The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-06-30
AHYDROPHOBIA DEATH.

An Old Sea Captains Most TelnpestuOus Elk
perience-A Charlie Ross Story Told by q
Dying Min Between his slsss,ns.
From the Norwich, Conn, Bulletin.
News has been received of the safe arrival OF
Captain Nelson Huntly, of Buenos Ayres, after
a passage of sixty-four days. The following
will be of interest to good many, and we will
let the captain relate it in his own graphic
style: "We had one boy on the passage out,
who was taken with hydriphooia, and Of all the
tempestuous times that ever experienced at
sea that best them all. For two days there
was not thing done on board the vessel ex-
cept the steering, all hands being required to
take care of him, and sometimes the united
strength of four or fv: able men was INSULT
Gent to hold him, and we were obliged to
lash him fore and aft When the spasme
full-grown hurricane He would howl like
Uncle Jerry Bush's hounds, only thousand
times more savagely; would bark, snap, snarl,
yelp, frOth at the mouth, and bite everything
before him. The concentrated agony of a hun
dred ordinary death-beds would not equal the
sum of that boys suffering. We thought he
was dying dozen different times and daring a
sane interval he thought so himself, and called
for me, saying he had something to tell me, and
now comes the funniest part of the yarn, for I
cannot conceive of any one burdening his soul
with such an outrageous lie at a time when he
supposed himself drawing his last breath.
''1Ie said he was Charlie Ross; said he re-
membered at tho time of being taken away of
crossing a ferry with lady, and, as the chain
was let down and she was leaving the boat, think
ing he was behind her, two young fellows that
he knew. brothers, he thinks they were, by the
name of George and henry Stephenson, snatched
him away in the crowd, and he remembered be-
ing taken on board steamer and into state
room where there was man waiting for them.
ro1o CHI III, o,>s1
lures, and gave him cake to eat, after which he
fell asleep, They we're some time on board the
steamer, and he remembered their landing at
Hampton on the Penobscot From there be
WAS taken in market wagon covered with
blankets to farmhouse in the country, where
they remained through the night The next
day he was carried hidden in a load of hay to
Frankfort and to the house of a man by the
name of Butterfeld, who kept hay and gro
Gerry store. Here he said he was kept for
some years, shut in a dark room at first, and
never allowed to 20 out except for ride some
times of an evening with the hired man. / will
say this much in favor of the boys yarn that
he has weak eyes, and, although he is intellli-
gent looking, and has nothing of the appear
neither read nor write He says books and
papers were kept from him.
"He says his HAIR was long and curley, and
they cut it off and rubbed something on his
head every day to keep it from curling. But
terfeld was very cruel to him, and gave him
the name of Pinkham, by which he has since
been known. He finally ran away and as
since taken care of himself Now, whether he
knew himself to be lying or was still doing it
unconsciously, cannot tell. I merely know
he was perfectly rational at the time, and was
lying, as wo supposed, at the point of death,
and was 90 weak that he could only gasp out
one or two sentences at time. If there was
truth In it and the boy was correct as to dates,
there is one way that think he might be iden-
tilted by his parents. He said he was not GER
tain as to names, but thinks it was George
Stephenson-atle least tho name was George
that was setting out some flowers,
using sharp knife, and lie enraged him by
catching of the flowers, so that George struck
him, first with the knife on the wrist, and then
struck at his breast, and as he put up his left
hand to ward Off the blow the knife cut his
hand between two of the fingers and struck his
breast, and there are the scars on his wrist and
hand and breast, and any one that ever knew
him could recognize him by them. Since he
got we'll have asked him about it, and he says
be knows he is the original Charlie Ross, but he
would tell me nothing more about it. sup
pose he is lying, but wish that his parents
might know Of it. He is so bleseedly honest
looking that have given him up as conun-
drum which cannot make out.