Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-01-17
A FEMALE CRUSOE.
A Wo'man LEFT Alone on ~, Umtnhobited Is
land and Found Fifteen Years Later.

The recent explorations on the Is
land of San Clemente, which is due
west from Del Mar, this county, but
sixty miles, says the San francisco
Chronicle, has aroused interest in the
history of the other islands of the coast,
The Santa Barbara islands in the early
part of the present century were inhab-
tied by Indians of comparative white
compilations who spoke peculiar Ian
guage. They were supposed to be de-
scendants of the Aztec race of historic
fame. There is no record of how these
people came to be upon the islands or
when they first settled there, but it is
probable that the islands were inhabited
by them before the founding of the
California missions by the Franciscan
friars.
Otter, seal, foxes. and fishes we're to
be found in abundance on the islands
and in the adjacent waters, and upon
these the natives subsisted, using the
flesh for food, the skins for clothing
and tents, and the bones for making
hunting implements. According to ira
.dition Indians from the Alaskan islands
frequently made trips to the Santa
Barbara islands for the purpose ofhunt-
ing. During one of the visits the Alas
kans fell upon the natives, killing all
the males, and after hunting for some
time they left for the North, abandon
ing the women to their fate. The mis-
sion fathers, learning of the fate of the
women, determined to have them re-
moved to the mainland, and for this
purpose engaged schooner. Upon ar
irving at the island of San Nicholas the
men proceeded to remove the women
and such few personal effects as they
had to the boat. When this had been &C.
compished and all we're ready for EN-.
barking one of the women made o sign
that she had forgotten her child and
started back after It.
While she was gone a severe wind
sprang up, which soon increased to q
gale and compelled the little schoone,
to put to sea for safety. As the wind
kept up for several days the Captain
ran into San Pedro, intending to return
for the woman who had been left. Al
San Pedro the Indians were disem
barked and taken to the missions al
Los Angeles and San Gabriel, where
they were cared for. From San Pedro
the schooner sailed to Santa Barbara
and from there to Monterey, where sh.
had been ordered. Thus was the poo
women left upon bleak island out il
the broad expanse of the great Pacific
with no companions save the wild vol
and the Indian dog, with which the is
land was infested. The news of tn
woman having been left behind sprea,
rapidly, but no further effort was mad
to rescue her. The natural suppositiol
was that she had persisted, and in tn
course Of few years the subject ha.
passed from the minds of the people.
In 1851, just fifteen years later,
hunter named Nidever and couple o
companions visited the island of Sal
Nicholas and were astonished to fine
indications which led them. to believ,
the woman was still alive. Footprint
which had been made in the previous
rainy season were to be seen in the nov
dry and hard soil, and from the size ant
general appearance the hunters con
cluded they had been made by wo
| man. Some small, circular enclosures
made of brush were also discovered
and in them some dried seals blubber
Further than this the huts gave no in
dication of having been inhabited fol
some time. A strong wind arising thu
party put to sea without making any
further discoveries. The next winter
1852, Nidever again visited the island
and upon arriving Immediately landed
and searched for fresh signs of the wo
man. The huts discovered on the first
trip were unchanged, but the seal blub
Der seemed to have been replenished by
fresh lot. Some wild dogs were found
in the vicinity, and the hunters thought
it likely the woman had fallen O prey
to these beasts, as they were quite fero-
cious.
In 1853 the same party planned an.
other expedition for the purpose Of
hunting and making one more attempt
to settle the question as to whether the
woman was still alive. They searched
about the island for some time, and
were about despairing of success when
one who had become separated from the
rest discovered an object some distance
away, and upon approaching it he
found it to be the long-looked-for wo-
man. He at once signaled the others
and directed them to approach her from
different directions in order to prevent
her escape should she be SO disposed.
The men succeeded in getting quite
close to her before they were discovered.
| Tnotoo1 If ohou;nr oirno IF alarm nc