The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-05-04
A Remarkable Experience.

! with me, and | will introduce YOU to
man who will relate to you a very
! strange one"
The reporter accompanied his friend
to the lattcr'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 corpse. lie was o. medium
height, slightly built. feature, of remark
able strength, but with hollow checks.
Nunkcn eyes, and with not the >li"htrs;
color in his face to let on" know that the
warm lifc-blood was cour>;nr in hi,
veins. What added vet more to his ca
daycrous appearance Were hair and
mouStaChe as white rs the driven snow
altogether an extraordinary man, who
would be looked at and pointed at whcr-
ever he went. But TIN, peculiar appear
ance was not natural to this man, else
could he never have lived to an age of
probably -. 1t was premature age
inc. caused by intensity of agony, of
suffering of the most awful torture.
The reporter WAS introduced and the
man shook hands warmly-yct hardly
that, either, for his hands were cold and
clammy. After a little preliminary talk
he said: "Iou are anxious to hear nv
story. / was about to tell my friend
here the narrative of those sufferings
which made me what You perceive am.
He asked my permission to bring you
here, and as YOU are IL 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 result of
"a concentration of infinite suffering into
the short period of a week. If l shud-
der when 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
IA liberal education in my youth, but
never could see why | should lend my
years and brains to teaching cOngrega-
ton Of country idiots the truth of the
gospel, and so, turning my back on the
>urplice, | insisted on going to sea. |
went. What with my influence and nv
skill as IA navigator and seaman-for
which, indeed, | had natural aptitude
! soon rose to a position OF trust. |
became second mate of fine ship.
From that 70 mate was a short step, and
q few years saw me chief officer of one
Of the finest vessels sailing out of Lon
don. 1t was in my 10Th 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 forcwarn me of the terrible
Adventure the future had in store for me.
ave were to the southwark of Val
paradise when | felt ill. 1t was kind of
fantnesS that would suddenly and with
out warning come upon me, so that |
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 thcrcabouts. One day a gloomy,
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 a
rat-line in the weather mizzen-topmast |
rigging. The fellow was very clumsy,
to say the least of it. l got annoyed |
his awkwardncss; more an
noyed, in fact, than was war
ranted, think, now that I
ook back. But l was grow
ng more and more irritable every day,
which was probably owing to my faint
ng spells. Suddenly I became so ex-
;ited that ! jumped into the mlzzen rig
ying, and was into the top in a trice. l |
vas about to pull the fellow away from