University of South Carolina Libraries
ISSUED TWICE WEEK--WE3DNE8DAY AXD SATURDAY. l. m. grist & sons, Publishers. 1 % ^ntilg Unrspger: ^or the jjSromotion of the |3olitirat, Social, g-gricultural, and <?ommcrLcial Interests of the j&outh. } SINGLE COPY, THREE CENTS. VOL. 43. YORKVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1897. JSTO. 4. THE MATE 01 A STORY OF ADVENTU BY CAPTAIN I Copyright, 1896, by the Author. Synopsis of Previous Installments. In order that new readers of The Enquirer may begin with the following installment ol this story, and understand it just the same as though they had read it all from the beginning, we here give a synopsis of that portion of it which has already been published: Chapter I.?Ben Johnson robs Lady Dudley and is discovered in the act by her maid, Mary Williams, his sweetheart. Lady Dudley dies of fright. Johnson escapes first having accused Mary of being his accomplice. Chapter II.?Ralph Tomkins, mate of the Hindu, having come from a cruise, goes, to Dudley to visit his mother. On the way he meets Johnson in a boat, and in an altercation Tomkins stuns Johnson with an oar. Johnson is arrested for the murder of Lady Dudley and accuses Tomkins of being accessory. Chapter III.?Johnson is^held for the murder. Tomkins and Mary Williams are released. Tomkins falls in love with Mary, who goes to Australia with her parents. Chapter IV.?The Hindu takes convicts to Botany Bay. Tomkins. the Williams family and Johnson, as a convict, are aboard. Chapter V.?Doctor Haxton.jin charge of the convicts, is incompetent. CHAPTER VL passen* ehs and guards. As the pas: eDgers and guards were all brought inti the great trouble which ultimately fell upon the Hindu, the reader should a* least be introduced to them. The om single man was named Haskell. He u as about 22 years of age, and a farmer b; * occupation. I at first took him for a stupid lout, and all others were incline d to make him a butt of ridicule, but ycu will see that his looks belied him. Ti ere were fonr mamea couples?Williams, Roberts, Saunders and Smith. VI illiams, as you know, was Mary's fai jer. The others I knew nothing about, except they were fair to do people who were going out to the Colony in hop< s to better themselves. The two single women had been servants in Engla id and were Miss Foster and Miss White. There were thus 12 adults, while Roberts had two children, Smith three and Saunders one, making up 6 more, or 18 passengers in all. The names of the seven guards wore Hooper, Larkius, Green, Tobias, Richmond, Tannehill and Martin. All were English or American, and all claimed to be men out of work and at least semirespectable. Hooper was the ex-sergeant and in charge of the gang. He was better dressed than the others and was likewise a keen, sharp looking man. I can't say that I mistrusted the man from the outset, but after reading the anonymous note handed aboard by strange bands I looked over the seven and made up my mind that Hooper was the man to keep an eye on. He had a * on T onnn rlicnntrororl I gicab ({lib ui gau) no jl own mowivivu. and bis position would likewise give him a certain influence. Very little occurs on board a ship, no matter how large she is or how many passengers she carries, which does not become common talk within a few hours. The doctor's incompetency leaked out after two or three days, as also did the fact of Captain Clark taking charge of the convicts. The punishment of the two prisoners was a public affair and witnessed by all except the women and children. These things, as you may suspect, created no little anxiety among the passengers, and we had enly been five days out when they drew up and signed a paper requesting the captain to return to port, declaring their belief that their lives would be imperiled by an outbreak before the btirk had been a fortnight at sea. "What we shall do," replied Captain Clark, "will be to continue the voyage. If we meet an inward bound ship and any of you want to return, I will refund your passage money. While I acknowledge that the doctor is not the right man in the right place, he is doing better every day and will soon work into the harness. By the time we reach the Cape we shall have no fault to find with him. As for the convicts, they have got a taste of what 1 am made or, ana a iew days hence will 6ee them as mild as lambs. Aside from the perils of the sea, I guarantee to land every soul of you on Australian soil." There was some muttering and complaining, but the people soon came to think better of it, and thus the affair ended. From his being in charge of the guard, Hooper had privileges not accorded to the others. The fact that he was strongly against the protest was brought to my attention. He had a dozen arguments at his tongue's end to the captain's one. Indeed others besides myself remarked on his overzealousness. One might