Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1878-08-01

Il Story Witch eonpsetely "Lays Oper''
that Of En0ch Arden.

L
II Story Witch Gomptesely 'eLays Orer',
that of En0ch Arden.
Cincinnati Gazette.]
=. The fact that truth is stronger than
fiction is fully demonstrated by the pres
ence of William Raines in our city. His life
for the past nine years has been passed
among the uncivlized negroes of the south
central portion of Africa, who had no Ian
guage, 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 pathoss as the
hero of Tennyson's beautiful creation,
"Enoch Arden.'' Raines worked at his trade,
that of carpenter, until September, 1869, in
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, prevailed on him at
the time above named TO make a voyage to
Cape Town, Africa, with him. The cargo
was to consist 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 reached the: west coast of
Africa, where they met with contrary winds
and bad weather, and one mornings about
daybreak, and 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 twenty-four persisted. The
names of the six who escaped are: VIM.
Raines. the narrator; Burrell and Thomson,
given names unknown, but both Americans;
Hook, an Englishman; Fielder, German,
formerly of this State; and J.. w. Lang, cap
tain of the bark. The ship having attracted
the attention of swar=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 negroes took
possession of them and distributed them
among the tribes as curiosities. They had
never seen white men before, and regarded
them as some. hing more than human. The
negroes separated.
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 d great fancy to him, and made
royal pet Of him. .He- VIA allowed Ito, 90
around of his own free will, without guard
or check of any kind whatever. The tribe.
had no 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 no knowledge of water craft of
any kind. The language was q series of
sounds,S accompanied by gestures. One
sound with appropriate gestures could have
dozen different meanings. There was NO
sickness or malaria of any kind, there being
but seven deaths by natural causes during
his whole captivity. This he attributes to
their manner of &iving. Their principal
weapon was spear or javelin, which they
could throw with marvellous dexterity for a
great distance. The only covering which
they wore " g q bteech-clout for the males,
and short skirt reaching to the knees for
the women. The dress was made jofF the.
fibre next the bark in tree, the name of
which he never heard. He also speaks Of a
medicinal plant, which the natives use Is IT,
purgatiye, and which they call clutch cav. Z =
After being with them some years and,
hsving gained their confidence, they allowed
him to wander away from the camp and stay
away day at, Q, time, After d while these
hunting trips were Heightened to- two dava.s
then three, and one fife fnoranfng found him
on camel hurrying to Cape Town. At the,
end of the second day the camel, having been
driven day and night, dropped dead from e e. :
.haustion, and ahe had hnish the distance
on foot. He arrived finally at Cape Town.
where, with difficulty, he could make himself,
understood, and passage to San Francisco
wa furnished him. ,notll55.TEo:
Hre, through the lodge of " ich he Is a
member, he found that his nam had been.
on the death-list for six years. oAa'It5 Il
But the saddest part Of this story comes
now, after reaching st. Clair. vile. Upon
his arrival here, he found that his wife. de.
spairng Of his return, and believing that ha
was dead, safterhe had beeu eonet lneevaans.
had remarked to worthy citizen 81 nj
place. His mt citing with his wife, after -his,
return, can better be imagined than depicted.
With noble self-deniaI, which his long
captivity may thaye made easy, he refused to
assert his claim his wife and child whom
he still loves dearly, but has left to his wife
the privilege of choosing between her two
husbands.
He has been positively Identified xbv Mr..
T. d. Anderson, of st. Clairsvillsih And IS e
present with his mother, at Georgetown, Ky;
while l'sI N 1 Africa he several times heard
from his uncle, who Wis q captive, md at
one time tnbe from the north, who came
to visit the tribe he MAS With. bfeaehtvors
that men like hii HIM had ersu,1aB55d the country
further north. These men he behaved to b
of'Snnley's party. The place where the ship
vas wrecked Is about 500 miles north Of
Cape Town, and just above the ysaopth Of . ]
small river. In his excape he thinks he
crossed this river, near the head -wstars,5||
where Il could Be- wsded with easa.,
Being desirious Of placing tie friends Of