The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-07-27
JEWELS Island.
BY ADAM NEwBEGIN.


can only be ascribed to recurring traits of our
Viking ancestors. With the Skipper this is
an overpowering passion, and he was ready
to improve the first bright days by trying a
new yacht which did credit to his seaman
ship and proved much faster and more COM
Portable than our old friend the Pumpkin
Seed. The young lady in the blue yachting
suit suggested that it was pity its name
commenced with an M, as more yachts were
lost whose name began with that letter than
with any other; but she was eomforted with
the assurance that there were a great many
more of them. They had thought of chang
ing the name of the yacht to the "Nixe,"
but finding that the builder had named her
after his wife, whom he affectionately STYLED
1.-THE old lady," and that it would break his
heart to alter it, the name of the little woman
was retained.
We were bound for JEWELS Island, which
was anxious to see, not having been there
for several years. 1t Is a charming place to
visit, and is famous in history, as L shall fur
ther relate. 1t was named for one George
Jewell who was drowned In Boston Harbor
in 1888. but was first owned by Henry DON
nell, who purchased it from the Indians and
occupied it for thirty years as fishing stage,
until he was driven away in the war of 1858.
BE tried to give it his own name but the old
designation has chung to it.
1t is recorded that in the massacre of 1916
"many of the inhabitants had fed from the
mainland to this remote island as place of
safety, and had trusted too securely in its
distance without taking sufficient precaution
against sudden invasion. There was at
this time fortified house upon the island.
but it was almost without occupants and
feebly guarded" In the beginning of the
September following the Indians attacked
them. Many of the people were absent pro-
curing provisions for their families, when the
enemy suddenly made their appearance.
The occupants of the garrison resolutely
defended it until some who had been abroad
returned sand desperately broke in through
the Indians" to the fort and prevented its
being taken. Several of the Indians were
killed and three of the English; two women
and two children were taken captiyes. The
wife of Richard Potts, who was washing by
the water side, was taken with her children
in sight of her husband, who was unable to
afford his family any relief. But the Indians
soon drew of, and the inhabitants were re.
heved by a government vessel, which was
sent to their assistance by some who escaped
from the island at the time of the attack.
Hyou look upon a chart of Casco Bay you
will see that Jewells Island is the outermost
habitable land and almost in the centre of the
bay, an excellent lookout from which to
watch vessels passing up and down the coast,
and old-time traditions say that here Captain
Kidd came and lay in wait for passing YES
sells, and that this was the true spot where he
buried bis treasures. Many years ago went
over the island with old Captain Chase, the
present owner, and saw many evidences of
the iabors OF treasure-seekers. The old cap-
tain said he had given permission to several
to dig there for many years in succession.
and had detected many digging without bis
permission. Some used witch-hazel rods to
guide their search, and some dug under
direction of spiritual mediums. He told of
one party who brought witch from Sacca-
Kappa and boarded her at his house for three
weeks until she found their patience wearing
out, when she said the signs had come right.
and took them to spot where she babe
them dig. They diligently made at it with
pick and shovels, but presently she cried
Hold! and announced that the instant thew
touched the pot of money the devil would
take one of them. This was too much risk
for them to face, and they ingloriously gave
up the search.
once he came upon man who had drawn
circle and put bible inside of it. He was
digging furiously. When he saw the captain
he was so startled that he leaped out of the
circle and thus broke the charm, as he said.
and he dug no more.
at another time he surprised party dig
ging in the night, and coming upon them
dressed in white they thought he was a ghost
and fed in alright.
The most curious thing he had TO show
was an inscription, rudely cut into the sur
face of ledge, which we found to be an ar
row, with the legend 1890 Cor 169e) 100000
4. K. K" This had been used as a land
mark by several treasure-seekers, and from it
they ran out various angles to find points at
which to dig. One man had secured the
exclusive privilege of digging at a spot few
rods south of this near the water, and came
many years in succession. The ground was
pretty thoroughly turned over on his reser.
walton. But out in the woods, at some dis.
lance to the west of the inscription, he
showed Us queer-looking hole that appeared
exactly as if chest had occupied it, and that
he said was dug without his knowledge, and
II any treasure was ever found on the island
he thought it must have been in that SPOT.
asked if any treasure had ever been found
on the island to his absolute knowledge. He
replied that once chest of silks, decayed and
ruined had been found and he thought thew
must have been buried by the old settlers
when they were attacked by the Indians.
The more have thought over his explana-
ton the more ! have doubted it, for the rea=
son that the settlers W no fed to that Island
were from the foreside and the inner islands,
and they were mostly poor farmers and little
likely to have had silk to hide away. Even
the well-to-do residents of the neck who took
refuge on Bangs Island carried little with
them and are not likely to have been pos
sessed OF any such valuable merchandise.
We know certainly that pirates did hover
about this coast in those old times, for in
January, 1888, an expedition sailed from
Massachusetts to Pemaquid to intercept
which had been seen there, though
they effected nothing save hanging sBlack
WHIP one of the Indian murderers of Bag
nall, whom they caught at Richmond's island.
This was sixty years before Captain Kidds
time, but there were other pirates on the
coast, for he sailed from Plymouth, England,
in April 1896 in the Adventure Galley, YES
Sci OF thirty guns, to catch pirates, and
cruised along this coast, occasionally enter
ing New York to recruit. Then he raised
his force to $50 men and turned pirate him
self. How much he had been doing al Mira.
cy on his own account in the meantime. is
not stated, but the tradition seems as re,i.
able as the scanty facts given us by history.
Appleton's Encyclopedia calls him William
Kidd, but in song and story he is invariablr