argue from this that he had no fear of the situation and was anxious that the voyage should not be interrupted, but I could not help aak iuyself if he had not some other object in view. If ho was tho traitor referred to in the note, then to torn back would upset all his plans. The uffair was soon over, however, and for three or four dayj everything ran smoothly. On the afternoon of the third day we Bighted an inward bound craft, and Captain Clark went among the passengers to ask if any desired to be transshipped. No one wanted to go, and we dipped our flag in salute, asked to be reported and drove on. Up to this time only two of the gangs had got to work. The 15 men of the second gang had claimed to be painters, blacksmiths and the like, and we could give them no work on deck until fairly at sea and everything was shipshape for the long voyage. Ben Johnson was in this gang, and I have no doubt that the men acted under his instructions in giving in their occupations. It was a plan to bring them all on deck, you see, and so make it the worse for us. Work they must, however, and in due time they THE HINDU. RE ON LAND AND SEA. IALPH DAVIS. were brought up and assigned to differ ent tasks. The rule was that no two should work together, and that there should be no conversation In the course of a fortnight Dr. Hazton pulled himself together in wondeilui an ape to eave his reputation, but one who stndied him closely could not fail to make ont that he was lacking in nerve. If this lack was apparent to the captain and myself, it most have also been to the shrewder of the convicts, and to at least the officer of the gnard. We were looking to see them test him, and after Captain Clark had somewhat retired himself the test was applied. Ben Johnson was the man to make it. We had been at sea about three weeks, and No. 2 gang was on deck from 1 to 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Johnson was acting as an assistant to the ship's carpenter, and, although his demeanor was sulky and sullen, no fanlt could be found with him. It was 8 o'clock, and the captain was asleep, and I had charge of the deck. The guards were scattered about among the convicts, while one watch of the crew was below. All of a sudden Johnson laid down the tool he was working with, folded his arms and declared to the doctor, who wub oversee'Tll not do another stroke of work." ins all. that he would not do another stroke of work on tho voyage. The doctor walked straight np to him and bravely said: "I give yon one minute to mnko up your mind whether you will return to your work or take a flogging!" "I'll not do another stroke of work, and you can flog and be hanged to you!" shouted the convict. The two men stood looking into each other's eyes for half a minute. Then Dr. Haxton began to grow white around the lips and presently said in a coaxing way: "Come, now, but I want no trouble with you. Return to your work or I shall have to call the captain." By this time I had been made aware of the situaticn and at once advanced upon the pair. Two of the sailors had seized muskets from the rack at the mainmast and also advanced. "What's wrong here?" I demanded as I came to a stop at the workbench. "He refuses to go on with his work," renlied the doctor. "Is it so?" I asked of Johnson. "No," replied the inau after a few seconds' hesitation. "I've changed my mind on that score." He picked tip his plane and resumed work, and that was the end of it?that is, he had accomplished his purpose. He had tested the doctor and found him lacking in courage. The right sort of a man would have called for guards and irons and bad Johnson's back bared to the lasli in no time. Dr. Huxton flattered himself that he had overawed the convict, but I caught a smile on Johnsou's face, which plainly exhibited his contempt for the man's want of nerve. It was thereafter settled in his mind and in thexrindsof all the other convicts that uothin* was to be feared from the doctor. The affair had to be passed over, but there was a note of warning in it. It was begun and ended in a minute, and only threo or four of the passengers happened to bo on deck at the time. One of these was Haskell, though I had not noticed him. Half an hour luter he found opportunity to say to me: "I suppose you could depend on the guards in case of trouble with the prisoners?" i 'T | 91 T I:aJ ' x nope SO, 4 ivpucil. "I was wondering a bit," he said as he looked around in a stupid way. "Did you notice anything peculiar?" "It might be peculiar and it might not. I happened to be looking at Hooper, and I saw him wink at Johnson as you started to come forward.