The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-07-27

Captain Chase knows something about pi-
| rates himself. He was once captured by
piratical vessel, but being Mason, member
of old Portland Lodge he made them sign,
which was quickly responded to by one of
the cut-throats, and he was kindly treated
and released. 1t is puzzle to me where all
these pirates get initiated. 1 have known
half dozen we'll verified incidents of SINH
lar character, and heard of many more not so
we'll authenticated. Perhaps some of the
nice, humane, kindhearted Masons get so
worried by their wives because they will not
reveal the secrets of Masonry, that they run
away and turn pirates. asked my friend,
the little widow, what she thought about
that theory, and she said she should not be
| surprised, and it would be just the thing
they ought to do if they would not tell
Captain Chase has been quite a famous
character in his way, and knows many curl
Gus things. 1t was from him that first
learned the secret of charming Holsters so
that they would not move, by standing them
| up on their heads with the big claws drawn
in and stroking their backs. saw it tried at
the islands. We had been catching some lit
| tie fellows for supper with an old hoop baited
with sculpin, and after. boiling some, con-
cuded to try the others roasted in the shell
as the hotels advertise them. Not knowing
| the process, we stood them up in pan, and
charmed them so they would not crawl out,
and then put them in the oven, where they
stood patiently until they were elegantly
roasted. But have thought since that per-
| haps it was more cruel than boiling alive,
which is the usual way, though I doubt if
the Holsters are fond of that.
But Captain Chase is growing very old
now, and our GRAND to the island was
partly to carry him present, and when
we arrived at the head of the little cove on
the north side, there he was standing hope
fully on the rocks waiting for us. As the
skipper passed him the package he took it by
tbs straw covering and out slipped bottle
upon the rocks. The old gentleman trem-
bled so with fear lest the treasure was spilled
that we all trembled with him, but the glass
was stout and we were all happy again.
Then we landed and explored the Island
for flowers and other spoil, and begged the
skipper to take long walk with me and find
the inscription in the rock. The weather
was rather warm for walking, but he looked
me full in the eye and said firmly, 'tNow
know, Newbegin, that you have got long
story to tell about this Island, and the next
time l camp out somebody will bring the
Press down with it printed, and insist on
reading it all over again, as they did the last
one you wrote, and poke fun at me for every
thing said. If you will agree not to tell
word of it on the trip, will give you leave to
print, as they do the long speeches in Con-
gress, and am sure to have to swallow it
once at least In return for sparing me I
will walk all over the Island with YOU" It
was hard trade. but agreed, and so we
took long walk 4skirting the shores, but
failed to find the inscription after all, as I
had approached it from different direction
on the former occasion. But we found nests
of the heron for which the bay is named, and
many shells which the crows had brought in
aud dropped on the rocks to break, that the
sly birds might enjoy the contents, little
things which reminded us that this Island is
still wild, compared to the more frequented
shores of the inner bay. Then we had de-
lightful view of the bay from the point of Sc
gum on the East to that of Cape Elizabeth
on the West, with the lonely lighthouse on
Hallway Rock broad off on the horizon.
Many year ago vessel was wrecked on
that rock, and the drowned sailors were
buried on JEWELS Island, where their graves
may still be seen. And when we were tired
and turned back, there was most lovely
view of the Island and Harpswell Neck,
which was well worth the coming to see.
"But to our tale" as the author of Bluebeard
sings.
els 1t not more probable that he buried his
treasure here? said to my New York friend
as we sat on White Head, one Summer after.
noon, looking down toward JEWELS Island.
He was tall, fine-looking, middle-aged man
with gray beard and whiskers, large nose
somewhat inclined to redness, and was
bachelor. l had made his acquaintance at
the Ottawa House, the previous Summer,
and we had fallen into custom of smoking
our cigars on White Head, and gossiping
about old times. may mention that he was
somewhat reticent, and an uncommonly good
listener, so that had conceived quite fond
ness for him.
81 never have said anything about it be-
FORE" he replied, 'but don't mind telling
you that he did bury his treasures on Jew
ellis Island. He may have also buried
some on GARDENERS Island, near New York,
but never knew anything about that
He took out fresh cigar, cut off the end
with his penknife and lighted it in silent, de-
Lucrative way which delighted my soul, for I
saw it meant business. said not word
and when he had lighted it he resumed
slowly:
you remember little Joe Atwell, who was
carried away captive by the Indians in 1876.
and escaped? Well, in 1890 he was again
captured at the taking of Fort Loyal, when
the town was destroyed, and was carried off
to Canada. There he fell into the hands of
Frenchman who had married an English
Wife. The wife had died, and the French
man had pretty half-breed daughter; and
about 1895 he came down here among the
Indians who held the bay for several years,
bringing his daughter and his servant Joe.
who seems to have been treated rather as a
friend than as captive, and settled on Jew
ellis Island. The Frenchman may have been
pirate himself in earlier days; at any rate
he welcomed the rowing adventures to his
house, and supplied their wants without any
conscientious scruples about dealing with
them.
Soon after this the English settlers began
to return to their former settlements on the
Cape shore. Willis says the Jordans were
the first to come, in 1897, and that thew set
tied at Spurwink. think they may have
come earlier, for Joe seems to have left the
Island and gone to live at Spurwink, from
which place he frequently padded down in
his canoe to see the old Frenchman and his
nrAffD ~danahtAr loo had nanaaAd- 10 fall
very deeply in love with the maiden, who
had just enough of the Indian nature to
make her peculiarly attractive IN on A,