Evening journal., 1889-12-16
DANIEL De FOE OUTDONE.
Robinson Crusoe in Real Life
With Seven Wives.
STRANGE STORY OF A oAsrAwAY.

The Crew Of the TewiSsbruy Sweet Saved
from Murderous Natives by Chariss
Irons on South Sea Island--Truth IL
Stronger Than Fiction.
PORTLAND, Me-, Dec. 14.-A tale Of ship
wreck in the southern seas, Of savage island
ers and the romance Of modern Robinson
Crusce, is what Capt William Gooding tells
He was the commander OF the Portland bark
Tewksbury Sweet, lost in the South Pacific
last spring, and has just arrived in this city
on Ills way to his home at Yarmouth. He
and his crew had been given up for dead.
and the first intelligence that they were still
alive was received about two weeks ago.
Their escape from death by the wreck and
from The savRges makes an interesting story.
The stnnch American bark sailed from New
Castle, New South Wales, on March II hast
for Hong Kong. On April Q she encountered
gale and was driven ashore on susanne
reef, near Pozeat Island, one Of the Caro-.
lines
Captured BY Fierce savMKss.
The vessel went to pieces and the crew 80.
capped in one Of the ships boats aud made the
Island Of Pozeat which is inhabited by flercs
savages As ths boat approached The island
feet Of canoes put OF from the shore There
we're about thirty canoes with eight or ten
men in each, and all were armed with knive,
and spears Some OF the savages in their
eagerness jumped overheard and swan to the
boat, each with long, wicked looking knife
held between his teeth. The first savapes Il
reoch the boat clambered IN until tho boat
was nearly swamped Then they began t.
strip the sailors Of their coats aud outer gar
nents, throwing the garments aboard their
"wn canoes The men were soon despolled Of
everything but their undershists.
They Expected to he Eaten.
Then the whole fleet aeow In towards The.
land. The s3vaees ali this time haa kcpt II,
q tremendous dia u shouting aud singing
and the crowd Of women anG children ol
she shore Were dancing and juhIlng abaaf
with shouts und cries The sailors expected
no better tr, .Gaa. thnn 10 beaii.ed aAe
eaten, but, n they learned aItsrw4ras the
natives Of this island are not cannibals
The New Eoblnson crusoe.
While the shPWiteesa crew were stand
ing surrounded bs til. noisy crowd a man.
dressed ~ ail the utttls with oaiy a clot.l
them 10 Eaghsh us gave his name as
Charles Irons, an Englishnan by birth. ana
offered 70 render any assistance possible.
u seems that he was left at Po1eat by h
trading vessel about four years ago. his
business being to represent traders in Cocoa
nut Island; but the vessel never called for
Irons since leaving him, and he had gradu-
ally assumed the habits OF the natives He
finally became like them In appearance aud
manner.
Ne Had Taken Seven wives.
He bad taken to himself seven wives and
was regarded by the natives as a man Of inn
portance second only 70 tho chief of the
tribe. Irons bad even forgotten many OF
the common details OF civilization, aud did
not even know what the present year was,
but he was OF good service to the castaways
no doubt saving the lives Of all
II was q Narrow Escape.
He Interested himself ia behalf OF Aha
shipwrecked men and hired a canoe from
the natives Capt Gooding Second Mate
George w. Harrison and one OF the ship's
crew set sail ten days after their arrival.
leaving the rest Of the men and FIRST Mate
Richard Watqhmon-seyen men In all-at
Poneat The captain and his men made
their way from island TO island, and finally
arrived at Kuk, where there is missionary
station. Here they were cared for by the
missionaries who told them that had thoy
come ashore at Pozeat with any valuables
the natives would certainly have killed
them as they had Others.
In the missionary boat, a stanch center
boarder, the captain made sail back to
Pozeat He then returned with his crew 70
the missionary island Two months later
the missionary vessel, Morning Star, arrived
and took them all "a Honolulu, where they
arrived Nov lS From Honolulu Can't.
Gooding and part Of the crew were brought
by the steamer Australia to San Francisco.
arriving there Nov. 20. The captain aud his
men bad long been given up as lost. The
captain estimates that his voyaging in canoe
and boat around by way Of the island TO
Kuk and thence return to Pozeat and back
TO kuk was about 1000 miles During these
voyages and the stay on the islands, cover
Ing period Of about six months, the men
subsisted on cocoanut bread and natural
products, which form the usual food OF the
natives
The best and cheapest place in the city
to buy pictures is at Yerger's, 419 Ship
ley street.