Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-10-25
TERMS: 5000 PER YEAR.
THE PHANTOM BEACON.
A Mysterious Light Over tho Wreck OF
the Marine City.
Detroit Post

the Marine city.
Detroit Post.
\ few years ago the steamer Marine
City, plying between Detroit and Lake
Huron ports, caught fire just off Harris
vile, and was run near shore, when the
passengers were nearly all rescued, after
a struggle In the water, and the hull
sunk.
She had been at one time fine craft
and favorite passenger boat. In one of
my trips along that shore | chanced to
fall in company with a dweler of that
country and the conversation turned
upon the mystery that followed the de-
structiOn of that old craft.
"liave you ever heard of the phantom
light which can be seen at midnight on
the anniversary OF the burning of the
Marine City," asked an intelligent old
fisherman.
II never did; no, what is it?"
"COme out here on the dock with me
to- night at twelve o'clock and you will
see"
! accepted the invitation, and at the APP
pointed 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 twinkled in the heavens
light. apparently a lantern, hOvered
above and around the old wreck. g..
| AGO. \ hot OF, al 81
rubbed my eyes to make sure it was no
optical illusion. 1t moved about slowly,
as if carried by some unseen hand. Was
it not some boatmen moving about? No,
for it was not so dark nor so far away but
small boat could have been seen and
heard.
| did not like to give it up, and so we
engaged boat and rowed up the shore
toward the light. The crisp, evening air
was as still as if hushed in sleep, and asI
bent to the oars with vigorous will |
instinctively feathered them and hand
led them as noiselessly 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 our boyhOod and enter
the sedate period Of manhood; and the
desire to fathom the untathomable is
part ofmost mems nature. The old fish
erman entered heartily INTO the spirit of
the occasion, and offered TO relieve me
at the oars. - -...
You're 4 good 'un at the oar, but if
your hand is not in you'll lame yourself
for it's a good mile up there.
Easing up little and pulling up eau
, tiously, l glanced over my shoulder to-
ward the light. 1t seemed to be reced-
ing. kind of ignis fatuus, and again /
, doubled over the oars.
Soon we were at the old sunken hull,
but the light had disappeared. W. row.
ed around the burnt wreck resting in
/ shallow water, and looked down into its
coal. black depths, but could see no cause
for rphosphorescent lights. Then We row.
, cd to the shore and examined the banks
! sand and gravel nothing else; no
swamp or rotten wood, nor stream of
water, near; in fact, nothing that / could
discover that would cause this will'o-
the-wisp.
r We got into the boat and my compan-
) ion seemed depressed and inclined to 81
, lence, and saw that he was seized with
. sort of suspeIstitioD, and so | thought
TO distract his thoughts little and draw
him out as to his theory regarding the
mystery, and this was it: .,.. ..... .
you believe that men have souls that
+. live after deatbP'
Il most certainly do"
/, "Well, don't on believe thatsouls have
! the power to talk to us in one way or an
, other?" .-
, 'I am not sure about that"
You've heard offOlks dreaming about
! some of their friends being in danger and
: soon after get word that the danger was
A real, and possibly their friends died in
the very hour they were dreamed. Now
what would You call it? ..., =
well, should call it a communica
ton with the spirit world that / don't
care to have any thing to do with until
q | have done with this world" . =
r "Then you are not a spiritualist, L
o see?" 49,
: "Not if | know myself. unless in the
sense that all professedly Christian peo-
o pie whether really OF professedly l do
s not saw are spirituaiisto, to certain ex-
. tent. But what about the light? You
are getting onto theology; the light, what
; is it?'
e wen, s r, I'll tell you what Inlnk IL
= is. 1t was said that the Marine City was
% set on fire bv one ofthe deck hands or
firemen odt of revenge for some real or
y imaginary wrong, and that he was one of
if the few that was lost. and my opinion is,
l. if that is true, that he is doomed as a
l. punishment to brine that light here every
n night during the month in which the
, boat was lost, to light the others that
y were los. safely over the dark river, and
e possibly as a warming to others that may
IT be like tempted to murder or other wick
N edness. We can't tell what Gods ways
a are, but we can see the warnings all
y arour d us, and believe this is one OF
e Gods beacon lights"
r? We'll, my friend, there is certainly no
harm in the thought / am at least
ready to give it up as mystery that l
can't fathom-and here we are at the
at dock again" OH. s. ..'f -