Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-06-30
tISHERMAN'S LUCK.
A Fortune Discovered BY Young
Man in a Shark.

NAH III ~ Oudfh.
A young Southerncr, who for some
months has been enjoying himself in
Paris, is the hero of an odd freak Of
fortune, and perhaps "fishcrman's
luck" has never been more happily ex.
emplified than in his case. This is the
story:
The young man-his name is Stan
hope Randolph-is native of South
Carolina, where his father had large
possessions in Collcton. lie served in
the Confederate army during the last
two years of the war, though still two
young, and when the war was over set
tied at Pocotaligo, poor as church
mouse. His fathers estate was nearly
all gone, and what still remained he
resolved should be rcligiously devoted
10 the needs of his mother and sisters,
who were now living in Barnwcll in a
very poor way. Young Stanhopc Ran
dolph had capacity and industry, but
these were not sufficient to get him
work in a State where all things were
PROSTATE. He procured some odd jobs
on the railroad, but these soon failed
him, and ut last, in despair, he shipped
before the mast in a trading schooner
that belonged to Machias, Me-, and
made irregular voyages between Bos-
ton, Beaufort, S. c., Havana and n
market. In three or four years he got
to be mate of the trader, and finally the
owners began to promise him vessel
of his own, one now building, if he
would purchase an interest in her to the
extent of fifteen hundred dollars. His
own savings amounted TO nearly half
that sum already, and he took q fur
Tough from the schooner for the pur-
pose of seeing his mother and some
other friends, in order to try to get n
temporary loan of the balance needed.
Money, however, was hard to get.
No one doubted the security, but they
did not have the money to spare. After
several futile efforts young Stanhopc
Randolph was about to give up the pur-
suit in despair when his mother be-
thought her of Colonel Jacob Euler, her
cousin, still living near Port Royal, and
thought to be rather better of than the
rest of the connection. Stanhope Ran
dolph was only very slightly acquainted
with Colonel Euler, but his mother in
sisted that he should take letter from
her to her relative, and thus leave moth
ing untried in matter which so in
timately concerned the pushing of his
own fortunes.
When Stanhope Randolph arrived at
Iii. na,,a;,,fe ,N1,nO 4
he found that the family were not well
prepared to have visitors. In fact, only
two nights before, the house-an old
brick mansion-had been burned down
TO the ground. and the family were now
living in a couple of tents pitched on
the lawn in front of the ruins. Colonel
Euler had lost everything tho house
contained and was now down with an
ague, his daughter was i'll with Mysteries,
and everything was in confusion and
disorder. In fact, as Mrs Euler, pitt
fully told Stanhopc Randolph, there s
actually nothing to cat in the housc-in
the tent, mean" she said, with feeble
smile, land the Colonel is too i'll to go
fishing to-day"
Stanhopc Randolph did not show his
letter nor mention its subject. On the
contrary, he tried to make him useful,
gave Mr.. Euler his dose of quinne,
taught Mrs. Euler how to rig her tent
sails in a safer and more comfortable
fashion, and then, taking small negro
boy with him, launched the boat, hoisfed
sail and went fishing for the replenish-
ing of poor Mrs. Euler's exhausted lard
CT. Well acquainted with the sound and
its fishing ground, he soon caught quite
a mess of fish, and was beating back
again when a startled cry of the negro
boy, who was by the mast, attracted his
attention. The cause of the boys alarm
was large shark, between ten and
twelve feet long, which swan directly
in front of the boat and seemed prepared
to dispute its passage. The boat, as is
common in those waters, carried small
harpoon attached TO long line, for the
purpose of using upon the dcvil-fish
frequently met there, and the chase and
capture of which is favorite and excit-
ing sport of South Carolnians. Hastily
calling the boy to the helm and giving
his lugger sheet plenty of play, Ram
dolph snatched~the harpoon and line,
sprang to the bow, tossed n large fish in
the water and, as the shark turned up to
seize it, drove the harpoon into his belly
with so true an aim and such fatal force
that the huge fish only struggled few
minutes before expiring. He was not
able to get his prize aboard, but deter
mined not to lose such trophy of his
arms strength, took it in tow behind
his boat and was soon able to land his
cargo and tow in safety near the burned
mansion.
Securing his boat, Randolph now sent
off the boy for help to fetch away his
fish, and amused himself by disembow-
cling the monster. His jack-knife
struck upon something hard and metal
lie in the visccra of the fish and, exam
lining il more closely, he brought to
light square, fat zinc box, about the
size of one-pound gunpowder can,
much corrodcd, but apparently hermeti-
cally sealed and watcr-tight. He
washed il of, dried il and put it in his
pocket for future examination; then,
the boy having come with help, took his
fish and some tid-bits from the shark up
TO the tent. much to the Joy of the occu-
pants, who could not thank him enough.
Colonel Euler, to whom Randolph
showed his box, Immediately though,
he recognized it as one of a peculiar sort
of dispatch-box used by the Confederate
Government for their messages by sea
and in blockade runners, being ''convc-
nicnt for carrying in the pocket and for
throwing overheard in case the vessel
was captured. The box was carefully
opened and was found to be precisely
what Colonel Euler suspectcd-a dis
patch-box Of the Confederate Govern.
ment The contents, in addition to
some papers of no present Importance,
comprised a series Of long dispatches in
cipher, addressed to well-known agent
in Paris of the defunct rebellion, and ten
certificates Of deposit, promising to pay
money Of Ambrose Gunter's, now on
deposit with the clearinghouse of X.
Anmas Frcres, Bordeaux, to John
Brown or order, when properly coun-