Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-10-11

ture ! saw at a glance that the most
careful handling would he necessary in un
rolling it, aud as there was IA slight breeze
blowing over the top Of the island, decid
ed 10 take it off 10 the ship and examine it
there Assuring myself that no further
evidences of the mystery were to he found
/ returned on board ship. Repairing to
the cabin ! reported my discovery and dis
played the box, asking the captain to ap
point some officers to examine the writing
and report upon it. He ordered another
officer and myself as a board TO examine
the roll, using the utmost caution in hand
ling it, We had a thin paste made, pro-
vided ourselves with nOte-paper and as
each layer was carefully unwound from the
roll it was transferred to "a stiff sheet of pa
per. over which we had first spread a thin
coating of paste. Great delicacy was nee
essary, the sheets had little more consisten-
cy than burnt paper. but after an hours
patient labor we were rewarded by seeing
all the contents of the roll safely transfer
red and ready for deciphering Traces Of
writing were discernible, but they were so
obscured by the blackeued surface of the
paper-sheets, by the way, from some peck
ct diary or memorandum bOok-that it was
only by the aid of magnifying glass that
we were able to read them at all. Each of
us read separately, and after examining to
gether some disputed words, we produced
the accompanying story
81 am Robert Harley, master and sole
survivor Of the bark Icdsid. from Sag
! Harbor, knocked down by a white squat
near this island. Charles Bennett and my
self drifted ashore on some gratings and
capstan bars He died from exhaustion in
the surf | remain long enough to write
this record, which the grace of God per
mits me to do ! shall die very soon-by
the side of Bennett if my strength per
mits me-but | want before | die to implOre
the good people who find this record to take
| it to Miss Gardner, and tell her that | still
| love her and her alone, and that her name
will be on my lips when death comes to me
on this desert island. hope to meet and
wed her in heaven"
There was no date and no further infor-
nation to be gathered. The letter had ev-
identity been written in pencil, and was in
plain hand, large letters, well spelled,
and carefully adjusted to the limited amount
Of paper. There seemed to be nothing to
do except TO preserve the letter. Its evil
dent age precluded any possibility of the
writer being still alive. so, with the per
mission Of the captain, | took personal
charge of it. and laid it away among my
papers.
returned from this trip in April 1881,
and wrote at once to the collector at Sag
| Harbor, relating my experience, and ask
ing him for any light that he could throw
on the subject He replied to the effect
that the bark Icastd had sailed from Sag
Harbor in lS49 in command of one Robert
| Harley. There was no record of her crew
10 he found, and the vessel had never been
heard of since The name Gardner was
a very common one in that locality, and in
/ quiries in several directions failed to elicit
any information Of the one mentioned in
the record He begged that | would pre-
serve it for their historical society, and he
assured me that the village authorities
would bear the mystery in mind and try to
unravel it,