Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-09-16
he signal he was to have displayed

Tie 10 rest ON the mlrr0r-Ilke water, Others
put on in canoes to meet the bOatmen, and
gossip concerning the trip. Jedries had
found no trace of living beings on the island,
and whether the woman had been beaten to
death in the surf, or died after gaining the
land, would probably never be known, The
schooner was left idly rocking close to shore;
sailors and landsmen strolled slowly up to
the town. Night mantled the moaning wa
tiers, land the great deep was left in possession
of another secret.
The return Of Jeffries brought up the in
cldent which by some had been almost for
| gotten. For few hours, little was talked OF
save the heroic young mother and her child
| in the sea-girt isle.
Time passed swiftly on, and in the dreamy
full contentment of the land the dead woman
Of San Nicolas slipped from mind, and
| thought, and speech.
| Tom Jeffries's visit to San Nicolas was
| the theme Of more than one days gossip.
The island he described as seven or eight
| miles long, by three or four in width; the
body of the land near six hundred feet above
| the beach, the plateau falling in steep gulches
| to the sea. So fabulous were his yarns, that
| the interest OF the other hunters was aroused,
| fitted out, and George Nidiver, accompanied
by Thomas .Ieffries and crew of Indians,
| started on an otter hunt to the wonderful
otter-beds seventy miles away.
landing Was effected near the southern
| end of the island, and, climbing the cliffs to
see where the otter lay, they had magniti-
cent view of the islands to the north and
east.
! The otter-hunters did not linger long on
! the cliff, for on one side they found the rocks
swarming with black seal, thousands Of
them mingling their sharp bark with the
| heavy roar Of sea-liOns. The otter were
thick on the reefs, and q stranded whale lay
in the edge OF the crinkling surf. The party
| remained six weeks in camp on the beach.
| Before the schooner left the vicinity of San
| Nicolas, terrible storm arose, lasting for
| eight days, carrying away mast and drag
| ging the anchor, so that another had to be
improvised of q bag filled with stone. Dur
ing the tempest, a sailor fancied he saw q
human figure on the headland Of the island.
| Through the washes of spray it seemed to be
| running up and down the edge of the plateau,
beckoning and shouting. The Captain was
called, but the apparition had vanished On
run over to San Miguel, and from there to
Santa Barbara, where the sailors story of
the reckoning ghost of San Nicolas haunted
for long time the dreams Of the supersti-
tiOus on shore.
A second cruise of the otter hunters failed
to bring any additional news of the phantom
of the sea. Everything on land was just as
before; not q leaf had been disturbed, not q
track was found.
In July, 1853, the otter-men made a third
trip to San Nicolas, anchored off the north
east side, and established a camp on shore.
The party consisted Of Captain Nidiver, a
fisherman named Carl Detman, who went
among sailors by the sObriQuet of Charlie
Brown, an Irish cook and a crew Of Mission
Indians.
The evening after their arrival, Nidiver
and Brown strolled several miles down the
beach, enjoying their pipes and discussing
plans for work. 1t was one Of those limpid
nights, such as California knows-a night
when the stars shine large and warm from
the low sky, when the moon burns with an
amber blaze, and fragrance is in the air.
As the comrades were about to retrace
their steps, Nidiver stopped, looked quickly
ined something on the ground. In the weird
moonlight, plainly outlined on the lonely
shore, was the print of a slender, naked
foot.
"The woman of San Nicolas! My God,
she is living!'
that friends were come to rescue her. Over
come by the conviction that the lost woman
must have been near when he was in camp
two years before-that it was not creation
of fancy, but living being, they had seen in
the storm-the Captain ran to and fro,
calling, looking and swearing by turns.
Hours were spent by the two men in search,
but in vain. ..
The next day, Nidiver found basket of
PUSHES hanging in tree. 1t contained bone
needles, thread made of sinews, shell fish
hooks, ornaments, and partially completed
robe Of birds plumage, made OF small
squares neatly matched and sewed together.
Nidiver proposed replacing the things, but
Brown scattered them about, saying that, if
they were picked up, it would be proof that
the owner had visited the spot. Inland
they discovered several circular, roof1ess
Enclosures, made Of woven brush. Near
these shelters were poles, with dried meat
hanging from elevated cross-pieces. The
grass was growing in the pens, and nothing
indicated their recent habitation. In fis-
sures of perpendicular rocks near the springs
were wedged dried fish and seals blubber;
but no sign of the near presence of the her
mtess.
After several days, the men abandoned the
chase. There was no doubt that some one
had been on the island very lately. Either
the woman, or the child grown to woman
hood, had lived there, or, perhaps, both
mother and child had survived until recently.
But they must have been dead months at
least. The footprint was older than at first
supposed. The robe had not been replaced
in the tree. The captive perchance died of
despair after they left her reckoning in the
storm. 49,.
After that, the fishing went on for weeks,
and they were about returning home, when
Nidiver said he believed person was hiding
on the island. II she was living he was
bound to find her. If dead, he would find
her body i he had to scrape the island inch
by inch. This provoked laugh of derision.
or course the wild dogs had devoured her
remains. But Nidiver was convinced that
the woman was afraid; had concealed her.
self, possibly on the opposite side of the
| island, where the shore was precipitous, diff
ficult of access, containing perhaps gulches
and caves unknown to them. The men
murmured at the delay, were incredulous as
to the success Of the raid, rebelled at the long
| tramps over . wild country.
The old Captain was firm; suitable pre-
parations were made, and the entire force of
| Otter-men started on their final hunt for
ghost. Near the head of the island they came
across the bone house Jeffries had described.
Rushes were skillfully interlaced in the rib
| frame work, an ola and old basket were near
| the door. 1t stood amidst untrampled weeds.
After several days march, a dangerous climb
| over slippery rocks brought Brown to spot
| where there were fresh footprints. He fol-
| lowed them up the cliffs until they were lost
| in the thick moss that covered the ground.
Walking further he found piece Of drift
wood, from which he concluded the person
| had been to the beach for fire-wood, and
| dropped the faggot on her way home. From
| a high point on the ridge he saw the men
| moving about below. Then his eye caught
| q small object q long way off on the hills. 1t
appeared like = crow at first glance, but it
moved about in singular manner. Advance
ing toward 1t stealthily, he was dumfounded
| to fin that IL Wac thu head of woman