- What's the good of the muskets without caps on the nipples?" "What do you mean?" "I mean that I took notice of four muskets which could not have been fired if there was need of it." The seven guards did not have watch and watch with the sailors. During the day all were on duty, and at night two - * 4.1 - Ui uit'iii WI'IC pwu:u iiuiu>v Jin cruiujuja and relieved by others every two hours. As soou as I could get a word with the doctor I told him about the muskets. He went forward in a careless way and looked around and returned to report that every musket was properly capped. This did not lead me to argue that Haskell had been mistaken. On the contrary, I was satisfied that the caps had been slyly replaced when there was no longer any danger. They could not have been removed by accident. There was evidently an understanding between a portion of the guards that tiny would not fire upon the prisoners in case of an outbreak. I carried the matter to the captuin, as was my duty, and he was for raising a row at once. I argued with him that ae we had no positive proofs the trap would be sprung too soon, and he finally gave in and agreed to play a waiting game. Now for the first time I began to size up eaoh one of the guards. I had hired them all, and at the time they had struck me as being a very decent Jot of men. As I looked them over now I wondered at my lack of perception. Aside from Larkins, who had the cut of a cunning rascal, there were three men who had the hangdog look of villains. I couldn't bring myself to admit that I had ever engaged them, and after a little reflection I solved the puzzle. Three of the men I had engaged had been replaced by tnese three, probably being paid to make the exchange. I had engaged a one eyed man, for instance. 1 remembered that another bad a Jong scar on his cheek. A third bad fiery red hair and yellow front teeth. Not one of those men was on board, and yet others had assumed their names. I was now perfectly satisfied tha- a plot had been hatched ashore for the release of tho convicts, and that at least four of the guards were in it, but I said nothing to the captain. I did take Haskell into my confidence, however, and from that hour very little took place on deck or below that escaped our attention. I have said nothing thus far about Mary Williams and her parents. As a matter of fact, the girl herself was so upset the day she came aboard that she kept her cabin for a week. It was hard lines in flying from disgrace to find herself penned up with the villainous cause thereof, and when she finally came on deck she was so pale and thin that I did not at first recognize her. Fortunately for the family no one on board connected them with the unfortunate affair at Dudley, and that was certainly a matter for congratulation. Upon my first meeting with Mary she made a strong effort to reDress her emotion as she gave me her hand and said: "While we are both sufferers from the same cause 1 wish to ask your forgiveness that a?a friend of mine should have brought the trouble upon you." I was much embarrassed?more so than she was?over the situation, but I managed to tell her that she had no need of exonses and that I was sorry for her troubles and had already forgotten mine. We could congratulate our selves on having come out of the affair with flying colors, and yet I could not fail to see that she had taken the matter dpeply to heart. Through no fault of hers she had brought sorrow to her parents and a smirch upon her own reputation. The fact of her loving and being betrothed to such n villain at all, and especially in opposition to her parents, had given the public gossips a chance to deal her some hard blows. I told you I was in love with Mary Williams, but as to her having any feeling for mo beyond what the situation might be expected to bring out I make uo claim. After being dealt such a blow no sane man could expect her thoughts to turn to love. Change of scene and lapse of time might work in my favor, and I must be satisfied to wait. What bothered me just then, however, was to know just how she felt toward Ben Johnson. As a proud and honest girl her affection for him must have been dealt a terrible blow, but we all know that a girl will sometimes cling to an unworthy man in a manner to fill everybody with amazement. My desire to learn her feelings was soon gratified. nnlfA/1 Uim kntn ho \rr a a Of\T\. OIJC UOACU QKC1 IJlUI ajv/yv wv if hd ww*j ducting himself and what sort of record had followed him oil board from the prison, and when I answered her she continued: "lam appalled when I look back and realize how blind I was, though the villainy in his nature never revealed itself to any one until that terrible night. I believe it was pity I gave him more thau love. I cannot help but pity him now, even though the sight of him fills me with horror." Whenever Johnson's gang was on deck, the fellow always had his eye out for a sight of Mary, but as soon as she understood the routine she remained beluw and out of sight. From the hour of his ccming aboard I had never caught his eye, but yet I had Dever come near him