The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-06-15
Saved From a Horrible Death.

! saved FROM HOrrlDle Death.
IL1eTHE log of the bark Carrie Long,
that arrived in this port on Monday
from Buenos Ayres, by way of Matan-
zas, shows that on Feb. IL, when 200
miles off the Brazilian coast, her crew
discovered raft, upon which was
man in the last stages of exhaustion.
The men of the Carrie Long took him
off and brought him to this port. This
man, thus saved by the merest chance
from a horrible death, was found yes
terday asleep in a bunk on board the
bark. He is an athletic young negro,
about twenty-five years of age, and,
thanks to the kind treatment received
at the hands of Capt. Park and his men,
he shows no traces of his terrible suffer-
ings. He speaks no language but the
patOiS of the Brazilian negro, and, in
this tongue, tells his story.
His name is Manuel Francesca, and
he is a Brazilian, though he refuses to
tell to what portion of the Empire
he belongs. Two years ago he was con-
victed of petty theft in Rio Janeiro,
and was sentenced to penal servitude
of five years on the Island of Fernando
de Noronha. On this arid rock, be-
meath the burning rays of an equatorial
sun, he worked in the chain gang,
whose tagging energies were constantly
stimulated by prods from the bayonets
of their soldier guards After a years
experience of this horrible life, Fran
cescO determined to escape or die in the
attempt.
BY good conduct and strict obedience
he obtained the position of servant in
settlement. At the end of two years he
had, with the assistance of two COM
panions, collected a small store of pro-
visions, few bits of cordage, and q
piece of an old sail. These were con-
veyed, by night, to one of the many
barren rocks forming the Fernando de
Noronha group. This rock they had
reached by swimming, and here they
also collected, from the drift on the
beach, quantity of bamboo joints,
from which they constructed n rude
raft about ten feet square and two feet
thick. A short mast, stepped at one
end of the float, supported their bit of
a sail, and broken oar formed their
steering apparatus.
The escape was effected on dark
night, and they were waited from the
hated island by light breeze, which
they fondly hoped would carry them to
Cape st. Rogue, 210 miles away.
At daylight Fernando de NOronha
was but cloud in the horizon, the
breeze had died out, and the intrepid
voyagers lay becalmed, with the long,
heaving swell of the Atlantic threaten
ing the demolition of their frail raft.
From the first they suffered for want of
water, of which their supply was very
limited. Their provisions became thor
oughly saturated with salt water and
eating them increased their thirst. On
the third day one of the party was pros
trated by fever, and on the fourth his
dead body slid from the little raft, and
was seized by the sharks that furked
beneath it and waited for the prey that
an unerring instinct told them must
sooner or later be theirs. On the even
ing of the succeeding day a terrible
storm hurled the little raft hither and
thither, at times completely submerged
beneath the huge waves. Francesca
chung to box that was dashed to the
raft amidships, and his companion
chung to the mast. In the darkness a
great rush of water, a swapping of
wood, and yell Of anguish told Fran
ceSco that his companion had gone, and
that the sharks had caught another vic
tim.
For five days more the raft floated at
the mercy of wind and waves; but of
these days Francesca knows little. He
was without food or water, and had
periods of Inconsistencies. On the
morning of the tenth day, as the Carrie
Long came bearing directly down upon
him, he was barely able to utter a
hoarse cry, and to feebly wave a bit of
rag. torn from his shirt. As boat
from the bark neared the raft two
sharks left its shadow and darted swift
ly away. When the rescued man was
placed on the deck of the bark he was
unable to stand, but in feeble panto-
mime begged for water. A gill of wa
ter was poured down his swollen throat,
and, half an hour afterward, as much
more, mixed with gin, revived him so
that he was able to swallow a few
mouthfuls of soup. His body was COW
cred with running sores, and he was u
most pitiable object; but his recovery was
rapid, and was perfected long before
his arrival here.
Capt. Park is in quandary as to
what disposition he shall make of his
waif, and is in hopes that he will run
away. When they arrived at Matan-
zas, Francesca was much alarmed at
the presence and questions of the Gus
| TT,n,, sg OF,
the Brazilian Consul demanded that he
should be delivered to the local officials,
and held in jail until his case could be
communicated to the Brazilian author
tiles; but Capt. Park said "No, sir;
he deserves his liberty after the efforts
he made to obtain it. | saved him from
death, and I'm not going to consign
him to prison. You can thave him, and