Weekly Trinity journal., 1876-05-13
Truth Stranger than Fiction.


boat of the French Navy was cruising in
the Southern Pacific, and making the ISL
ct of Sslasby Gomez, barron monolith,
about two hundred miles from Easter
Island, the commander thought, as 1t
was unusually calm day, he would 90
ashore and take an observation from this
rock itself, thus getting the exact position
of the spot and correcting its bearings on
the chart, providing they differed from
his own, as he never had heard of any body
having been upon the rock, and like a
true navigator, wished to seize the oppor-
tunity for the benefit of all who might
sail these waters in all time TO come.
Manning boat they pulled for the rock, i,
and discovered that there was but one
lsnding-a small shelving place the
rest of the islet being bold and prscipi-
tous. The entire length Of this lonely
place was not more than a quarter of a
mile. without vegetation OF any kind.
Walking up the ascent they found the
blsached skeleton OF man lying upon a
level space, and near by they noticed a
broad, fiat, upright formation Of rock.
covered with figures or letters, which, on
examination, proved to be the journal Of
the unfortunate man whose bones were
lying before this terribly pathetic record
Of his isolation.
With some sharp pointed stone or she'll
he had cut into this natural tablet the
date of his shipwreck, the name of the
vessel, tho month, and day ofcommsnce-
ment OF hi, miserable Imprisonment
each day scratching one more little notch
to the terrible record, marking Off each
365 notches with a longer, deeper line, to
tell the weary hopeless years that had
dragged along since Fate had led him to
tho sxpiation of her cruel sentence.
In this awful record were notes of pass
ing sails, sometime years intervening be-
tween these days when the monotony OF
his existence was changed TO tho wild
emotion Of hope by the sight Of these
passing ships, bearing his fellow men IN
full life and hope and health before his
strsining vision, and then his dull do
spar as they passed on, ignorant Of his
existence. We can imagine the frantic
energy with which he ran up and down
his narrow prison, shouting, gesticulating
and wildly endeavoring to attract Their
attention until, conscious Of the utter fl-
tiity OF efforts, he threw himself upon
his face and gave way to the bitterness
Of his life.
From the record II seemed no had been
entirely naked since the second year OF
his shipwreck, and had since been on thu
island thirty eight years and six mouths,
the last marks having been made about
six months before the gunboat had touch
sd at the lonely theatre Of thi, sad drama
in human life.
During all these thirty-eight years this
unfortunate man had lived upon raw
shell fish and birds. The birds no caught
at night, creeping upon them whilo they
slept. There was no wood or vegetation,
nothing to make sgnal-tlre or cloud Of
smoke attract the passing ship. The man
was moro completely cut off from the
means of escape, or OF personal comfort,
than any human being OF whom history
tells us. Selkirk had fruits, running
streams, birds and animals, and during
half of his mparstivsly short insolstion,
the society of.his man Friday. But this
pitiable human creature lived upon un-
cooked fish and repusive birds, and drank
water from the holows in the rocks. sup
piled by tho frequent rains OF these lati.
tudes. But In all these years he never
tasted bread or vegetable, nor looked up
on human face--never heard any sound
save the scream OF sea.birds and the
ceaslsm murmur OF the rem0rseless sea
that forever surrounded him aid kept
him prisoner.
Napoleon st ST. Helena, Selkirk on
San Fernandez, cease to awaken tho sym
pathy which for years has been given
them, now we have read this sad history.
There Is no doubt Of tho truth Of this
statement, which we received from =
gentleman who has resided for many
years in Tahiti, and who read tho copy
Of the record taken from the tablet rock
by the French commander, who was a
good English scholar.
There is terrible emphasis In the
mute eloquence OF that which met the
eyes Of those who stepped upon tho
scene Of suffering, past and gone. The
bleached skeleton lying before that touch
ing record Of so many years OF suffering
and despair, with al occasional glimpse
of hope lifting his spirit for awhile, only
TO sink il into more utter hopslessness,
have drawn sudden tears from those who
read at glance this most pathetic page
Ia the book Of human suffering.
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