Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-09-29

light as he could for him, and once,
when he brought me up a cup of
tea on the poop, | asked him if his
friends knew that he had started
for California.
"0h, no." he said, "but / could
not get along well at home and l
thought it best to go away"
You knew Bean well at home,
didn't you?" / asked.
eyes, sir" said he, and looked
red and confused.
"Did he induce you to run
away"
"No; no, sir" said he; "but he
told me he was coming in this ship"
That was all had said about it
then. A week or so afterwards,
when he was cleaning up my cabin
he got hold of a photograph Of my
wife which an artist in Liverpool
had undertaken to color, and had
made a botch of it.
"Did you ever do any painting?"
asked. He said he could paint q
little, and / got a box of water
color paints from the third mate
and some brushes, aud gave him a
few photographs to color. You see
how well he did it. He surprised
mep
Then the captain opened his al
bum and showed the reporter some
photographs which were very skill
fully and artistically retouched.
81 saw him once" continued the
captain, "psinting the photograph
of fine looking old lady. He told
me it was Beams mother. Well, to
come to the day the accident oc-
Cured. | was on deck at the time,
and Bean and Cotton were sitting
for'ard. / was just going to call
the young chap aft to help the sail.
maker who was working on the
poop, when a squall came along
The mate sang out, the royal hal,
yards were let 60, and Cotton
Jumped into the fOre-rigging to get
aloft and stow the foreroyal, for il
was darkening up to windward
Bean also got into the rigging and
seemed to want to get up, but Col
ton got ahead of him.
: 'He laid out on the yard, go
hold Of the canvas and the next
thing we knew something came
whirling down on the deck with ;
thud that made me shudder. Th,
first one at the poor fellows side
was Bean. He turned him over, fol
the face was toward the deck, an(
then he fell down in fit and th,
boatswain attended to him. ThC
watch carried Colton's body aft
, His neck was broken. / pulled Of
{ the shirt and then l knew the Who'll,
story" and the skipper took glas
of sherry and his eyes were moist
|, "What was the mystery?" asked
: the reporter.
"Well," said the captain, "jus
this. Cotton did not belong to ou
!. . side of the deck. The body tina
was sewed up and launched int
the deep was young woman, ant
she was Deans wife, for founC
! the marriage certificate in Bean
! trunk with some letters that par
TALLY explained the matter. Blu
I'll tell you about that afterwards
AS soon as Bean got right he cam
aft looking like a ghost, and he
! knew by my face that ! had discov
cred the secret.
"'Captain, ," said he, taking off bi
hat, 'wouldyo have any objection
I, to letting me stay alone with it thi'
nightT
81 let him stay all night by th
! body, and can imagine what tn,
poor fellow suffered. ! never saw
! such a despairing face on a man il
4 my life as that which met me whel
! | opened the cabin door and tn
! hands were summoned for tn,
funeral services He stood by unit
the last moment, and when tn
body slipped off into the sea, an,
! the shot carried it down, down int
! the blue depths, he watched it til
: it disappeared. Then he jumpe,
on the top-gallant rail, and befor
any one could grab him, he wa
/ gone"
"And the letters?"
81 hunted through his trunk,
! ! said the skipper, "and found a bun
! die of letters which | am going +
! inclose to his friends at home
7 : From what | could learn from then
! ! it appears that Bean (Which was al
! assumed name) was a yonng felloy
of good family, bat very wild. Th,
girls people were also well off an,
reputable. She knew him from
boy and ran away with him, an,
! they were married. lie went to SCI
! after that and she went back t,
school. When he returned the,
tried to make it up with the ole
folks, but they would not have il
/, So the young fools, without a six
pence to bless themselves with
came on board my ship. Sound
like a novel, but it is all just as
told you, and here are the proofs,