that all the devil in his soul did not uppear iu his fuce. I fully realized his deadly hatred, and had no doubt that his burning desire for revenge would fill his head with plans of revolt CHAPTER VII. THE PATE OF THE ALBATROSS. rrri t a 1 ? A Wild! \\ o Jiuu UCl'U cl iu>v nccna an sea, there was much to commend and very little to find fault with. I stated iu a previous chapter that uo batch of convicts bad ever mutinied until after leaviug tho capo of Good Hope. The reason for this will be apparent if you consult your map. Iu running to the south every craft was in the great highway. Had the convicts got possession of a ship tliero were no uninhabited islands for a refuge. Had they lauded anywhere on the west coast of Africa, the savage natives would have snapped them up. The hour of peril had come when a craft was approaching the Australian coast. If the convicts got possession, they could either laud on the great island or sail to the north and fiud innumerable small islands to offer them shelter. While we took every precaution from the very beginning of the voyage, we nevertheless depended in a measure on the facts above stated. After awhile the convicts appeared to steady down and be desirous of making good records, and the behavior of the guards was all that could be asked for. For a month or more I had kept close watch of the foui men previously alluded to, but nothing had occurred to ruake me doubt their loyalty. Haskell had been allowed to saunter about as he pleased, and whenever an extra guard was wanted he was always on hand, but none of his reports as to the conduct of guards or prisoners was calculated to cause any particular anxiety. One morning, us we were holding our course with a fair wind, we rose an Indianian coining up from the south, and two hours later she signaled that she wished.to speak us. The Hindu was le Loanda and gave themselves np. The f( 'ate of the others is not known to this ? lay- a Many of the passengers heard the ai itory told by Thomas, and most of the r< >articulars somehow reached the con- gi ricts within two or three day a We ii sould not fail to perceive a change in tl heir demeanor, and that change was bl omething to increase our burden of anxety. All convicts look upon themselves s< ts victims or martyrs. No batch of men o; iver sent out were receiving better treat- ii neut than ours. Instead of the dooto jeing too severe, he was altogether too jg euient. The convicts made themselves Bj relieve, however, that they were being 0] )adly used. Three days after Thomas lame aboard they made a formal pro- Q *1 * * 1?j mi lying to when she came up. Tho gang of convicts on deck was ordered below, but we were flying the flag which told every beholder what sort of a cargo we carried. The Indiaman proved to be the Black Prince, a regular liner, homeward bound, and she dropped a boat and sent her mate aboard. His errand was to see if we could give passage to the Cape to a man named Thomas, who had been picked up at sea two days before while drifting on a raft He said that Thomas was an Englishman who had been wrecked on a voyage to the Cape and was very desirous of continuing the run in that dirwtion. The mate was in a great hurry, as his ship liarl been delayed by head winds, and he did not go into particulars. Captain Clark decided that we would take Thomas, and a quarter of an hour later he was on board and the respective crafts swinging their | yards to resume their voyage. It was midafternoon before we got Thomas' story, and it was one to deeply interest us. Only a few days before our sailing a ship called the Albatross had taken out a batch of about 200 convicts, half of whom were females. None of them was above common criminals, and for this reason they were not as carefully watched as they should have been. The ship carried only four passengers, all men, and of these Thomas was one. He had an uncle at the Cape and was going out in search of adventure. He felt certain there would have been no trouble with the prisoners but fnr the uncalled for measures enforced by tho doctor. He overworked and mi- I derfed them and flogged men 011 the slightest pretext. By tho time the Al- c batross had left the Cape Verde islands c behind her two-thirds of the men had t been flogged and half the females bad i been pnnisbed in some other manner. 