Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1889-02-08
A Remarkable Experience.

HANtA AAtNt ttANt A WIN AAilOAhtC 1Oh W q
man who will relate to you very
strange one"
The reporter accompanied his friend
to the latter's office, on California street,
where he met the person alluded to. In
appearance this man, the hero of one of
the most incredible adventures ever heard
of, was a corpse. He was Of medium
height, slightly built, features of remark
able strength, but with hollow cheeks,
sunken eyes, and with not the slightest
color in his face to let one know that the
warm life-blood was coursing in his
veins. What added yet more to his ca
daverous appearance were hair and
moustache as white as the driven snow
altogether an extraordinary man, who
would be looked at and pointed at wher-
ever he went. But tins peculiar appear
ance was not natural to this man, else
could he never have lived to an age of
probably IS. It was premature age
ing, caused by intensity of agony, OF
suffering of the most awful torture.
The reporter was introduced and the
man shook hands warmly-yet hardly
that, either, for his hands were cold and
clammy. After little preliminary talk
he said: ''You are anxious to hear my
story. | was about to tell my friend
here the narrative of those suiferings
which made me what you perceive am.
He asked my permission to bring you
here, and as you are lover of strange
things, | will gladly include you in my
little audience. | have not always been
such a wretched person as you see me
now. This age, which weighs me down
almost TO the ground, was the-ressslt. af
a concentration Of infinite suffering into
the short period Of week. If l shud-
der when l tell you of my sufferings, bear
with me. 1t is not often that men are
snatched from the jaws of death to tell
how near they have been to it.
81 am an Englishman and come of an
old and wealthy family of Essex. had
liberal education in my youth, but
never could see why l should lend my
years and brains to teaching congrega-
tion of country idiots the truth of the
gospel, and so, turning my back on the
surpliee, insisted on going to sea. I
went. What with my influence, and my.
skill as navigator and seaman-for
which, indeed, l had a natural aptitude
i soon rose to a position of trust. 1
became second mate of fine ship.
From that to mate was short step, and
a few years saw me chief officer of one
of the finest vessels sailing out of Lon
don. 1t was in my 26th year that my
ship, the Osprey, owned by Fowler
Brothers, was chartered to come to this
port for wheat. We arrived here safely,
loaded wheat, and soon were outside of
the Golden Gate heading for home.
Everything went smoothly and nothing
occurred to forewarn me of the terrible
adventure the future had in store for me.
awe were to the southwark of Val
paraiso when l felt ill. 1t was kind of
faintness that would suddenly and with
out warning come upon me, so that l
often fell on the deck and lay there until
some one could come to my assistance.
This continued without my getting much
worse, until we got down off the Magel-
Ian Straits, in the latitude of Cape Pill
lar, or thereabouts. One day a gloomy,
forbidding day, such as the mariner Of
ten meets with down there, l had the
afternoon watch, and was superintend-
ing one of my men who was fixing
rat-Iino in the weather mizzen-topmast
rigging. The fellow was very clumsy,
to say the least of it. I got annoyed
watching his awkwardness; more an
noyed, in fact, than was war
ranted, I think, now that l
look back. But l was grow
ing more and more irritable every day,
which was probably owing to my faint
ing spells. Suddenly l became so ex-
cited that l jumped into the mlzzen rig-
ging, and was into the top in trice /
was about to pull the fellow away from
his job when fit came on. A sudden
mist clouded my eyes. My senses left
me; reeled and fell from the top to the
deck. In my descent l struck once or
twice, which caused me to turn over,
with the result that I fell on my head.
When I recovered consciousness / was
lying in bunk in the hospitable. Still
there was thick mist before my eyes.
/ could, indeed, see everything so as to
recognize where was, but somehow my
eyes refused to move about, and I could
only stare straight up at the
deck. tried to surn in my bunk,
but / could not; to raise my
arm, but could not; to sit up, but
my muscles failed me. At last the
truth struggled into my darkened mind.
I perceived at last that i was ia pc per.