The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-02-26
A FEMININE CRUSOE.
Alone ON a Dreary Desert Island for
Eighteen Years.
[San Francisco Chronicle.l

Alone ON DreaFy Desert Island for
Eighteen Years.
[San Francisco Chronicle.l
The romance of Robinson Crusoe," wo
ven SO ingeniously by the imaginative De
Foe from the slender thread of fact afforded
by the narrative OF Alexander Selkirk, who
for over four years was the sole human in
habitant of the lonely island of Juan Fer
nandez, possesses perennial interest 1t
appeals to the sympathies of the reader, and
by the fascination of its style almost per-
susdes him to accept it as veritable history.
The story which we are about to relate,
though true in every particular, possesses a
remarkable similarity in many of its Incl
dents to the tale told by De Foe, and affords
another illustration of the adage that
truth is stranger than fiction" In the
spring of 1885 the small schooner, Peor es
NADIA, built at Monterey, was chartered by
Lewis Il. Burton and Issac J. Sparks for an
otter-hunting expedition from Santa Barbara
to the coast of Lower California. The
schooner sailed in May, butthe trip not prov
turned as far north as San Pedro, where she
remained at anchor during portion of the
month OF August of the same year. 1t being
known that the small island of San
Nicholas, situated about 10 miles south
west of San Pedro and little further
southeast from Santa Barbara, was in
habited by number of Indians, the Poor es
NADIA was dispatched TO remove them to the
main land. Nineteen men, women and
children were taken on board the schooner.
which was preparing to depart. when one of
the Indian mothers discovered that two of
her offspring had been forgotten and left on
the island. With true maternal devotion
she sprang into the water and swan TO the
shore in search of the missing children, one
of which was three years of age and the
other an infant unable to walk. Her bur
RED search was unavailing and, abandoning
oil ~ fndl ha hah aa she rcfnrna0
to the beach just in time to see the schooner
sailing away with all her friends on board.
SHE CALLED PRACTICALLY
for some one to take her TO the vessel, but
received no reply, but the one sad word,
man yana tomorrow, which never after
ceased TO ring in her ear, and was repeated
on her dying bed. The schooner never went
back to the island, which was not again
visited until 1851, when George Nldever,
another hunter, stopped there for few
days. He was not previously aware that the
place was inhabited, but on this occasion he
became convinced that such was the case.
He noticed three small circular enclosures,
about 200 yards from the beach, and about
mile apart. They were about six feet in d.
ameter, and msde of brush, the walls five
feet high, with small opening on one side.
Near these openings were sticks of drift
wood stuck In the ground in the form OF
tripod, supporting dried seal biubber.
These Enclosures appeared to be simply
wind breaks affording no protection from
the rain. He also saw
A MYSTERIOUS FOOTPRINT,
and Judged it to be that of a woman from its
small size and arcbed center. An approach
ing storm obliged Nidever's vessel TO leave
the island without allowing him to pursue
his investigations any further. Mr.. Nidever
having seen many otter on his first trip to
the island made second during the winter
.k<.l hx-f rcCrD
Fathers of Santa Barbara. he and party de
termined to make a careful hunt for the
supposed lone inhabitant of the island.
Within half mile of the head OF the island
they discovered basket in the crotch of a
bush or small tree, covered with sealskin,
and containing a dress made of shags'
skins-a sea fowl common in that
section-carefully folded up, and Several
square pieces of skins similar to those OF
which the dress were made; also rope made
of seal sinews abaione shell fish-hooks, bone
needles, etc. As 1t was late, and time for
them 10 return to their boat for the night,
Mr.. Nidever scattered the contents of the
basket on the ground, so that upon his re-
turn he could judge of the presence or ab-
sence of the owner by finding them
gathered up or remaining as he left them
The following four or mOEe days were epent
in otter hunting, and before the search fol
the Indian woman was renewed southeast
gale compelled them to seek a more hos
pitable harbor at the island Of San Miguel.
THIRD EXPEDITION,
made TO the island IN 1858, by Nidever
Charles Brown and four Indians from the
Santa Barbara mission, was more successful
On the Cay after landing Mr.. Brown discov
cred the object of their search at distance
and cautiously approaching in an Opposite
direction from the remainder of the par ~
got quite close to her without being OBJ
CDa iy,n oF hor ms mr. wi nd
breaks, clothed in q garment made OF The
skins of the shag. without sleeves, low
necked and, as observed when standing
up, extending almost to the ankles
She was sitting cross-legged, skin
ming seal bluher with rude knife made of
piece of hoop-iron driven into piece o
wood. There was no covering on her hea(
excepting thick mass of matted hair of
yellowish- brown color, due to the exposur
to the sun and air. The hair was short
looking as though the free ends had rottet
Off She would occasionally raise her han,
and shade her eyes and look toward tn
other men on sandy plain near the beach
whom she evidently saw. The balance @
the party were now signaled in order that
SHE MIGHT BE CAPTURED
If she attempted to escape. To the surprls
of all she made no attempt to get away, Blu
greeted each one as they approached with
bow and smile, and chartered all the tim
in dialect that none of them understood
although the Indians accompanying Nj
Nidever were acquainted with several India
dialects. She was talking apparently to he
self from the time Mr. Brown approache
within hearing distance until che was mad
aware of his presence. The expression {
her face was pleasing, her features were rel
nlar, and her complexion much faire
and her form more symmetrics
than that of the Indian women o
the main land; and she is believed to hay
belonged to 3 different and superior rae
By signs and other means of communicate
she was made aware that they wanted her
accompany them, and without any appareI
hesitation she made ready to follow.
their course to where the schooner lay
anchor they found beautiful spring of wat
issuing from the bank above the breac
under a shelving rock. The cracks or Fl
sures in this rock were stuck full
bones, and there were other evidences
an encampment of the lone inhabitant