1 When the crew of a convict ship be- t trays open sympathy for the prisoners c because of the cruel treatment accorded c them, one must be satisfied that those a in authority exceed the limits. Even j the guards on the Albatross condemned t the tyrannical conduct of the doctor. As \ I have told you, they were offenders t rather than criminals, and all hud re- c ceived short sentences. They were sent t out more ns colonists, and each one 1 would receive a ticket of leave after \ serving for six months or a year. It was c not until the doctor had repeatedly an- s nounced that he would break the spirit 1 of every one in the gang or flog him to 1 death that the spirit of mutiny cropped out. The position of the ship was to the 1 south of St. Helena when the climax c came. One of the women convicts had f transgressed some rule, and tho doctor f ordered that she receive a dozen lashes, s While he was making preparations the f convicts rose as one man and had possession of the ship in five minutes. e It was a mutiny against the doctor and \ three or four of his guards rather than against the ship, and had the captain f kept faith with the mutineers it would 1 have been far better for all on board, r Two of the guards were killed in the t first attack. The doctor was made pris- e oner, and an hour later was hanged at the yardarm. The convicts had no further grudges to satisfy, and simply asked that they be landed on the Hottentot coast. This the captain agreed to, but during the night put the ship about with the intention of making St. Helena and giving the prisoners up to the authorities. His deception was soon discovered, the ship held off to the east, and next 'day the mutineers determined to rid themselves of every one in the ship who would not join them and share the dangers of their future. The captain, mates and 12 sailors refused to join, as also did 8 of the guards and the 4 passengers, making 21 people in all. The 2 cooks and the captaiu's steward dad no option, bnt were compelled to join. Two boats were lowered, plenty of water and provisions put aboard, and the captain and his people were treated with 2 the greatest consideration. Thomas was in the mate's boat. Its q course was shaped for St. Helena, but a t gale came on and blew them fur to the v south. After a week of battling with e the elements it was decided to run for t the Cape, but in another gale the boat a was upset, and every man lost except g Thomas. He was lashed to the keel and t had been without food or water for t, three days when picked up by tho Black Prince. As to the fate of the captaiu's v boat and the convict ship he of course t knew nothing, but I will give the par- y ticulars here as I learned them two or Jj three years afterward. Tho captain's v boat hauled in for tho African coast aft- h er the gale spoken of, and finally landed t with everybody badly used up and the n boat no longer able to float. There were n 11 men in this "boat, and only 8 sur- r * - - * 1, ii?? "NT/>+ o oinnlo _ Viven to reauu iuo \_<ayu. aivi u D<ug?w u person on board the convict ship knew 0 anything about navigation. The people tl siruply knew that the coast was to the e east of them, and they held for it E through all sorts of weather. A due v east coast would have landed them in v Damara Land, above Walfish river, but n the point they did reach was Capo St. c Maty, on the Benguela coast, 600 miles ti above. j] With such a batch of convicts in pos- b session of a ship one might be prepared n to believe that drunkenness, fighting e and murder were the order of the day. a Such was not tho case, however. On the contrary, good order and thorough tJ discipline were enforced. While ull ii were considered to be on an equality p nil iforn corvpft with the same food Ii auu uu u v*v/ wv ? ?. ? _ the men had sense enough to realize V that any laxity was a direct menace to y all. If retoken, every male convict v would be hung and every femalo get o life imprisonment. All the testimony J afterward secured went to show that a not one single pint of rum was served tl out, although there were 80 barrels of v it on board. On making the coast the tl Albatross was run into a river and put o: up it for a distance of ten miles. . The a peoplo then luuded, removed everything p from the ship and burned her. The plan b wns to journey far inland and found a si settlement, but discussions begot dis- b sensions, and the crowd finally split up h into five or six parties and went their g respective ways. An English man-of- t? war, after long search, rcoaptured five n men and three women, while four other it men,and. two women reached St. Paul h est tnat tney were overwornen. iue tj loctor, acting on the advice of the cap- Sj ain, refused to take any action. As a a: natter of fact, tho convicts were not d, >usy half the time. Two days later they p, nade protest that their food was not rf inly bad, but insufficient in quantity. f( Che provisions furnished by the govern- n nent were wholesome, and no real fault 6i lould be fonnd with the cooks. Ben Johnson had acted as spokesman sj n both instances. No other ship's doc- y( or would have allowed him to open his jj nouth. On the second occasion Dr. Haxon, who had been coached by the cap- n ain, made reply: n "I have seen fit to overlook this jj, ireach of discipline, but don't try it y igain. The next protest you present will iring you a round dozen on the bare _ jack." That seemed to end the matter. The laptain, the doctor and others were in- _ ilined to regard it as a game of blulf, ? >ut it struck me that the fellows gave n altogether too quick. My position as r ate made it impossible for me to play he detective, but Haskell had the run g( if the ship and kept his eyes and ears ipen. On the morning of the fifth day g ifter Johnson had presented his second >rotest I came on deck at 4 o'clock in . be morning. About an hour later, | vhen the watch had settled down into he routine, Haskell came out of the ^ iabin smoking u pipe and made excuse jj( hat be was troubled with insomnia, le soon let me know that he wanted a P.