Litchfield enquirer., 1877-10-04
From the San Francisco Mail, Sept. Al LWs sEFoRE THE hAsT.F ! A

NA
 The Captain of an English ship just ar rived in port relates singular story which isworth adding to the already extensive bhdgetof marvellous tales of the ocean. The name of Captain and ship are not giy- en, as sailors are proverbially sensitive about their veracity, and there is strong flavor of romance in the shippers anec- dote.
 The official log contains this entry;- August 15, latitude, longitude James Colton, stowaway, fell from tho foretopgallant yard to the deck, and was in:tsnsls a.ss < killsd'Y .sh' .aSr1 William Bean, an ordinary seaman, while the funeral 6efgiee Nas being read over the body of Colton, jumped from the top gallant rail and sank, immediately. Ship hove to at the time. A boat was lowered. but no traces of the man was discerned. '
 ''That, said the Captain, ''is an entry that gives the key to the yarn I'll spin you," as 8 Matt reporter sat in his cabin yesterday afternoon after the monday meal. xh@H aaaaa
 shipped Bean in Liverpool. He was a tall good looking young fellow, and did not appearto be muchof seafaring man by his appearance, but he had couple oi good discharges and took him Alter he went forward among the men did noi notice him again until the second day out. The mate came aft lugging along a little bit of fellow with short curly hair and a round face. whom he had found setoWed away under the fore hatch. A lot of the men got around to see what I-vas going to say about it.
 "What the blazes made you hide away in my ship?" I said. He didn't answer g word, and seemed scared to death Then Bean stepped out and said;1 n < | ". I know that young man, Captain; he is an old chum of mine. He wanted to get a pa.sags Io oAlifofnia and had nc sI swore some at them both and then sent Lolton of n charge of the third mate who oon-got him to-work on broom. He handled the broom pretty we'll. and took sort of to polishing up the brass work and seemed sd Einelined te be indns ltrious that took him Sout of the mates watch and gave him odd jobs about the cabin, lending the steward hand and SC on. He had all night in and better grub than they got in the forecastle, but he used to always slip some of it forward to Bean. Those two were good deal togeth CT on Beans watch. and Colton would sometimes stay up allnight with him 1 Then he got to going aloft, and used gtc l handle the royals as well as any ordinary seaman on board. One day the mate said l to me, T heard those two men, Bean and Colton, talking together last night, sir and there was something queer about 1t. Bean was telling him that his mother and brothers would never forgive him., and the best thing to do when he got to San Francisco would be to write to some friend at home, but not 10 let his people know where he was. Coltop was crying and seemedsto feel very bad P Then they saw me and shut up. think Bean has made that boy Colton run away from school o1 something of the sort
 II told the mate to make work as light as he could for him. and onces wheny hse brought me up a cup of tea on the poop, had started for California.
 'Oh, no,' he said, but could not get along vel et hones And IScsahoNqgt ca 2 best
 sYou knew Bean we'll at home, didn't you? asked.
 Yes, sir. said he, and looked red and confused. sussa ssgg
 Did he induce you to run awaSg as
 No; no, sir, said he; but hes skAld u1sl he was coming in this ship That was al said about it then. A week or so afterwsrd
 when he was cleaning up my cabin. he go' hold of a photograph of my wife, which anyaftist i9 LiYFpoel he'd tndettaken rte coior and had made totch' oft. ~- ~
 Did you ever do any palnting?' ask. nl un sN& n1 got box 6fwaf6E c6lofE Epaihfa from ths third mate and some brushes and gave him few photographs to color. You sec Then the Captain opened his album an6 showed the reporter some photographs which were very skillfully and artistically retouched.
 ''I saw him once." continued the Cap tain, 'spainting the photograph of a. fine looking old lady. He told me it wal Bean s mother. We'll, to come to the day the accident occurred. was on deck a, the time. and Beanlandx Colton were gsit- ting for'ard. I.was inat goihgato calls tbs young chap aft Co 'helpethe sailmaker, Whc was working on the poop. when squal came along. The mate sang out, the roy. al halyards were let go and Coltm jump, ed into the fore rigging to Sget atoft and stow the foreroyal, for it was darkenine up to wiudward. Bean also got into the rigging and seemed to want to get up, but Colton got ahead of him" -
 ''He laid out on the yard, got hold o1 the canvas, and the next thing we knew something came whirling down on dech with thud that made me shudder. The first one at the poor fellows side was Bean.' He turned him over, for the face was toward the deck, and then he fell down in fit, and the boatswaip attended to him. The watch carried Colton's body aft. His neck. wab~ ~bpoken. | pulled. of the shirt ands thsnS1 khea the whole .sto. ry," and the skipper took glass of sher. ", and his eyes were moist.
 ''What was the mystery" asked the re porter.
 We'll" said the Captain, ''just this. Colton did not belong to our side of the deck. The body that. was sewed up zand hunceed into the deep. was d youna sHo- man, and she was Bean wife, fot I found the marriage certificate in Beans trunk with some letters that partially. explained the matter. But I'll tell you about that afterward. As soon as Bean got right he came aft looking like a ghost, and he knew by my face gthaE Ithad 'diseosered | the secret.
 "'Captain.' said he taking of his hat would you have any objection to letting me stay alone with it this nightY
 CT let him stay all night by the body and can imagine what the poor,- fellow suffered. never saw sucha ,aespairine
 face on a man in my life as that which 1 met me when Iopened the cabin door and the bands wefe suhahaoned for the funeral services. He stood by until the last mo. rnent, and when thesbody slipped off into the sea, and the shot earned it down, down iAto the blue depths, he watched il until it disappeared. Then he jumped on the topgallant rail, and before any one could grab him he was gone. D 8 l ssAnd the detters9f kT 1sa F@2sC 1 "Is hunted through his trunk, said the skipper, ,as'and found bundle Of letters which am going to enclose to his friends at homeI From what I could learn from them it appears that Bean (which was ar assumed name1 vas young fellow oi good family but very wild The girl's people were also well of andg reputable
 She knew him from boy apd ran away with him. and they were married. Ht l. vent t0 aA0 after that and aha vvanf hocL