American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-08-03
WILLIAM RA1NES.
A Story which Completely Lays OVER
that of Enoch Arden.
From the Cincinnati Gazette.l

A Story which Completely ..Lays Over'
that of Enoch Arden.
From the Cincinnati Gazette.l
The fact that " truth is stranger than
fiction" is fully demonstrated by the
presence of William Raines in our city.
His life for the past nine years has been
passed among the uncivilized negroes of
the south-central portion of Africa, who
had no language, cultivation, or any
idea of time; who had never before seen
a white man, and whose time was spent
in waging war upon their neighbors.
The history of his life is fraught with
fully as much pathos as the hero of
Tennyson's beautiful creation, "Enoch
Arden" Raines worked at his trade,
until September, 1869, in St. Clairsville,
in this State. Fortune had dealt kindly
with him, and blessed him with loving
wife and one child.
His uncle, who was the owner and
Captain of the bark Mary Ellen, pre-
vailed on him at the time above named
to make a voyage to Cape Town, Afri-
ca, with him. The cargo was to con-
sist of farming implements and live
stock. He drew two months wages
and gave the money to his wife, and the
Mary Ellen started with her crew of
thirty about the middle of September.
They progressed finely until they reach
ed the west coast of Africa, where they
met with contrary winds and bad
weather, and one morning about day
break, in the midst of terrible storm,
the ship struck rock, and went to
pieces about 200 yards from the shore.
| Six of the crew reached the shore in
safety. The remaining "a persisted.
The names of the six who escaped are:
| VIM. Raines, the narrator; Burrell and
Thompson, given names unknown, but
both Americans; Hook, an Englishman !;
Fielder, a German, formerly of this State |;
and j. w. Lang, Captain of the bark.
The ship having attracted the attention
of war-party of negroes, who had come
from the interior to fight one of the
coast tribes, they watched it all night
through the storm, and when she broke
up and the men reached shore, the ne
groes took possession of them and dis
tributed them among the tribes as curl
osities. They had never seen white men
before, and regarded them as something
more than human. The negroes sep
arated.
Raines was carried about 500 miles
into the interior, where the tribe that
the war-party belonged to lived. The
King of the tribe took a great fancy to
him, and made Royal pet of him. He
was allowed to 60 around of his own
free viii, without guard or check Of any
kind whatever. The tribe had nc
knowledge of the cultivation of the soil
their principal food was the fruit, which
everywhere grew abundant, roots, herbs
and monkey flesh. The country they
occupied was high and sandy in some
places, but the water was excellent, cool
and clear. The rivers were muddy and
scarce of fish. The natives had nc
knowledge of water craft of any
kind. The language was Sc.
ries of sounds, accompanied by
gestures. One sound with appropriate
gestures could have dozen different
meanings. There was no sickness OF
malaria of any kind, there being but
seven deaths from natural causes during
his whole captivity. This he attributes
to their manner of living. Their prin.
cipal weapon was a spear or javelin,
which they could throw with marvellous
dexterity for a great distance. The only
covering which they wore was a breech.
clout for the males, and short skirt
reaching to the knees for the women
The dress was made of the fibre nex1
the bark in a tree, the name of which he
never heard. He also speaks of a me-
dicinal plant, which the natives use as 8
purgative, and which they call cutct
cav.
After being with them some years and
having gained their confidence, they al
lowed him to wander away from the
camp and stay away a day at time
After while these hunting trips were
heightened to two days, then three, ant
} one fine morning found him on a came
hurrying to Cape Town. At the end O.
: the second day the camel, having beer
driven day and night, dropped deat
from exhaustion, and he had to finish
} the distance on foot. He arrived finally
at Cape Town, where, with difficulty
he could make himself understood, ant
/ passage to San Francisco was furnished
him.
Here, through the lodge of which hi
is member, he found that his name hae
been on the death-list for six years.
But the sad dest part of this story
comes now, after reaching St. Clairs
vile. Upon his arrival here, he found
that his wife, despairing of his return
and believing that he was dead, after HI
had been gone three years, had remar
ried to worthy citizen of that place
His meeting with his wife, after his re
turn, can better be imagined than de
picted. With noble self-denial, which
his long captivity may have made easy
he refused to assert his claim to hi
wife and child whom he still loves dear
ly, but has left to his wife the privilege
of choosing between her two husbands
He has been positively identified by
Mr.. T. II. Anderson, of St. Clairsville
and is at present with his mother, a
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