The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-08-10
WE.ASEY'S REVELATION.
RUE SECRET OF THE DISCOVERY
OF SIR JOHN FRANKLlN's FATE.

RUE SECRET OF THE DISCOVERY
OF SIR JOHN FRANKLlN's FATE.
a Mystery Related by tho Vicar of Holy
Trinity, Livcrpool-Capt. McClintock's
Chart Admissions Made by Cant. Ken
nc.ly, Whose Expedition Failed.
The sad story of Sir John Franklin and
lis brave comrades of the Erebus and Ter
ror has been often told, but it has been re-
served for tho Rev. j. Henry Skcwcs vicar
Of Holy Trinity, Liverpool, to recount the
true secret of the discovery of the great
explorers fate" after forty years silence
This he has done i'll n little book, "Sir John
franklin" etc. The 'secrct" came, it seems,
i'll the shape of special "revclation," and a
number of the more important persons con
celned are still alive.
WRITTEN ON TIE 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. Hopo was almost given up when
AWAY i'll the north of Ireland very strange
occurrence took place. In May, 1910, a child
of 4, whose pet name, it should bc stated, was
"Wcasey," died ut Londonderry of gastric
fever She was the daughter Of Capt. Cop.
pin, n board of trade surveyor there For
months aftcrward tho dead child in the
language of her brothers and sisters, was
always about" They wcro continually
seeing" her in the house.
Ono night, when going to bed, ono of the
children, aged seven, told her aunt that there
was written Oh tho wall tho words, Mr..
Mackay is dead" Mr.. Macliay was n banker
III the town and well known to tho children,
and next morning it was found that he had
died very suddenly about tho time that the
writing appeared. The great mystery of
Franklin'S fate was at this time agitating the
country, and soon aftcrward it occurred TO
the aunt to get tho child to question "Wca-
sey,' who as usual was present, relative to
the whereabouts of Sir John and how he
could he reached
This was done, and "Wcascy's" apparition
at once vanished. Immediately aftcrward
there appeared OH tho floor a complete
Arctic scene, showing two ships surrounded
with ice and almost covered with snow, in.
GLIDING II channel that led to the ships"
This sccnc i'll tho form Of n chart, tho child,
presumably on the suggestion of her aunt, at
once drew Then, In connection with this
| representation, and in answer to further
questions, thcro appeared on tho opposite
| wall, in large round letters, tho following:
"Ercbus and Terror, Sir John Franklin, Lam
caster sound, Prince Regent inlet, Toint
Victory, Victoria channel"
| No message from tho unseen world could
have been palmer or more definite than this,
hut Capt. Coffin, tho father of tho child, on
hearing tho facts. was at first incrc,lulous.
The child, however, stuck to her story So
pcSstrntly that ho thought it his duty to
communicate 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 tho Prince Albert
was, however, frutless. y second time the
vessel sailed, under the command of Ken
nc'ly, who had been made fully acquainted
with tho Londonderry vision and had got his
instructions accordingly These, however,
lie did not, owing to various circumstances,
carry out, and he, too, failed DR.. Rae, who
followed, was rather moro successful, but it
WAS not until tho voyage of the Fox that
complete success was achieved.
FOLLOWING THE "REvELATIoS"
The Fox was i'll charge of Capt McClii-
took, Lieut.. IIobson being second in com
nand, and sailed as late 1851 Capt. Nc
| Cliltock's IS instructions were definite; he was
to follow the route defined in the "revcla-
tion." To mako n long story short, this was
done, aud the result WAS marvellous. "Point
Victory" was duly rcachcd; II dlapidate,l
ca!rn there WAS searched, and among solnc
loose stones IIobson discovered n thin tin
cylinder containing the only written record
respecting the crews of the Ercblls and Ter
ror that was ever found. Tho record told
when and where the vessels wcro deserted,
announced the death of Sir John Franklin,
and was signed by the senior surviving Off
GERS. Lieut.. IIobson continued his Journey
westward.
a short distance from Point Victory he
discovered Il boat which had belonged to one
of the lost ships, with two skeletons, guns
and other articles Hobsoli, through illness,
had then to discontinue his explorations, but
McClintOck camo upon huts, the inmates Of
which were in possession of many things be-
longing to tho i'll fatcd expedition, including
| pieces Of plato on which were tho crcsts OF
initials of Sir John and three Of his officers.
McClintock reached England safely. In due
time rewards and honors we're llenpcd upon
him and his crew, their success according to
our author, being entirely due to the fidelity
with Which they followed the route indicated
by tho Londonderry vision.
1t only remains to be stated that the, book
to some extent supplies evidence in confrn;l-
ton Of the story. Capt. Kennedy admitted
that had he followed tho 'rcvclation" instruc-
| tions he would have reapcd tho lonors which
fell to Sir l.. McClintock. Sir r. Murchson
wrote that 'much moro satisfactory results
would have been obtained had Kennedy fol-
lowed tho course which Lady Franklin was
anxious that lie should follow" Capt Cof-
fins children still survive, and 'to many who
may seriously question their bona lidcs infor-
nation of u most satisfying nature will be
afforded by tho author" This it seems, also
applies to important original documents, for
whose pubIiration up to the present rcrlns-
sion has not been obtained. There are, how
ever, several weak points in the narrative.
Why, for Instance, should the ''secrct" have
been kept secret SO long? The best Of mem
orics is apt to get dmmcl in forty years.
Pail Mall Gazette.