Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-07-15
WEASEYS REVELATION.
TRUE SECRET OF THE DISCOVERY
OF SIR JOHN FRANKlIN'S FATE.

Mystery Related by the Vicar of Holy
Trinity, Liverpool-Capt. McClintock's
Chart Admissions Made by Capt. Ken
nedy, Whose Expedition Failed.
The sad story of Sir John Franklin and
his brave comrades of the Erebus and Ter
ror has been often told, but it has been re-
served for the Rev. j. Henry Sleeves, vicar
of Holy Trinity, Liverpool, to recount the
true secret of the discovery of the great
explorer fate" after forty years silence
This he has done in little book, "Sir John
Franklin etc The ''secret" came, it seems,
in the shape Of special revelation" and
number Of the more important persons con
cerned are still alive
WRITTEN ON THE WALL.
Every one knows how the expeditions sent
out by the government to search for Franklin
failed TO find any traces of the explorer or his
party Hope was almost given up when
away in The north of Ireland a very strange
occurrence took place. In May, lS49, child
of 4, whose pet name it should be stated, was
"Wcasey," died at Londonderry of gastric
fever. She was the daughter of Capt Cop
pin, board of trade surveyor there. For
months afterward the dead child, in the
=,
always about" They were continually
seeing her in the house
One night, when going to bed one of the
children, aged seven, told her aunt that there
was written ON the wall the words, Mr.
Maceay IS dead hlr Mackay was a banker
in the town and well known to the children,
and next morning it was found that he had
died very suddenly about the time that the
writing appeared. The great mystery of
Franklin 5 fate was at this time agitating the
country, and soon afterward it occurred to
the aunt "a get the child to question ''Wea-
sey,' who as usual was present, relative to
the whereabouts of Sir John and how he
could be reached
This was done, and ''Weasey'sn apparition
at once vanished. Immediately afterward
there appeared on the hoor complete
Arctic scine, showing two ships surrounded
with ice and almost covered with snow in
cluding "a channel that led 10 the ships :"
This scena. in the form of a chart the child,
presumat ly on the suggestion of her aunt, at
once drew. Then, in connection with this
represent ltion, and in answer to further
questions there appeared on the opposite
wall, in large round letters, the following
''Erebus and Terror, Sir John Franklin, Ian
caster sound, Prince Regent inlet, Point
Victory, Victoria channel"
No message from the unseen world could
have been palmer or more definite than this,
but Capt Coffin, the father of the child, on
hearing The facts, was at first incredulous
The child, however, stuck to her story so
pesistently that he thought it his duty to
communi ate with Lady Franklin, whose
first private expedition with the Prince Al
bert was shortly to sail from Aberdeen Her
ladyship was naturally much interested in
the revelation and soon became convinced of
its truth. The voyage of the Prince Albert
was, however, fruitless. A second time the
vessel sailed, under the command of Ken
nedy, who had been made fully acquainted
with the Londonderry vision and had got his
instructions accordingly These, however,
he did not, owing to various circumstances,
carry out, and he, too, failed Dr. Rae, who
followed, was rather IN ore successful, but it
was not until the voyage of the Fox that
complete success was achieved.
FOLLOWING THE "REvELATIoNn
The Fox was in charge of Capt McClin-
took, Lieut.. Hohson being second in com
mand, and sailed as late as 1851. Capt. Nc
Clintocks instructions were definite; he was
to follow the route defined in the ''revela-
ton" To make long story short, this was
done, and the result was marvellous. Point
Victory" was duly reached; a dilapidated
cairn there was searched, and among some
loose stones Hobson discovered a thin tin
cylinder containing the only written record
respecting the crews of the Erebus and Ter
ror that was ever found The record told
when and where the vessels were deserted
announced the death of Sir John Franklin
and was signed by the senior surviving Off
GERS. Lieut.. Hobson continued his journey
westward
A short distance from Point Victory he
discovered a boat which had belonged to one
of the lost ships, with two skeletons, guns
and other articles. Hobson, through Illness
had then 10 discontinue his explorations but
McClintock came upon huts, the inmates of
which were in possession of many things be-
longing 10 the ill fated expedition, including
pieces of plate on which were the crests or
initials of Sir John and three of his officers.
McClintock reached England safely. In due
time rewards and honors were heaped upon
him and is crew, their success, according to
our author, being entirely due to the fidelity
with which they followed the route indicated
by the Londonderry vision.
1t only remains to be stated that the book
to some extent supplies evidence in confirma-
ton of the story. Capt Kennedy admitted
that had he followed the revelation" instruc-
tons he would have reaped the honors which
fell to Sir L. McClintock. Sir r. Murchison
wrote that much more satisfactory results
would have been obtained had Kennedy fol
lowed the course which Lady Franklin was
anxious that he should follow" Capt Cof-
fms children still survive, Mld Ito many who
may seriously question their bona fides infor-
nation o. a most satisfying nature will be
afforded ty the author" This, it seems, also
applies to important original documents, for
whose publication up to the present permis-
sion has not been obtained There are, how
ever, several weak points in the narrative
Why, for instance, should the secret have
been kept secret SO longl The best of mem
ories is APP to get dimmed in forty years
Pail Mall Gazette