( vord with me in private. The bark was Iriving along before a steady breeze ind needed little watching, and present- * y we got out of earshot of the helmsnan. Then Haskell said : A "The three guards below will be re- ? ieved at 6 o'clock. At 7 o'clock four *P if them muster on deck to receive the J* irst gang, leaving threo below. The our on deck will be re-enforced by two ~ ailors, who will receive their muskets rom Hooper." ,D "Yes, that is the programme," I anwercd, but having no suspicion of what vas coming. n< "Every sailor aboard is all right as Cl ar as I know," resumed Haskell. "You w iave spare muskets aft. When Hooper ousters his guards on deck, yon must a >e ready to replace the four with sailors es md see that their muskets are loaded, hi ! - | in 1 number of tiles were found about his Uj clothing. jn Jive me two others, and we will take be he places of the guards below. Put the in fhole guard under arrest and search ev- I ry man. When you come to examine pi ho muskets, you will discover that all Gi re unloaded. After taking care of the at uards there should be an inspection of tb he cages and the prisoners. They have jD een using saws and files down below." be Haskell spoka in such a calm, cool m pay tnat 1 loouea ac mm in augur, ^ hiuking he was inclined to joke. He vj pent on to explain that he had been :eeping vigilant watch, and that he n( pould stake his life on being correct in is assertions, and I lost no time in no- jje ifyiug the captain and the doctor. We jg aoved in the matter so cautiously that pf iot even one of the sailors who was tc eplaco the guards suspected what was ev ip. At 7 o'clock, as Hooper and three ^ f his men gathered at the fore hatch, ho captain ordered them aft, and four ac ailors took their places. At the'same aoment Haskell descended to the cages ^ pith two men and told the guards they ^ rcre wanted on deck. Of the seven ' inct-ofa hplrl )iv the cnards all were apped, but not one loaded. Hooper pre- ?.r ended to be highly indignant at being 011 utorfered with, and force had to be used ffl efore his person could bo searched. A .. umber of files and saws, all betraying 1 videuces of recent use, were found 80 bout his clothing. The guard below was re-enforced and he cages examined. Bars had been cut a every one of them, and it had been lanned to make a rush und capture the ark as the first gang was lamed up. ifo hadn't got to the bottom of affairs Pt et when a British man-of-war, on her 'ay home from the Cape, was alongside f ns. The prisoners below, led by Ben Qf ohnson, were hooting and yelling, and i 11 our passengers were badly upset ac jjj he turn of affairs, though all danger rus over brforo they know anything of he situation. The captain of the man- . f-war had full authority to investigate ^ ml to act. Ho was at first minded to ut a guard and a sailing master aboard, ut Captain Clark was not a man to be ar it upon in that fashion. There had een a conspiracy, but no mutiny. We ad proved ourselves equal to the emereucy, and there was no excuse for in- W( jrference. Captain Hodgson, as he was co anted, was determined on seeing punihment meted out, however, uud after Pr e had had, 10 or 12 of the convicts be- aE )re him it was plainly evident that : [ooper and two of his guards had come board with the sole object in view of ssisting two of the worst convicts to ;gain their liberty. The four other i aards were honest men, and the charges i i their muskets had been drawn while ley were asleep. Ben Johnson, a dou- < le murderer named Finch and a highay robber and murderer named Wat- < >u were the ringleaders of the couspira j and were to have control of affairs 1 case the mutiny was a saccess. , "Call all hands to witness the pun- j ihment, and then give every one of the | x fellows two dozen on the bare back," i rdered Captain Hodgson. i A file nf murines was sent aboard of i s, as also a boatswain's mate to wield le cat, and one after another the conlirators were seized up to the grating nd given his ullowance. Hooper broke own and cried for mercy and acted the art of a craven, but all the others were ither defiant. Ben Johnson was the mrth man seized up. As they were taking him secure