Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-06-10
NTelville's wife's story


HOW THE ENGINEER CoMSIUNTCA-
/ TED INTELLIGENCE OF THE Loss
OF THE JEANETTE.
From the Philadelphia Record, May Is.
The wife of Engineer Melville, the
gallant officer of the luckless arctic
exploring steamer Jeanette, who is
now searching for his lost comrades
around the ice-bound coast of
Northern Siberia, occupies a pictur-
esque little cottage empowered amid
twining honey suckles and fragrant
blossoming lilacs at Sharon Hill.
Although it has been more than
three years since George left us all
here" said she yesterday, land
went out on that Inflated voyage,
and although oceans of cruel waters
and leagues of land have separated
him from us, have seen him twice
within a year" Startling as this
statement was, Mrs. Melville was
evidently in earnest. Son the 10th
of last June" she continued, 81 re-
tired to my room late at night.
Days of anxious waiting for some
news of the Jeanette without
bringing ray of hope had almost
caused me to despair of ever again
seeing my husband. / had fallen in
to an uneasy sleep, from which one
of the children aroused me. 1t was,
perhaps, more than an hour after
this, and while | was wide awake,
that became concious of a strange
presence in the room, and you may
we'll imagine with what mingled
feelings of joy and | fear / heard
Georges voice, and, looking up, saw
him standing by the bedside--saw
him as plainly as | now see you. He
was saying: Count the bells! Count
the bellsl' and as he spoke / distinct.
ly heard the bell of ship striking,
two by two, the strokes of the hour.
Count Them continued my hus-
band, and l said: Yes, George
remember that when the seventh
stroke sounded L thought that if it
was a ships bell there could be but
one more, and las the last sound died
away, my husband said: Eight
bells; the Jeanette is lost i and
vanished from the room. At that
moment the sitting-room clock
struck the hour of and it was the
morning of the 18th of June. At
that very hour on that very morn
ing the Jeanette went down into
the fathomless depths of the Arctic
Ocean, and the ice foe closed over
her grave. l am no Spiritualist,"
continued Mrs. Melville, NOR do | |
believe in spirits. | do not attempt |
to explain what | have just told you,
but it is, every word of it, true. / |
never expected after that to hear of |
the safety of the crew of the Jean |
nette. A few weeks after the oc-
currence which have narrated, and |
at the same hour in the morning, /
had arisen for the day, and was in
the hall which you see there. Again |
L saw my husband-nay, / even felt
his breath in my face. | was dread |
fully startled, but had sufficient |
courage to call out: George, is that |
you p when the figure disappeared
as if swallowed up In the air."
"And did you never speak of this
before?" said the astonished repor-
ter. Frequently" said Mrs. Mel
vile, Frequently to our little house
hold, and once to Mrs. De Long, the
unfortunate wife of the poor com
mander of the Jeanette. Last
Summer, or in the early Fall, | met
her in Philadelphia. She was hope
full, even confident, of the ultimate
return of her husband. | was cast
down, and finally told her what /
have just related to you. She was
disposed to laugh at me, but | told
her that / believed that the jean
nette had been lost on the 18th of |
June. Alas for poor Mrs. De Long,
my prophecy was too true. Here is
a letter from her to my little girl on
the very day the news came that
Capt. De Longs dead body had been
found.
Persons recovering from wasting
diseases, such as malaria, fevers,
etc will he greatly benefited nv the !