The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-07-12

the cry rang IN our ears he had evi-
IDENTIFY caught sight of us, and was
calling us to hasten. BESSIE sprang
to her feet, while Joe and [ made tue
boat fairly leap over the little, curl
ing wavelets. We were almost
there.
d" Phil" - whispered Bessie -
"Phil, there's not boat in sight, and
the man appears to ba tied to the
wreck"
A terrible suggestion fl ished over
me was it possible that some fend
had made this man fast to the wreck,
and left him to die? The thought
was too horrible to be harbored for
an instant but it put new life into
my weary arms, and in moment
more our boat touched the wreck.
Again that fearful moanI The rud-
der dropped from Bessie trembling
hands, and, with q face white as
death itself, she sank to the bottom
of the boat. Throwing down my oar,
Iturned, and there-apparently LASH
ed to the iron beams, with bis arms
stretched out like the arms of cross
was Robert Severance, his saIlow
face ghastly with the hue OF death,
his black hair dripping and tangled
with bits of strange sea-weed, his
eyes lurid with demoniac fire and
bis lips writhing with agony as he at
tempted to utter the words, ''Ven-
geance is mine, saith the Lord. !"
For moment I was dumb and help
less with terror then, springing to
the side of the boat, I reached over
to draw him in. While doing so, I
was concious of vague wonder at
the absence of ropes, or any other
medium by which he could be kept
in that position but the wonder
was forgotten in an instant, for, as 1
laid my hand upon his shoulder, a
shudder seemed to pass through the
wreck causing the beams to rock
and the water beneath us to tremble,
and the man slipped from my grasp,
sliding down into the green water,
while with horror stricken faces we
gazed over the side of the boat, see
ing only the overwhelming circles
that dotted the surface of the river.
We took up our oars no word was
spoken, but, with scared faces and
nerveless hands, we slowly took our
way home. The noon was as sweet
and pure as the morning had been !;
the sun shoGe as brightly, and the
river dBnced and sparkled as bril-
Iantly as ever; but great horror
had fallen upon US, and we thought
only of the dead man out there, who,
after so many years, had gone in this
mysterious way to join his com
rades.
Five months later, I received the
following letter from the hands of
Captain Willis Martin, of the whale
ship General Jackson, who had car
ried it with him all that time before
having an opportunity to deliver it.
Iu answer to my questions, Captain
Martin made this statement Sever
ance had shipped with him as a com
mon seaman, but upon the death of
the Third Mate heNwas promoted to
that position, filing it to the salts
faction of all concerned. He was
quiet and reserved, seldom speaking
except to issue orders, and never
touching a drop OF liquor. On ac-
count of his uns3cial disposition he
was hardly a favorite with the officers
or men, though all respected him.
The sailors considered him fqueer,"
or "cracked" Captain Martin knew
nothing of his history, and could only
add, that, om>ths 2Sth of March, 81,
while homeward bound, they encoun-
tered a severe storm. o. the even
ing of thai day Severance handed
sealed packet to the Captain, care
fully reading over to him the address
and desiring, in case of his death oc-
curing at any time before reaching
home, tha he would deliver 1t to nae
in person. This tho Captain prom
ised to do; and supposiHg it toebe
ono of Seyerance's queer freaks,
thought no more about the matter.
The next morning about ten o'clock
there was a cry of imam overboard;
and, although every effort was made
to save him, it was, OF course, i'm
possible. The huge waves tossed
him hither and thither for a moment,
and then, with one despairing cry,
he went down. The lost man was
the Third Mate, Robert Severance.
The Captain could not say whethe'
it was an accident or case of sui
eide. No one had seen the man fall
nothing was known of the disaster
until the bitter cry Of distress was
borne to them above the rush and
roar Of the storm. This was the Cap
tain's statement In brief. 1 wish to
call special attention to his melton
of certain dates. It will b. remem-
bered that the Maple Leaf was lost
Marsh 29th, 1864 also, that just
three years to a day f,om that time,
on March 29th, 1867, Bessie AMI L
had that terrible experience over the
old wreck in the St. Johns River
and again, the date of the letter l am
about to give shows that it was wiit-
ten by Severance on the evening Of
March 28th, 1867, his death occurring
the next day, March 29tb-facts that
are corrobOrated by Captain Martin.
These facts may, or may not, be
mere conincidences. However they
may he considered by the incredul-
Gus, they certainly should receive the
serious attention of those who at
tempt to explain the mystery.
ROBERT sEvERAEcEs LETTER.
OK BOARD SHIP GENERAL JACKSON,
March 2Stb, 1867. {.
PHILIP: Tonight I am strong,
and the hot blood pulsates as regu-
larly as when you and 7 11layed on