Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-02
A STRANGE STORY SWORN TO.
Thirty Men Make Oath in Court of What
TRey Saw at StromboH

TBey Saw at StrOmbOli.
'W. A. NJ writes to the editor of the
New York sam as follows: To those whose
minds are troubled with doubt as to
whether or not there is hell, the follow
from the British Naval Chronicle, 1907,
may not be embarrassing:
An Abstract from the Journal Of the Ship
Sphlac, IN the year 1856, up the Straits.
May 12.-When we arrived at Manson
We found three ships lying there from
London, commanded by the Captains
Bristol, Brown and Burnaby; all going to
Lipari TO load.
May 13.-These three ships sailed in
company with the Sphinx wind y. W. }
to Lipari, where they anchored in twelve
fathoms water wind S. S. W..
May 1.-THE four Captains and a Mr.
Bell, merchant, went on shore upon the
Island of Mount StrOmbOli to shoot rab-
bits. About u O'Clock they called their
men together to go on board their respec-
tive ships, when. to their ineXpressible
establishment, they saw the appearance of
two men coming very swiftly through the
air toward them; one of them appeared
to be dressed in black and the other in
gray clothes; they passed close by with
the greatest rapidity, and, to their ex-
IRENE CONSERVATION, descended, amid the
burning flames, into the mouth of that
dreadful volcano, Mount Stromboli. At
their entrance there issued tremendous
noises; the flames rushed out most terri
bly,, and Captain Burnaby cried out: ''The
Lord bless mel the foremost of the two, in
black clothes, is old Mr.. Booty, my next
door neighbor at Wrapping; but l do not
know the other" He then desired them
all to write down in their pOcketbOoks, or
note it on something, what they had then
seen, which was Immediately done by the
three Captains and Mr.. Bell, and likewise
entered in the different ships journals at
the same time.
When these four ships had taken in
their lOadings at Lipari they sailed to-
gether for London. When they arrived in
the River Thames, at Gravesend, Captain
Burnaby's wife came from London to him.
He then sent for the other three Captains
to come on board his ship to congratulate
him on his wife's arrival. After they had
thus met a little conversation passed be-
tween them in the cabin, when Mrs. Bur-
naby suddenly started from her chair and
said to her husband: ''My dear, I'll tell
you some news. odd Mr.. Booty is dead
He directly answered: "We all saw
him go into HE'LL" and told her what they
had seen, as before related, to her serious
alarm.
When Mrs. Burnaby had returned to
London she went to an acquaintance and
related this serious event-that her hus-
band had seen the soul of Mr.. Booty 90
into hell on the 18th of May last. This
gentleWOman then mentioned the same to
Mrs. Booty, widow of the deceased, who
Immediately took writ out of the Kings
Bench Court in the penal sum of FL 900
damages, and arrested Captain Burnaby
for defamation upon her late husbands
soul. Captain Burnaby gave bond to
stand trial; and he then took out of the
Court of the Kings Bench, in Westmin-
ster Hall, summons for all the people that
had attended the late Mr.. Booty in his
last sickness and at the time of his death;
also the sexton of the parish who buried
him, and the clothes he last wore before
his sickness he had taken care of, to
be introduced in court on the day of trial.
When the trial came on the different
persons with the black clothes were
brought into court, and were there met
by Captain Burnaby, the Captains of the
other three ships and the men of the four
boats, with Mr.. Bell, who were all on the
said Island of Stramboli and saw the two
apparitions descend into the burning
flames on the aforesaid 18th day of May
last. Ten OF the men of the boats made
oath that the buttons on the coat which
the apparition had on were like the one
present, being mOlds covered with black
cloth, the same sort that the coat was
made of. The different persons who were
with Mr.. Booty at the time of his decease
made oath that his death happened at 3
o'clock p. IN. on the 14th of May last,
which was in the year 1856. The jury
then asked the Captain Of the Sphinx if
he knew Mr.. Booty in his lifetime. He
answered that he never saw him in his
lifetime, but plainly observed the dress
the apparition had on, which Mr.. Burma
by said was Mr.. Booty, in company with
another, unknown.
The Judge then spoke: "The Lord grant
that l may never see such a sight as that,
for l think it impossible for thirty men to
be Mistaken
The jury then gave their verdict against
the widow Booty, the plaintiff to pay the
costs of the court. The foregoing are facts,
extracted from the journal of the ship
SphinX's voyage up the straits in the year
1886
The above trial is now to be seen on the
records of the Court of the Kings Bench,
in Westminster Hall-Mrs. Booty, plain
tiff, against Captain Burnaby, defendant.
These records are written on parch-
mont in latin, in tho 10 vvgas''s old tovt-
hand writing and are kcptin glass case in
the Clerks office, where, for the sum of
shilling, they may be seen by all whose
doubt or curiosity may induce them to it.