The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-12-31
FATE IS AGAINST HIM.
REMARKABLE HISTORY OF a MAN
OF MiSFORTUNES.
Disaster IL His Constant Attendant Unit!
He il Looked Upon n Jonah-His
Adventures in Arctic Regions
and Elsewhere.

WASHINGTON CITY, Dec, 81. The recent
announcement sf the destru tion Ly fire of
| the residence of DR.. Emil Bessehls calls at
| tention to the strange history Of strange
| man. He appears to be veiitable Jonah.
| He became member of the Polars party,
| under Captain Hall, shortly after coming
| from Germany, his home, to this country.
| Tho sad history OF the Polaris expedition is
| well known and does not need 10 be re
counted. Bessehls was one of the party still
| aboard the Polaris Then the
| ice foe parted and the ill-fated
vessel drifted Off into the open sea.
How the few men on board suffered and
finally escaped by means of boats impro-
vised without tools hiss become matter of
history. Later, when one Of tie recent
Arctic expeditions was fitted ont, he was
made a member, and returned from that
after great pTivations Not long ago it was
found necessary to send a scientist to Alaska
along with party pound for that country,
| and BesSehls was selected for this duty, He
was furnished with very complete and
costly outfit by the Smithsonian institution,
and great expectations We're indulged with
reference to the info m ltion he should gath
ar for the scientific world He had pro-
gressed as far as Cape Flattery on his trip
when the vessel was wrecked and every thing
on board lost, Bessehls barely escaping with
his life On his various northern trips he
gathered great deal of very valuable mat
ter regarding the Es4umaux. A year or
two ago he set diligently to work to compile
this information, which was looked upon by
those familiar with it as of great value After
an infinite amount Of work he completed the
manuscript, and on the very night follow
ing its completion, somebody entered his
room in his absence and stole the entire
la of ba labp of
and of great haIdsfips. A half dozen or
perhaps Il dozen times he has crossed the
ocean since the adoption of this country as
his home, and in every single instance the
vessel carrying him has met with some
mishap at sea. Recently, having lived
bachelor to the age OF perhaps A., he deter
mined to marry, and became engage to Mime.
Ravonelli, a vocalist of considerable celeb
rity. The day was set for their marriage,
when Bessehls was taken i'll and could not
attend upon the wedding The marriage
was postponed few days and on the second
attempt it was found at the last moment
chat the clergyman who ..as to officiata had
left the city: so another delay was had An
other day was set for the marriage but at
the hour fixed for the event, Nine Ravonelli
was suddenly attacked with heart disease,
and in a few hours was a corpse. Res-
sahls, heart broken, for he had known her
from her girlhood and loved her, the story
goes, even Leforc her first marriage pur-
chased the residence which she had formerly
occupied just outside the city, and taking
her son with him, retired to it, making it
home for both. The other day this house
took fire and burned to the ground, destroy
ing not only very valuable collection of
Esquimaux outfits and curiosities, but
even DR.. Bessehls' personal effects and
clothing. the flames pressing him so closely
that he was oblig ged to jump from a second
story window i'll an uniress condition, lcav-
ing behind him his clothes, in the pockets Of
which were some 800 in money. Besscha'
nai luck has become proyerbial in
official circles in Washington, and it is as
serted good authority that the officers
detailed for the second Greely expedition
absolutely refused to make the trip, if BGs-
sehls were to be u member OF the party