he turned to me and iid: "All I wanted to get possession of the aip for was that I might settle with on and Mary. It's your turn now, but tine is certain to come." "What's that! What's that!" detanded Oaptain Hodgson as the words iached his ear. "He threatens, does e! Bo'sun, give him an extra dozen rell laid on." TO BE CONTINUED. ?ili.SfrHanrou.5 grading. FOR BIBLE STUDENTS. ev. Mr. Anderson Recommends a Most Valuable Work. iltor of The Yorkville Enquirer. May I call the attention of the ible readers of our community to a ork of great value, now being sold ; a price to put it within the reach ' all ? While it is not a work that ould be appreciated or cared for by ie ordinarv reader of wishy-washy , Lerary and religious books and pairs, for those who are willing to )tain accurate knowledge by hard ork, it is a work of peculiar value, refer to Rev. Dr. Alfred Edersheim's Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah." he author of the hook was the child ' Jewish parents, and, I am told, was his youth trained for the office of a ahbi. He became a Christian, and aally entered the ministry of the hurch of England. He was a man ? the profoundest learning, especially the Rabbinic Hebrew, having the iwish writings in apparently absolute aowledge, while he seems to have a superior in the matters under disission by the infidel or rationalistic riters of the Continent. With this equipment he has produced work which is probably the greatit work on Christology of the last ?lf of the century, if not of the last )0 or 300 years. The world of that *y, the teaching of the Rabbis, the Fe of the common people, are preint.pd to us in Dictures so vivid that ley seem to stand out as from the linter's canvas. We may say that i demonstrates that the Gospels could >t have been written after the first mtury, nor by any one who had not, iring that century, prior to the year ) A. D., or the destruction of Jeru.lem, lived in Judea. Especially is lis true of the Gospel according to St. )hn. He shows that things are familrly mentioned by St. John that no >w could have been familiar with, and irtainly no Christian, after the genation which had lived in Judea had issed away. By the advice of a dear old friend the ministry, I purchased the book son its first appearance in America 1885, and now re-reading it from (ginning to end, I am more than ever ipressed with its wonderful value, write this, not in the interest of the iblisbers; but of students of the ospels of every faith, or of no faith all. There is no honest student of - ' " ? * 1 JI-. e laie wnicn nas most/ pruiuuuuij fluenced humanity, that will not be 8 mefitted by a careful study of this 8 onumental work. It seems to me r at its value for students of the Di- 1 me life cannot be exaggerated, and 8 is irrespective of the religious de- ] jmination to which they may belong. Now let me guard myself from J Ling misunderstood. As the work c in two large volumes, one of 698 iges and the other of 826 pages, I am 'idently not recommending it to J rery one, but to those who have the 1 me and diligence to use it to advan- c ge. For those who have not these J Ivantages, much of the material may i gathered from the abridgment of a ie book prepared after Dr. Eder- i eim's death in the sprtng of 1889, I ider the editorship of Dr. Sanday c Oxford. But the student, espe- t tilly those who are trusted with the c ,re of souls, should not only own, it read, mark, learn and inwardly gest the large work, there being ab- *] lately nothing in the English lan- s lage which can take its place. s Richard W. Anderson. t ector of the Church of the Good Shepherd. 1 GIANT COTTON s isslbly to Revolutionize the Soutli's Great | Industry. Accounts have beeu going the rounds a wonderful new variety of cotton ant of enormous height and incredi- I e yield. Although these rumors k ere conflicting, and apparently much s :aggerated, the subject has been conlered worthy of investigation by cot- f n experts, and the results of a care- f 1 inquiry have been given in a recent 11 tide by Albert Phenis. It would ipear that if the variety should prove possess, in practical extensive cul- s re, the qualities claimed for it, it will v Drk nothing short of a revolution in a tton growing. The imputed distin- b lished characteristics of the plant are I olific yield?from two to four bales " i acre?and a fiber long, stout and t silky, and consequently of greater value per pound than most of the cotton now now raised in America. A patch visited by Mr. Phenis contained 13 square feet, more than one-third of an acre. He was informed that from this patch there had been picked some 800 pounds of seed cotton, and there were top bolls enough matured to increase this yield to possibly 1,000 pounds, which would be equal to from 2,400 to 3,000 pounds of seed cotton to the acre. This yield is the * J! 1 ?. 