Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-09-10
NO. 81.

looking eagerly into every new face for recog-
milton, and sometimes singing softly to her
self. Mrs. Nidver hoped q return to her old
diet would help her. She procured seals
meat aud roasted it in ashes. When the sick
woman saw it, she patted her nurses hands
aiiectonately, but could not eat the food.
She fell from her chair one morning, and re-
mained insensible for hours. Seeing the ap-
proach of DEATH Mrs. Nidiver sent for a
priest to baptize her protege At first he re-
fused. not knowing but that she bad been
baptized previously although the burden OF
proof was against it. At length, needing the
kind Catholic lady's distress, he consented to
administer the rite conditionally. As she
was breathing her last, the sign of the cross
was pressed on her cold brow, and the un-
known and nameless creature was christened
by Father Sanchez, in the beautiful Spanish,
"Juana Marie In walled cemetery, from
whose portrait CLEAN ghastly skull and cross
bones, close to the Santa Barbara Mission,
under the shelter of the tower is the neglect
ed grave of devoted mother, the heroine Of
San Nicolas.
The abandonment of San Nicolas occurred
forty-six years ago. The survivor of eight
cen years solitary captivity arrived in Santa
Barbara the Sth of September 1853 Cap.
tain Nidiver's house. where the stranger died,
stands in sight of the ocean, and can be
pointed out by any school-boy in the town.
Nidiver and his wife are living and their son
George follows the sea, as his father did be-
fore him. Carl Detman, or Charlie Brown,
as he is called by the old sailors, may be
found any day where the retired boatmen
congregate. Thomas Jeffries walks the streets
in blouse, wide hat and flowing gray hair.
DR.. BrinkerhoT, who attended the woman Of
San Nicolas, is well known physician of the
city. Father Gonzales died few years ago,
after continuous residence of more than a
quarter of a century in the Mission. For q
long time he was partially paralyzed, and
was carried about in a chair. l remember
him AS a little dark man, with eyes that
bazed unuaturally from sunken sockets his
appearance rendered more startling by
white turban bound around his head. He is
buried under the floor of the old chapel. The
rambling mansion on State street. known as
the Park Hotel, may have sheltered tourists
who read this account. 1t was the first brick
house built in Santa Barbara, and was the
private residence of Isaac Sparks, the lessee
of the sal.boa from which, in 1885, the wo-
man jumped overheard. "Burton's Mound"
n picturesque knoll, threaded by rows of OIL
i've trees, belongs to Lewis L. Burton, anoth-
er lessee of the PeOr es NADIA. A lady in
San Francisco has some of the islanders
needles. Nidiver and Brown retain her curl
GUS water-tght baskets. The mission faith
ers sent her feather robes to Rome They
were made of the satiny plumage of the
green cormorant the feathers pointing down
ward, and so skillfully matched as to seem
one continuous sheen of changeful lustre.
The record of baptism is in the church reg
lister Her grave will be pointed out TO any
one by the Franciscan brothers on the hill. -
Emma c. Hdrdacre IN lScri5Hers for Septem
IFr