Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-04-06
WHOLE NUMBER III.

was felt, and we found we had large
/ fish on. We tried to pull in, but could
not get him up to the surface. Here
was fix, and no mistake. With great
I Ofiort we got up the anchor, took to the
oars, and tried to row to the land: but
what was our astOnishment to find the
sharktOwing us out to sea ~
What is to be dOne@ was the ques-
( ton raised in the boat.
/ Let him tow us out was suggested;
/ he will soon tire oft, and then we can
/ take him ashore
This was easier said than done; Mas
! ter shark had been pulling us for about
two hours, and We were still going out
to sea. Getting desperate, we took to the
oars again, and rOwed back to the town:
but what Juggling match It was, with
this ugly customer straining his utmost
in the opposite direction After pulling
in the hot sun, for several hours, we be-
gan to make headway for the shore,
master shark being determined that he
would not 90 that way, and we being as
determined that he should However,
few minutes before the evening gun
fired, we got him to the ietty and got
him safely landed on the pier by means
of crane, made him secure, after a
good deal of resistance, and left him for
the night His length, / NAV mention
was twelve feet, or thereabOuts.
'Eary next morning we went down to-
see our prize. He was still alive, and
swapping at everything with his power
tul Jaws A number of spectators were
present, and among them was q soldier
OF the 5Oth Regiment, a carpenter. This
man wanted to see the sharks teeth. and
70 open his jaws, forced handspike in
to his mouth, and held the handsp'ke
very carelessly in his hands. Ma. ter
shark lay very quiet, but some of the
byStandeFs cautioned this man to be
careful of what lie was doing. The Sc
dier laughed at thl ir a!v Ce, but the sn lie
was hardly of his cOuntenauce, when
bang came the handspike down upon
his foot, and smashed the big zoe to
Jelly, the shark having closed his DOW
erful jaws on the haudspike, and there
by caused this unfortunate accident.
The man was taken to the hOsDital. but
death ensued from lOck-Iaw. We cut
off the shark head, and gave the body
to the blacks, who. as soon as they got
1t commenced to dance around it, and
at every other movement giving it
thump with stick, and calling ii all
manner of names; and they finally end !
ed by eating him up"
Sergeant of the guard sergeant Of
the guard = shouted a terrified voice
from without, Just as the story had fin !
ished. /
We jumped up and hurried to the
door Of the guard-rOOm; and on opening |
1t, found the sentry who had been p0sf- |
ed at the lOck-gate lying fiat on his face |
on the ground. We raised him and /
found him to all appearances dead; but |
after warming him at the fire, and rub |
bing his limbs smartly, he began show
signs of life, and opened his eyes,
Questions were eagerly put to him as to
what had happened, but no answer
could be got. He only looked round !
him with strange, vacant stare, and
then relapsed into another fit.
A fresh sentry, was ordered out and
nOn-cOmmissiOned officer ACCOMPANIED
him, to ascertain, If possible, what had
overcome the first man with such NOR
tai terror. AS they approached the SEN
try-boX, they discovered to their aston
ishment, the dead body of a man living
half in half out of it. Their immediate
impression was that some horrible
crime had been committed. for tn
Plumstead Marshes were at that time
infested with smugglers and other des-
perate characters. On examination,
discovery was made which added to fhe /
mystery The body was nearly naked. |
having only shirt on! The natural |
question, Where did it come from ?'' |
And this was followed by the equally 1
puzzling query, 'tHOw did it come
there.U
The mystery was rather intensified /
than otherwise, by the next discovery
made. Close examination of the shirt
revealed that it was marked with the
broad arrow, and it then flashed across
our minds that it was the body of dead
convict. Lying in the river close to the
guard-hOHse was an old man-Of-war
called Justicia, the home of convict fell
Ons. These conYiGts were emptOved in l.
the arsenal IN all kinds of drudgerv.
All this we knew well enough: but 1t II
did not help US to understand how the i
body Ofa dead ornOjct had found its wav
into the lock gates sentry box. r.H
After time the sentry recovered con-
5ciOusness, and was able to recall and to 5
what had happened TO 5
overcome him with such mo til terror. I
Most eagerly was he questioned, and {
this was what he had to tell He said /
that after he had Teen placed, he walk !
ed to and fFp until Slight shower of h
rain came on, when he stepped into the II
sentry box backwards, gazing on the {
m lrshCs, As he 60 into the box some 4
thing fell against him, and on turning l
his head to see what il was, he, to his =
horror. saw a CHASTITY face
Deering over his shoulder At that \
sight his courage fOrsOok him; he took q
to his heels, and made for the guard. 4
room, where he was able to raise q ery, \
and then, overcome with excess Of ter a
'Or, fell down seuseless. I---....
This statement accounted in part for ,
what had happened, but stilI left the r
greatest mystery Of all-thepresence al of n
he conviCt's body in the sentry-box- IN
Is far from solution as ever. The Door h
sentry, WHO was completely prostrated, h
vas sent to the hospital, and for some Fl
lme our curiosity remained unsatisfied
At last the truth OOzed out. One of the Il
5uard was terrible fellow for playiug "A
PRACTICAL Jokes, and on some suspicio6 Il
alllng on him, he admitted that this 10
was of his planning. He knew n
hat the sentry who would be placed
t the lOck-gates was a simple, nervous
utlOW, and determined 70 MAY Of, a
Oke upon him. when a convict died
was customary 10 place his body in
mall wooden shed, called the "eonvicts n
until it could be buried.
This dead-hOuse was not more than n
our hUnred yards from the locl-gates,
nd our ineOrrigibla had actually gone
0 the dRad-hOusa, got q body living
here, carried it on his back, and placed in
in the sentry box in the situation as
ribed 1t was he who told the shark in
tory, watching all the time for what
'as likely to happen; and nightly he fr
moved the joke. But he had to paV
Dr ii. He was made a prisoner, and hC
siafH Etyr yfsg1
that court, having no turn
II humOr, passed a severe sentence on .
i'm. His Unfortunate victim remained
me months in hospital before he fully
covered from the effects Of the nraetio-
joke, and may add he afterwari
ent to the West Indies, where he
ed. py
v,,,.. alb