2 mure eAiruuiuiuary woeu it is reuiembered that this has been a year of unusual and blighting drought. It is said that no commercial fertilizers were used; that the site was selected because of the poor quality of the soil, and that the crop was raised without irrigation, the intention having been to jive the severest test to the new variety. Granting these conditions, the result is scarcely less than marvelous. The stalks will average six feet in height, while ordinary cotton on farms immediately adjoining, and with soil cf apparently similar character, is this /ear only one to two feet high. The cpen and matured bolls on about 100 cf the stalks were counted. One stalk bad fifty-three; a great many had 20, and very few had less than five. The average was about 10 bolls to the stalk, rhe habit of the plant is said to be that when the boll matures the leaf drops off, so that there are never more than three or four leaves at a time on the stalk, and they are at the top, an advantage in picking the cotton, as well as a safeguard against disaster should the plant be attacked by the army worm. The plants can be set so close that 66,150 plants to the acre are regarded as a practicable possibility, as against the usual number, 10,920. The seed cf the cotton is peculiar. It is smaller than that of ordinary cotton, so that 1,500 pounds of seed product is calculated to make a bale of the lint, nstead of the regular estimate of 1,300 pounds. A further difference is that it germinates from the centre instead of from either end. The plant bas a romantic history. The story told is that two years ago a soldier of Fortune stopped off at Atlanta and :arried awhile. He made some friends, imong whom was a local horticultures to whom he Showed a varied collection of cnrios, which he said he bad gathered in his travels. Among them was a wonderful specimen of cotton. He had cut it, he said, from a 20-foot stalk he found growing in front of a but in a wild part of interior Africa, near the Congo river, 700 miles from ;he coast. The horticulturist raised From the seed several stalks of from J to 14 feet, some of which were exhibited at the Atlanta exposition. Eventually the traveler was sent back :o Africa for several bushels of seed. He was gone four months. When he returned, he reported that he found ihe whole region where he secured the 5rst specimen devastated by a forest Ire, and there were no traces left of jither cotton or villagers. The Atlana gardener then selected the soundest ind best seed he had raised and plantid the patch which was subsequently examined by Mr. Phenis. It is proposed to replant the entire stock of seed available, so that a convincing Demonstration may be v'vcii of the nerits of a cotton which may contain ;be possibilities of a boon to the south >f incalculable value.?Chicago Bee >rd. Noted Choib Singers.?The high' ist paid choir singers in the world are ;wo American ladies, Miss Clementina De Vere, at the Paxton church in tfew York, who receives $4,500 a year, ind Miss Dutton, at a Baptist church n the same city, who receives $3,000 or her services. The men in the :boir of Westminster Abby receive lalaries ranging from $400 to $500. There are about 230,000 singers in the :boirs of various places of religious vorship throughout the United Kinglom. Rabbi Wolfers, the Jewish mulical historian, says that during divine lervices at the Ancient Temple of Jeusalem a full choir consisted of 24,000 nen, divided into three great bands, tnd separated from one another upon rast platforms. The choir of the great Hormon Temple at Salt Lake City is he largest in the world, numbering (50 trained voices. Believes Right Will Win.? Tames L. Tibbetts, a well known democrat, of Amesbury, Mass., revived the following letter from Wm. r. Bryan a few days ago: "I am confident that the gold standird will disappoint those who expect t to restore permanent and general >rosperity. The consciousness of duty lone must sustain us until we see the riumph of our cause. I have no loubt of ultimate victory." The Definition of a Crank.? The very positive man had alluded to omebody as a crank, wheu bis patient ludience of one interrupted him with he inquiry: "What is your idea of a crank anyiow ?" "A crank! Why, a crank, sir is omebody who insists on trying to convince me instead of letting me convince him." toT Mrs. W. has had her portrait tainted as a surprise for her husband, the takes him to the studio, the artist teps to the easel, draws aside the Irapery and stands very expectantly, klr. W. looks attentively at the paintng and says, "Aw?very well done? nteresting subject?who is it?"?Life. t3F "Wilkins is quite over his abent-mindedness. You remember that whenever be went out anywhere he Iways used to forget to take his umirella home with him again." "Yes. )oes he always remember it now?" Well, not exactly, but he usually akea somebody's."