Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-08-22
'oung man fully realized the peril Of

was due. But further thought or &C
ton was suddenly stayed by loud
cry from the sea, off the lee bow.
The next instant there was plainly
heard, in a strangely familiar voice,
the startling words, thrice repeated !:
CAN lie All a lie All lie Y
Scarcely had the iutonations Of
the strange words died away, and be-
fore the surprised and startled crew
had time to recover from the shock of
the unexpected and mysterious warn
ing, when again the same voice,
sounding SO much like the dead, was
heard giving this time the surprising
expression
Twas Warren Gregg Twas
Wsrren Gregg Twas Warren
Gregg I"
To attempt to portray the astonish
meut and startled amazement of Off
GERS and crew, would be q failure
Their actions were beyond description
One and all stood in blank astonish-
ment, staring unconsciously perhaps,
upon the first mate, who, like the gull.
ty wretch he was, trembled from
head to foot, deathly pallor over
spreading his features, until maddened
to desperation by the terrible accusa-
ton of the mysterious, accuser, his
pent-up guilt, which he could hold NO
longer, burst forth into wild. frenzi'
ed cry:
"Who dares to accuse me y -
The quick eye of Haywood, if no
other, saw the guilt Gregg so plainly
showed. and prompted by self-iuterest,
be exclaimed
81 dol"
Liar! y Kissed tho trem bling
wretch, and then. with a horrible oath,
he bounded upon him, murder plainly
written upon his every look and
action.
But the sailors quietly interpossd,
when he turned upon them aud fierce
struggle ensued,
Secure him = cried the skipper,
as soon as the crew bad succeeded in
overpowering him. We will keep
both in irons aud wait further develop
ments."
But though everything was doue
that could be to ascertain the cause of
those strange cries from the sea, the
day passed without solving the mystic
ry, aud the superstitious sailors all be-
lievsd that the dead had spoken. And
their belief was strengthened when
there was beard, at different intervals
the following night, the same voice,
only more sad and mournful, saying
this time:
warren Gregg, murderer
The next morning Gregg called the
captain below to whom, he made full
confession of his crime, saying he had
killed Lewis installing him for young
Haywood and then, upon his Bonded
knees, the guilty wretch begged for
mercy.
The only reply he received was to
wait till be reached port
Gregg's confession clearing Hey
wood of all guilt, te was fred ate
once and partly to atone for the in>
Justice he had done him, the captain
gave him the berth of first officer.
One morning, few days later,
Gregg was missing, and as no trace of
him could be found, it was supposed
that he must have got upon the deck
during the night, when, unseen and
unheard, he had thrown himself into
the sea. That to escape the punish-
ment of man be had gone to receive
the judgment Of his Maker, with an,
other crime upon his already blackened
soul.
The voice from the sea was not
heard after the murderer's confession,
and soon the superstitious mariners
ceased to speak of it, having solved
the mystery to their satisfaction, by
deciding that the dead had already
spoken IN vindication of the character
Of the innocent victim. J.
In the due course of time port was
safely made.
A year later Frank Meywood and
Mabel Stanford were united in wed
lock, amid the congratulations Of all
their friends.
But the strangest and best part of it
all was, that among the wedding
guests was Lewis Stanford, the BRIDES
brother, who, instead of having per-
ished on that night, as was supposed,
had, by the aid of a box which had
been thrown overheard among some
other things, managed to keep aaoat
till morning, when an outward bound
ship had picked him up; and after con-
siderable difficulty he had succeeded in
getting home 10 season to attend his
sisters wedding.
Thus their cup of happiness was
full to overlooking, and in their great
Joy the crimes and mlsdoings of the
evil-minded mate were forgiven and
forgotten.
r.