The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-11-07
THE BEACON.
A Mysterious Light Over tho Wreck o
--- tia nTar.aa Ctr

risyille and was run near shore when
the passengers were nearly all rescued,
after a struggle in the water, and the
hull sank. =
She had been at one time a fine craft
and a favorite passenger boat. In one
Of my trips along that shore I CHANGED
to fall in company with a dweller Of
that country and the conversation
turned upon the mystery that followed
The destruction of that old craft.
Have you ever heard of the phan-
tom light which can be seen at mid
night o n the anniversary of the burning
of the Marine City?" asked an intelli-
gent old fisherman.
II never did; no, what is it?"
Come out here on the dock with me
tonight ct 10 o'clock and you will see. /"
1 accepted the invitation, and ut the
appointed hour we strolled out on the
pier; and while we were on the way
There, look" said he, and sure enough,
as plain as the stars that twinkeled in
in the heavens, q light, apparently a
lantern, lowered above and around the
old wreck.
1 confess I was somewhat starteled,
and rubbed my eyes to make sure it was
no optical illusion. 1t moved about
slowly as if carried by some unseen
hand. Wa it not some hoffman mov-
ing about? No. for it was not 80 dark
o so far away but a small boat could
have been seen and heard.
did not like to give it up, and so we
engaged a boat and rowed up the shore
toward the light. The crisp, evening
air was as still as if hushed in sleep,
and as L bent to the oars with a
vigorous will I instinctivly feathered
them and handled them as
nolselessly as if engaged in
some midnight adventure requiring
nerve and daring. Somehow the love
of adventure does not seem to desert us
as we creep out of boyhood and
enter the sedate period of manhood;
and the desire to fathom the unfathon-
able is q part of most mems nature.
The old fisherman entered heartily into
the spirit of the occasion and offered
to relieve me at the oars.
You're a good 'un at the oar, but if
your hand is not in you'll lame your
self, for it's a good mile up there"
Easing up a bit and pulling more
cautiously I glanced over my shoulder
toward the light. It seemed to be re-
ceding, a kind of ignis f%atuus; and
again 1 doubled over the oars.
Soon we were at the old slnken hull,
but the light had disappeared. We
rowed around the burnt wreck resting
in shallow water and looked down into
its coal black depths, but could see no
cause for phosphorescent lights. Then
we rowed to the shore and examined
the banks-sand and graveI-nothing
else; no swamp or rotten wood, nor
stream of water near in fact nothing,
that I could discover, that would cause
this will-'o-the-wisp
We got into the boat and my COM
panion seemed depressed and inclined
to silence, and I saw that he was seized
with o sort of superstition, and so L
thought to distract his thoughts a lit
tie and drew him out as to his theory
regarding the mystery, and this was it:
you believe that men have souls
that live after death?"
II most certainly do"
"Well, don't you believe that souls
awe the power to talk to us in one way
or another?"
II am not so sure about that"
you've heard of folks dreaming about
some of their friends being in danger
and soon after get word that the dan
ger was real, and possibly their friends
lied in the very hour they were
dreamed about. Now, what would you
call it?"
well, I should call it q communica-
tion with the spirit world that I don't
care to have anything to do with until 1
have done with this world"
"Then you are not q spiritualist I
see?"
"Not if know myself; unless in the
sense that all professedly Christian peo-
pie (whether really or professedly + do
not saw are spiritualists, to a certain ex-
tent. But what about that light? You are
getting onto theology; the light, what is
it?" .-.
well, sir, I'll tell you what I think
it is. 1t was said that the Marine City
was set on fire by one af the deck
hands or tiremen out of revenge for
some real or imaginary wrong, and that
he was one Of the few that was lost,
and my opinion is if that is true, that
he is doomed as a punishment to bring
that light here every night during the
month in which the boat was lost, to
light the others that were lost safely
over the dark river, and possibly as a
warning to others that may be like
tempted tomurder or other wickedness.
We can't tell what Gods ways are, but
we can see the warnings all around us
and I believe this is one of Gods bea-
con lights"
well, my friend, there is certainly
no harm in the thought. am at least
ready to give it up as a mystery that I
can't fathom-and here we are at the
dock again"