
it jars on our sensibilities, and arouses
opposition. Whatever progress has
hitherto been made in the direction of
compulsory school attendance can be
attributed to the persistence of our
public educators, seconded by the good
will of those parents who have taken
the time to look beneath the surface
in matters that in the beginning may
come under the head of personal
privilege but which eventually develop
into national significance.
Texas has probably erred in being
too conservative in regard to educa-
tional demands. Impelled very largely
by the poor showing made by this
state in comparison with other states,
Texas has provided a university and
a technical college, ostensibly for the
benefit of those who would otherwise
be denied the privilege of higher edu-
cational advantages, and for this the
people are duly grateful, but not for
the niggardly manner in which the
annual needs of these institutions are
doled out. Texas has made splendid
provision for the future of its schools
and for this is entitled to praise, but
Texas has been neglectful of its chil-
dren of today who will become its
citizens of tomorrow and while com-
pulsory education may not at once
lower our percentage of illiteracy, it
will mark the beginning of better
things in this connection.
The average percentage of illiteracy
in the United States is 7.7 and the
percentage of illiteracy in the state of
Texas is 9.9, just 2.2 per cent higher
than the average for the entire na-
tion and' while it may be true that
this state offers a very much more
gratifying showing than does Louis-
iana, with its 29 per cent or even
Arkansas with its 12.6 per cent, our
people are too progressive, too intelli-
gent, too patriotic to remain content
with the standing we hold among our
sister states. Those states usually
designated as the middle west, states
largely given to agriculture, show the
lowest percentage of illiteracy; in this
group, Missouri, with a percentage of
4.3 occupies the bottom place on the
list, while Iowa, with its percentage of
1.7 leads not only its group but makes
the best showing of any state in the
union.
It may not be a crime to rank 32 in
a list of 48, neither can it be con-
sidered a source of pride to point out
how much better is our showing than
that of Arkansas, when a very much
younger state and a close neighbor,
Oklahoma, shows a percentage of il-
literacy of only 5.6 and Colorado, an-
other near neighbor, has a percentage
of 3.7. During the past decade Texas
zWp-«timit-
>
has gained slightly in the percentage
of literates, but the gain has not
been quite one per cent, rather slow
progress toward the goal reached by
Iowa and leaving us still far behind
the average for the entire United
States.
The compulsory education law may
not accomplish all that has been
hoped for, no law ever does prove to
be a panacea for all the evils and
shortcomings it is desired to cure, but
it will at least be an earnest of our
attitude as regards the education of
the masses. It would be much more
preferable had our people in the past
years realized the advantages that
would accrue to both individual and
to the commonwealth by the more gen-
eral diffusion of knowledge among the
masses and by the practice of a bit of
self-denial make it* possible for every
child in the state to receive that
equipping for future life which the
state is anxious to donate. It is to
be regretted indeed that circumstances
should so work as to deny the child
its heritage and it is to be further re-
gretted that some parents and some
guardians are so shortsighted as to
lend themselves to any plan that not
only robs the child but gives the state
a poorly equipped citizen when ample
provision has been made to prevent
just such a possibility. The short-
sightedness of a few has made im-
perative the demand for a compulsory
education law.
7
4.
7 Y $ 282
He was right; the room was stifling.
■ I opened the door behind me, and stood
' in the doorway against a rush for free-
dom. But he did not move. He sank
, back into his dejected attitude.
"Singleton,” I said, “I wish you
would tell me about last night. If you
did it, we’ve got you. If you didn’t,
you’d better let me take your own
account of what happened, while it's
fresh in your mind. Or, better still,
write it yourself.”
He held out his right band. I saw
that it was shaking violently.
“Couldn’t hold a pen,” he said tersely.
“Wouldn’t be believed, anyhow.”
The air being somewhat better, I
closed and locked the door again, and,
coming in, took out my notebook and
pencil.
Briefly, Singleton's watch began at
midnight The captain, who had been
complaining of lumbago, had had the
cook prepare him a mustard poultice
and had retired early. Burns was on
watch from 8 to 12 and on coming
into the forward house at a quarter
after 11 o’clock to eat his night lunch
reported to Singleton that the captain
.was in bed and that Mr. Turner had
been asking for him. Singleton there-
fore took his cap and went on deck.
This was about twenty mhinutes after
11. He had had a drink or two earlier
in the evening, and he took another in
his cabin when he got his cap.
He found Turner in the chart house
playing solitaire and drinking. He was
alone, and he asked Singleton to join
him. The first mate looked at his
watch and accepted the invitation, but
decided to look around the forward
house to be sure the captain was
asleep. He went on deck. He could
hear Burns and the lookout talking.
The forward house was dark. He lis-
tened outside the captain’s door and
heard him breathing heavily, as if
asleep. He stood there for a moment.
He had an uneasy feeling that some
one was watching him. He thought
of Schwartz and was uncomfortable.
He did not feel the whisky at all.
He struck a light and looked around.
There was no one in sight. He could
hear Charlie Jones in the forecastle
drumming on his banjo and Burns
whistling the same tune as he went
aft to strike the bell (it was the duty
of the officer on watch to strike the
hour). It was then half after 11. As
he passed the captain’s door again his
foot struck something, and it fell to
the floor. He was afraid the captain
had been roused and stood still until
he heard him breathing regularly again.
Then he stooped down. His foot had
struck an ax upright against the cap-
tain’s door and had knocked it down.
The ax belonged on the outer wall
of the forward house. It was a rule
that it must not be removed from its
place except in emergency, and the
first mate carried it out and leaned it
against the forward port corner of the
after house when he went below.
Later, on his watch, he carried it
forward and put it where it belonged.
He found Turner waiting on deck, and
together they descended to the chart
room. He was none too clear as to
what followed. They drank together.
Vail tried to get Turner to bed- and
failed. He believed that Burns had
called the captain. The captain had
ordered him to the deck, amnd there had
been a furious quarrel. He felt ill by
that time, and when he went on watch
at midnight Burns was uncertain
about leaving him. He was not in-
toxicated, he maintained, until after
half-past 1. He was able to strike
the bell without difficulty, and spoke,
each time he went aft, to Charlie
Jones, who was at the wheel.
After that, however, he suddenly
felt strange. He thought he had been
doped and told the helmsman so. He
(23-L-S
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Galveston Tribune. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 35, No. 78, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 25, 1915, newspaper, February 25, 1915; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1438321/m1/4/?q=j+w+gardner: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rosenberg Library.