The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1880-04-08
NOTABLE CHARACTERS.
An Ancient mAriner-The Hermit of D
street-A Reformed BushrAnger-The
Slave whO wal Freed by Prayer.

And mate Of the Nancy brig,
The boatswain tight and midshipmite,
And crew OF the captains gig"
This was the snatch sung by a long
haired, weather beaten sailor, who sat
on a San Francisco wharf, one day last
week, there being around him on every
side a crowd Of curious loungers.
Moored to the wharf was his odd-look-
ing little sloop, the Nancy Belle, well
loaded with abalone shells from San
Clemente island. The sailor, whose
name is S. p. Larsen, and who is known
up and down the Pacific coast as "the
crazy poet of Los Angeles" had just
passed through a trying experience. He
had encountered a heavy gale off San
Ciemente and in order to weather it was
obliged to scud along the tops ofthe bill
lows. While thus running a thunder
clap tore his sail into shreds, lightning
snapped the tiller and water deluged the
cabin. So perfectly helpless did the
stroke render the hermit sailor that the
Nancy was swept three hundred miles
out to sea, where she drifted about for
many days, a toy of the waves. Larsen
improvised a sail, but the first strong
puff of wind took it away. There was
plenty of food on board, but Larsen
could not eat. He had a copy of the
"Ancient Mariner" on board. and this
he read over and over again, shouting
some ofthe verses aloud as a curse to the
elements, much as old King Lear cursed
them. For days the castaway lay on
the deck, part of the time unconscious.
Again he 'composed poems on his adj
venture and corking them in bottles set
them adrift. All this time he was con-
scious that the west wind must be sweep
ing him back to the coast, and he was
awakened from sleep one night by the
tossing about of the Nancy in a chopped
sea. At daybreak he saw the shore
and recognized Pigeon Point. From
that moment he gained renewed energy
and at last, making Montery, was safe.
He had been t~hirty-iive days at sea.
Near the United States Medical Mu-
scum, the scene of the assassination of
President Lincoln, stands an OIL. hotel,
and in this lives Washington's char
%acter," John Birch by name. Birch
was born in the same hovel about the
time that General Washington died, and
during the last twenty-five years he has
never been away from it. In his boy
hood he was apprenticed to a repairer of
musical instruments, so that a natural
turn for mechanics was in a manner de-
veloped. Since about 1860 he has been
at work on a perpetual motion machine,
which he at first hoped to complete be-
fore the end of the war. His simple
food is earned by repairing musical in
struments. Indeed he could make a
great deal of money out of that trade if
he were willing, for Ole Bull is his great
friend, and Remenyi once gave into his
hand a 50, 900 violin which needed re.
storation. This job would be a difficult
one, for Remenyi's ear apparently could
not be satisfied, Ole Bull thought, but
"the old hermit of F street " did the
mending in exactly one minute. He
tookthe instrument, sounded it, removed
the bridge and, having rubbed its edge
with sandpaper, handed it back to the
famous musician. Sure enough, the old
virtues of the violin had been restored.
Billy Birch, who was a famous minstrel
many years ago, was the hermit's
brother, the present Billy Birch, min
strel, having taken the formers name.
Frank Gardiner, the Australian bush
ranger, is now living quietly in San
Francisco. He now calls himself the
reformed highwayman," and expects
very soon to beable to give piles OF cash
to the poor. GARDENERS rogueries were
confined to Australia, where, in Fal-
STATS terms, he was a veritable "minion
of the moon" His career was full of
hairbreadth escapes, but like all other
outlaws he was caught at last, on Apis
creek, in Queensland, and sentenced to
thirty-two years. imprisonment with
hard labor. Gold may have been at
the bottom of his release, and very
likely it was, for Gardiner got permits
sion to sail for San Francisco, with the
understanding hat he should never
more set foot on the British territory.
Recently Captain Thomas Baines sailed
for Queensland on an errand for Gar
diner. 1t is known that the object of
the captains voyage is to dig up and
bring TO America about 5000, 900 worth
of gold, bills and jewelry, which Gar.
diner buried between Goulbourn and
Bathurst, in New South Wales. Baines
has been given a map of the locality
and a key to the spot where the treasure
is supposed to be.
An old character, known only as
Jacob" died in Harrison county,
Kentucky, a few days ago, at the age of
~Seventy-ive years. Jacob was a colored
man, and until just before the outbreak
Of the war was a slave. He thought a
great deal on the condition of his race.
ard having been taught to read was an
eager student of the Bible. One day il
entered his mind that if he should pray
In full faith his master would set him
free. Stealing away from the other
field hands, therefore, he went to the
woods and poured out what was most
at his heart. The overseer told Jacobs
owner that Jacob had gone to the
woods, and the master followed, with
the purpose of chastising him. But.
arrived within sound of Jacobs voice,