Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1874-02-20
ALMQUIST.
A STRANGE LIFE AND A STRANGE
DEATH.

The following from the San Fran
cisco correspondence of the World
reads more like a romance than tru
history:
SAN FRANCISCO, December 1.-B,
private letter from Honolulu, hav1
just learned some details of the deatl
Of one of the most singular men o
genius and remarkably accomplished
Williams the world ever produced.
In the latter part of 1871 there
landed at the missionary station OF
Maui, one the Hawdiian islands, a di
lapidated whalhboat, containing one
old man, who gave his name as C1aas
Jensen and said he had deserted from
whaler, aboard which he had follow
ed for several years the occupation OF
sail-maker, all that he was fit to du
with the burden of his years and de-
crepitude. Jensen said he wasa Swede,
u native OF Wermeland, had been
l,oOl.teacher in Stockholm, and later,
4 farmer and lumberer in Wisconsin.
He was rather rcticent about himself,
however, but as he seemed quiet,
subdued old man, with genteel man
ners, spoke good English, wrote neat
hand, and was miselably poor, he was
given employment about the church
and schoUl-h0hse as sort Of super
numerary clerk, school teacher, sexton,
and Jack-at-all trades.
Jensen represented himself to be
seventy years Old, hut appeared at
least ten years older, Ee was very
tall man, bent to ,he shape Of an in
terrogation mark. He was very gaunt,
with ;,Ony extremities, and this, with
his white hair flowing in masses to his
bumped shoulders, his beardless face,
Of a dead cadavcrous white, and his
pale blue eyes sunken down and
quenchcd in the bottom Of deep hol-
lows, gave him wild, wierd, not to
say repulsive appearance. BY degrees
the Rev. Mr.. Shade, the minister in
charge Of the station, found out that
Jensen was linguist of some preten-
sions, and last winter, Mr.. Shade wish
ing to publish some books in the dia-
lects of the South Seas, employed the
Swede to prepare him vocabulary Of
the language used on the Mulgrave
Islands, with which he appeared to be
familiar. To Mr.. Shades surprise, the
old sailor showed himself versed not
only in the dialect in question, but in
hethe0ry itself comparative grammar,
in the Ind0.G Germanic analOgies, and
the principles established by Bepp and
Grimm. He would not, however, an
swer any questions as to his pastwhich
this discovery naturally prompted, and
made it q condition of his continuing
these labors that his reticence should
be respected.
As spring came on old Jensen with
drew himself more and more from in.
terc0urse with the white colony. He,
indeed, worked still at the vocabulary
most indefatigably, but he removed
from the little missionary village, took
Up his abode in a deserted hut in q |
'avine at the foot of the hill, more
han mile away, and sometimes would
lot be seen by the whites for several
lays together. At last one day he |
.ame suddenly to Mr.. Shades study,
landed him his unfinished manuscript, |
md told him he could do no more up.
~ it. Before he could be asked what
Was tho matter he had hurried away
md was gone Next day Mr.. Slade |
Fent to his hat IN search Of. him. hut
70 was not there, nor eould he be found
here theugh searched for several days
n succession It was supposed that
he old reef.roving propensity with
'hich' I'll denizens of the Pacific
stands are % familiar had come over
i'm, and he had gone Of. Consequent
=, no further search was made for him.
About ten days after, however, . nar
i've went into the hills to look after a1
mall taro patch which he had there
q q slip of fertile valley. He came
ack towards nigntfal in some alarm,
aging old Jensen was up there and
I'd chased him of with club and
nth stones.
Mr.. Slade, Mr.. Basil, and two ma
ives, next day early went in search
the old Svvof1a for q LONE l /,