The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1860-02-08

turned it over, and gave it to him again
with the other side up.
You say that is your handwriting?'
said he
Ineed not say so,' rejoined the other,
looking at it, for you saw me write it.
and this?' said the captain, turning
the slate over.
The man looked first at one writing,
then at the other, quite confounded, At
last, What is the meaning of this?' said
he. Il only wrote one of these Who
wrote the other?'
That's more than I can tell yon, sir.
NY mate here says you wrote it, sitting
at this desk, at noon to-day
The captain Of the wreck and the pas
senger looked at each other, exchanging
giances of intelligence and surprise; and
the former asked the latter, Did you
dream that you wrote on this slate?'
No, sir, not that remember
You speak of dreaming said the cap.
tain of the bark. What was this gentle
man about at noon to-day?'
Captain rejoined the other. the whole
thing is most mysterious and extraordi-
nary: and 1 had intended to speak to you
about it as soon as we got little quiet.
This gentleman (pointng to the passen-
ger,) being much exhausted, fell into a
heavy sleep, or what seemed such, some
time before noon. After an hour or more
he awoke and said to me, captain, we
shall be relieved this very day. When 1
asked bin what reason he had for saying
so, he replied that he had dreamed that
he was on board bark, and that she was
coming to our rescue. He described her
appearance and rig; and, to our utter as
tonishment, when your vessel hove in sight
she corresponded exactly to his descrip-
tion of her. We had not put much faith
in what he said, yet still we hoped there
might be something in it, for drowning
men, you know, will catch at straws. AS
it has turned out, cannot doubt that it
was all arranged, in some incomprehensi
BILE way, by an overruling Providence, SO
that we might be saved. To Him be all
thanks for his goodness to u.s.
There is not doubt rejoined the
other captain, that the writing on the
slate, let it have come there as it may
saved all your lives. was steering a
the time considerably south of west, ant
1 altered my course to nor-west, and
, had look out aloft. to see what woult
, come of it. But you say he added
turning to the passenger, 'that you die
not dream of writing on slater
S No, sir got the impression that th
: bark l saw in my dream was coming t.
}, rescue US; but how that impression cam
a I cannot tell There is another YER
t strange thing about it, be added 'Eve
rything here on board seems to me quit
;. familiar; yet am very sure l never wa
n in your vessel before. 1t is all puzzl
e to me. What did your mate see?'
=, Thereupon Mr.. Bruce related to ther
/. all the circumstances above detailed
It The conclusion they finally arrived at wal
/ tnat it was special interposition of Prov
d idence to save them from what seemed
6 hopeless fate.
: The above narrative was communicate
to me by Captain j. S. Clarke, of tn
n schooner Julia Hallock,* who had it d
d rectly from Mr.. Bruce himself. The
le sailed together for seventeen months, i
,e the years 1886 and '37; SO that Captai
A. Clarke had the story from the mate abol
II eight years after. the occurrence. He hs
m since lost sight of him, and does not kno
whether he is yet alive. All he has hear
it of him since they were shipmates is, th'
ID he continued to trade to New Brunswick
le that he became the master of the bri
le Comet and that she was lost
J. 1 asked Captain Clarke if he kne
Bruce well, and what sort Of man
ID was?
ID 'As truthful and straightforward
te man. he replied, 'as ever met in all n
at life. We were as intimate as brother
he and two men can't be- together, shut l
seventeen months in the same ship, wit
out getting to know whether they CT
We trust one another's word or not. He 6
" ways spoke of the circumstances in tern
Id of reverence, as of an incident that seel
Gu w OtihS uOdkCl w OOos ouo q
ed other world. I'd stake my life upon
re that he told me no lie'
a.
III 'In July, 1859. The Julia Hallock was tn
" lying at the foot of Rangers Square, New Yor
ey She trades between New York and St. Jago,
he the island of Cuba. The Captain allowed !
" to use his name, and to refer to him as e
nr dence for the truth of what is here set dow
YANKEE INGENUITY WaShin
~. us ton States says that not many years a.
III one of the slaveholding States regard
~ the -peddling traffic within her lin
ep as crying evil, and exacted a-tax
10 enormous upon every clock that sIou
ou be thereafter sold within her li-:ts, as
u' amount to virtual prohibition; but
ou Yankee was not slow in originating