The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-08-02
FOUND IN A SHARK.
q STRANGE STORY OF THE FORTUNES Of
TCorrespondence n Y wor,d,

mas fOr some months been enioyinp himself !
the most liberal but rational manner. and is
perhaps, the happiest man in France. Goo
looking. educated, rich, he has fortune at tn
crest Of the wave, and keeps her there 1t ha
just begun TO- leak out how this happy youtl
came lrto ms estate, and if the tactx~ be a
stated, think you will agree. with me tba
never did fsherman's luck" better deserv
20 De largely celebrated than in his case d,
not get the story from his own lips, though
am slightly acquainted with him, but from a,
intimate friend of his who knows all the cir
cumstanees
The young man-his name is Sc
H--is native OF South Carolina, wher,
his father had large possessions in Colleton
D servsd in the Confederate arrny durint
the last two years OF the war, though still tot
young, and when the war was over settled
1t Pototaligo, poor as a church mouse Hi.
fathers estate was nearly all gone, and whn
nttie remained he resolved should be reliy
ously devoted to the need of his mother at,d
sisters, who were now living in Barnwell il
very poor way. Young H had capacit,
and industry, but these were not sufficient t.
get him work in State where all things were
PROSTATE under the negro's gizzard foot. He
procured some odd jobs on the railroad, but
these DON failed him, and at last, in DESPAIR.
he shipped before the mast in trading
schooner that belonged to Machias, Me-, and
made irregular voyages between Boston, Beau.
fort :. c., Havana, and market. In three
or four years he got to be- mate of the trader,
and finally the owners began to promise him
vessel OF his own, one now building. if he
would purchase an interest in her to the ex-
tent OF $500. His own savings amounted to
nearly halt that sum already, and he took
furlough from the schooner for the purpose
OF seeing his mother and some other friends
IN order to try to get temporary loan of the
balance needed.
Money, however was hard to get No one
doubted the security, but they did not have
the money to spare. After several futile efforts
young H was about to give up the pur-
suit in despair, when his mother bethought
her Of Colonel Jacob E., her cousin,
still living near Port Royal, and thought to be
rather bett off than the rest of the connec-
ton. s. Il was only very slightly
acquainted with Colonel f but his
mother insisted that he should take letter
from her to her relative. and thus leave no.
thing untried in o matter which SO ultimately
concerned the pushing Of his own fortunes.
When H arrived ut his cousins place
ON Port Royal Sound. he found trat the family
were not very well prepared to have visitors
In fact, only two nights before, the house an
old brick mansion-had been burned down to
the ground, and the family were now living in
q couple Of tents pitched on the lawn in front
Of the ruins Colonel E-- had lost every
thing the house contained and was now down
with an ague his daughter was i'll with hys
terics, and everything WAS in confusion and
disorder. In fact, as Mrs. E pititully
told H, "there's actually nothing to ca:
in the tOuse--in the tent, / mean" she said
with feeble smile. land the Colonel is too
i'll to go fishing to-day"
H did not show his letter, nor mention
its subject. On the contrary, he tried to make
make himself useful, gave MIR. E. his dose
of quinine, taught Mrs. E now to rig her
tent sails IN safer and more comfortable
fashion, and then, taking small negro boy
with him, launched the beat. hoisted sail and
went fishing for the replenishing of poor Mrs.
with the Sound and its fishing ground, he
soon caught quite mess of fish, and was
beating back again, when startled cry of the
negro boy, who was by the mast, attracted his
attention. The cause OF the boys alarm was
y large shark, between ten and twelve feet
long, which swan directly i'll front of the
boat, and seemed prepared to dispute its pas
sage. The boat, as is common i'll those waters,
carried q small harpoon attached to long
line, for the purpose of using upon the devil
flsh, frequently met there, and the chase and
capture Of which is q favorite and exciting
sport in South Carolina. Hastily calling the
boy to the helm, and giving his lugger Sheet
plenty of play; H snatched the harpoon
and line, sprang to the bow, tossed large fish
into the water, and, as the shark turned up to
seize it, drove the harpoon into his belly with
80 true an aim and such fatal force that the
huge fish only struggled few minutes before
expiring. He was not able to get his prize
aboard, but, determined not to lose such tro-
ply of his arms strength, took it in tow be-
hind his boat, and was soon able to land his
cargo and safety near the burned mansion.
Securing his boat H -, now sent the
boy for help to fetch away lis fish, and amused
himself by disembowelling the monster. His
iack-k knife struck u on something hard nd
metallic in h. viscera Of the fish, and, exam
ing more closely, he brough to light square,
Fat zinc box, about the size of one-pound
Qunpowder can much corroded, but apparent
" hermitically sealed and water-tight. He
washed it OF, led it, and pul il in his pocket
for future examination; then, the boy having
come with help, took his fish and some tidhits
from the sha up to the tent, much to the
Joy of the occupants, who could not thank
him enough.
Col. E to whom H showed his
box Immediately thought he recognized it as
Dne of q peculiar sort Of disnatch-box used by
gers by sea and in blockade-runners, being
,onvenlent Tor carrying in the pocket and Tor
throwing overheard in case the vessel was cap
tured. The box was carefully opened and Was
tound to be precisely what Col. E sus-
pected-a dispatch-box Of the Confederate
Governments The contents, in addition to
,ome papers Of no present Importance COM
prised o series OF long dispatches in cipher
to well-known agent in Paris OF
he defunct rebellion, and ten certificates OF
deposit, promising to p~y 0ney OF Ambrose
Gunters, now ON deposit v tn the banking
house Of K. An.mss Frsres, Bordeaux, to John
Brown or order, when pr 'psrly counte-signed.
The amount OF the certificates in all was
g96. 600 francs .'Worth nothing, OF course,
aid H, down OH his luck as usual
"Not nickel. my boy" said Col. 2 -;
J. but. never ,heless, you must come with me
o-morrow and show them to Mr.. T. 10
my well day. and I'm going up TO
Charleston to see about getting shanty put
I'D for my folks to live in"
Tn Charleston next day H was taken by