The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-07-27
0hio's Enoch Arden ~ The Eyentful
Story OF VIM. Raines, Of st.
Clairsville.
cincinnati Gazette, |


! Cincinnati Gasette,l
The fact that "truth is stranger than
/ felton, is fully demonstrated by the
presence of WIN. Raines in our city.
His life for the last 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 white man, and whose time was
spent in waging war upon their neigh
bors, The history of his life is fraught
with as much pathos as the hero of
Tennyson's beautiful creation, Enoch
Arden" Raines worked at his trade,
| that of carpenter, 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 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 pro-
crossed finely until they reached the
west coast Of Africa, where they met
with contrary winds and bad weather,
and one morning about daybreak, and
in the midst of terrible storm, the
ship struck a reef and went to pieces
about two hundred yards from the
shore.
Six of the crew reached the shore in
safety. The remaining twenty-four per-
ished. The names of the six who es-
capped are: VIM. Raines the narrator;
Burrell and Thompson, given names I'M
known, but both Americans; Hook, an
Englishman; Fielder, German, for
merly 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 in
terror 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 pos
session of them and distributed them
among the tribes rs curiosities. They
had never seen white men before, and
regarded them as something more than
human. The negroes separated.
Raines was carried about five hundred
miles into the interior, where the tribe
that had the war party lived. The
king of the tribe took great fancy to
him. and made royal pet of him. He
was allowed TO 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 watercraft
of any kind. The language was series
of sounds, 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 cap
tivity. This he attributes to their man.
ner of living. Their principal weapon
was spear or javelin, which they could
throw with marvellous dexterity and for
great distance. The only covering
which they wore was breech clout for
the males, and short skirt reaching
down to the knees for the women. The
dress was made of the fiber next the
bark in tree, the name Of which he
never heard. He also speaks of me-
dicinal plant, which the natives use as
a purgative, and which they call cutch-
cav.
After being with them some years,
and having gained their confidence, they
allowed him to wander away from the
camp and stay away for day at time
After while these hunting trips were
heightened to two days, then three, and
one fine morning 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 exhaustion, and he had to finish
the distance on foot. He arrived finally
at Cape Town, where, with difficulty,
he could make himself understood. and
passage to San Francisco was furnished
him.
Here, through the lodge of which he
was a member, he found that his name
had been on the death list for six years.
But the saddest part of his story
comes now, after reaching st. Glars.
vile. Upon his arrival here, he found
that his wife, despairing of his return,
and believing that he was dead, after
he had been gone three years, had re-
married to worthy citizen of that
place. His meeting with his wife, after
his return, can better be imagined than
depicted. With a noble self denial
which his long captivity may have
made easy, he refused to assert his claim
to his wife and child whom he still loves
dearly, but has left to his wife the priv
ilege of choosing between two husbands
He has been positively identified BY
Mr.. L. ii. Anderson, Of st. Cla'rsville
and is at present with his mother, al
Georgetown, Kentucky.
While in Africa he several times
heard from his uncle, who was captive
and at one time tribe from the North,
who came to visit the tribe he was with
brought word that men like him hao
crossed the country further north
These men he believes to be of Stanley
party. The place where the ship wa
wrecked is about five hundred miles
north of Cape Town, and just above ths
mouth of small river. In his e-cap'
he thinks he crossed this river near thu
headwaters, where it could be wadee
with ease. !,
Being DESTROYS of placing the friend
of any of the above parties In commu