Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-06-26


In an old fashioned history it is narrate'
that on the 18th Of March, 592, an Office
stationed at the delta Of the Nile. in lowe
Egypt. while walking with some friends
came upon a strange seaman and sea
woman. They swan along the shore ,ant
the Learned soldier SAYS 1.-THE man has
fierce air and a terrible aspect Hi
hair was red and somewhat bushy, and hi
skin was brownish color The woman
face was sweet and mild. her hair wa
black. and foa,ed on her shoulders. he
body white, and her breasts quite promi
nent.n These two monsters remaiDee
over two hours in sight Of the officer. ant
so much attention was taken Of it tina
Maurice, who then reigned. came to seq
the strange beiags.
Again, in work entitled "Agaub e
Malklowkat," by Cafornia, celebrated
writer, the following statement is made
''In 1874, fish was caught in the Cas-
plan sea and opened in the presence o
Prince Salem, and within the fish wa
found a sea girl, She had on /;
pair OF pantaloons without seam, mad
Of skin like that of man, and which
came down to her knees. She sometime.
held her hands TO her face, and at Others
over her hair. She drew heavy signs. ant
only lived few moments.
Central Europe. it seems, was not cx-
empt, as in the "History of the Neither.
lands" of 1880, we find the following re.
markable yarn:
AFTER great inundation some women
Of the town of Edano, situated on the Sea
Of Zealand, at the extremity of the little
River Lye, going in their boat from their
town to Pommerans, where their cows
were feeding. found on their way sea-
girl, half buried in the sard. They
washed her and took her to Edano. where
they clothed her."
The history adds that they taught this
girl to spin and to make the sign OF the
cross but they could never teach her to
pronounce a word, although they took her
TO Haerlem, where some literatti attempt
ed to make her speak. On the 3lst of
May. 1911, the following account was
drawn up by +. Luce. Captain Commander
of the quarters of the Diamant, in Mar
tinico, in the presence of the notary of the
quarters, Peter de Beville and four other
witnesses:
I'm returning from the Islands OF the
Diamant we saw, near the shore, sea-
monster, of human form from the middle
upward. and terminating, below like a
fish. His tail was large and split. His
head was the size of an ordinary mans.
with straight hair, black and intermixed
with gray. His face was large and full.
His arms and hands were like ours, and
he seemed to wipe his face with them rs
he rose. His skin was moderately white,
and his length seemed about five feet.
His air was fierce, and he looked at us
with great attention. When we saw him
first. he was not above seven PAGES off
but he dived and reappeared so close that
one OF the men presented his fish-line.
upon which he disappeared"
Such were some OF the strange stories
of simple folks, who evidently believed all
they swore to. In comparatively late
history of Portugal we find the following
statement:
"On the Indian coast % men and
women were captured and sent to Don
Emanuel, but only two survived the vow
age, woman and her daughter. They
were very melancholy, would eat but lit
tie, and were slowly dying, when the
King. touched by their condition, ordered
them to be chained and put in shallow
water. On seeing the water they rushed
to it eagerly, and having plunged them
selves, showed by thousand tricks their
joy and satisfaction. They remained three
hours under water. In this manner they
were kept alive three years. but never
learned to utter word"
Oliver NORM, Captain of the vessel
Mary de Grace, leaves us the following
rs fact. lie says:
On Thursday. the Sth of August, 1920,
we were lying In 90 fathoms Of water off the
Newfoundland Banks. when. at 10 o'clock
seaman appeared under our figure-head.
Itook the gait to draw hun aboard, but was
afraid he would draw me over For this
reason only gave him blow on the back.
When the monster felt the blow he turned
his face to the owner like a man in wrath.
He swan around the ship. and when he
was leaving her. he laid hold of the rud-
der with both hands. which obliged the
crew to fix its handle to both sides of the
ship lest he should endanger her. Then
he repassed by the starboard, swimming
like man. and when he was at the bow
he stopped to look at the figure-head,
which was that of beautiful woman.
After having long considered it. he laid
hold of a rope and raised himself up,
with the seeming intention to seize it. He
afterward swan to the windward of the
ship about cables length. and. passing
behind her again. laid hold of the rudder.
The Captain then ordered harpoon and
struck ut him but only struck his back,
upon which he turned his face up to the
Captains, as he had before"
This entertainment lasted until noon,
the monster having all that time been
near the vessel. and not often 10 feet
away. so that the crew, composed of 80
men, had the pleasure and convenience
Of remarking the following particulars
That his skin was brown and tanned, but
without scales; that all the motions Of
his body, from head to foot, were like
those Of real man; that his eyes were
well proportioned; that his mouth was
small, considering the length of his body.
which was supposed to be about eight
feet. His tongue was thick. his teeth large
and white; in word he was similar to
man, except that his hands were joined
with pellicle. such as that found in the
feet of ducks and geese. Within week
the writer listened to a discussion between
two persons upon the different methods
of producing worms from horsehair, both
evidently being sane on other points.