Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-11-11


guilty OF the most brutal acts inn
aginable. One poor woman hoateC
near as on a piece of the wreck. She
said, Gentlemen, for Gods sake
take me into the boat" | never saw
such an appealing look in my life. |
reached my hands toward her &
save her, when one of the brutal
sailors raised a board, and with an
oath said, Take that woman into
this boat and I'll brain you" The
other gentlemen in the boat took
charge Of him, and | made great
effort to catch her, but wave wash
ed from her frail support just as |
was about to grab her hand. One
of the most heartless acts | ever saw
happened soon afterwards. A French
lad some sixteen years Of age, sue
ceeded in getting hold on the gun
vale of the boat on the end in whick
the sailors sat when one of them
shouted Keep away from this boat,
and taking his sheath knife out he
deliberately drew it across the boys
fingers. AS the lad dropped into the
sea he turned his beautiful blue eyes
upon the brute that cut him, with
such a look as | would not have cast
upon me for all the world.
1.-The most impressive scene | saw
on that fearful night, and the terri
BILE days that followed it, l Witness
ed soon after this occurrence. A
large piece of the hurricane deck was
being tossed hither and yon by the
fury of the waves. On it was a girl
some seventeen years of age. She
was kneeling in the attitude of
prayer, her hands clasped before her
and her eyes raised TO heaven. There
was look of perfect resignation
upon her beautiful face. Her jet
black hair fell in confusion over her
shoulders and down her back, and
all her clothing had been torn away
from her shapely body. In her left
side was a terrible wound several
inches long, doubtless made by some
fragment of the wreck, and from it
the crimson tide of her young life s
blood was slowly flowing. She was
not wailing but simply Offering 81
lent prayer to her Maker; while an
old man, past 80 / should say, was
struggling in the waves trying to
reach our boat, holding in one hand
piece of rope attached TO the plank
upon which the young girl was
kneeling. He was doubtless her
father, risking his own life to save
that of his child. As he neared our
boat, / reached over to assist him;
he made an effort to pass me the
rope and then sank. | grabbed the
rope from his hand as he WAS going
down, and myself and the other gen.
tlemen, against the protest Of the
sailors, pulled the raft towards us
with all the energy we could sum
mon, but when we got it within a
few feet and hoped to save the poor
girls life a great wave washed her
off her support, and father and
daughter persisted together.
"a second after our boat was up
set and we had a struggle for our
lives. We held to her, however,
took hold of the keel, turned her
over, and climbed in again. Sixteen
times during that fearful morning
we were thrown out of the boat, and
and you may imagine, what with
trying to save our own lives, wit
Messing the scenes | have depicted
and many others of equal startling
character | could relate, we had a
most trying time. All the morning
and, indeed, all day there was ter
rife gale, and the howl of the wind
mingled with the shrieks of the poor
wretches who were trying to save
themselves from drowning, was
heartrending. All day the wind
blew a steady gale, and we were
driven about at the mercy of the
waves. As I ascertained afterward
we were more than two hundred
miles at sea, almost on straight
line out from Savannah. We were in
the Gulf Stream; and when night
came ON the air was very cold, and
we sat in the water up to our neck