The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-04-27

AA@l-s
A French vessel bound for Mobile was
captured and sunk by Spanish cruiser
soon after the recapture of Pensacola by
the Spanish feet in f719. One prisoner,
asIender and beautiful girl, was the only
prize secured by the victors. The fight
had been a close and deadly one, with
result not uncommon in those days when
naval engagement at best was mere
matter of broadsides and boarding. Car
rying fewer guns and lighter ones than
its adversary, and withal being much
slower, the French vessel fell an easy
prey to its vigorous adversary. Invent
down with its colors flying, however,
while the Spaniards were in the act of
boarding it; but before this the deck had
been SO raked by cannon and muskets at
short range that the brave little crew
were nearly all killed, so that it was but
smoke grimed and bloody handful of
them that cheered pluckily as they sank
in twenty fathoms Of green gulf water.
Pauline de la Chasie was saved from
the fate of the vessels crew by one of
those strange chances which now and
again inject into real life the most inn
possible appearing elements of romance.
She had rushed upon the deck, wild and
disheveled, just as the ship lurched for
ward to 60 down. A young Spanish off
Ger, bearing the honored name of Cortes,
saw her, and this lovely apparition. how
ering IN the smoke of the last terrible
broadside, impressed him deeply. His
imagination, like that of most youthful
adventures who were sailing the seas
at that time, was a most infiammabae
one, ready to fare up wildly at every
touch of the new, the strange or the
beautiful. What could appeal more for
chilly or more directly to the heart Of
such a youth at such a moment than the
vision of a young girl. 1.-the, slender,
lovely, with white arms outspread, yell
low brown hair afoat on the breeze, her
pale face upturned, and her garments
huttering wildly, running across the
bloody, corpse strewn deck Of the sink
ing vessel against which he had just
been directing his guns9 Indeed, so
much was he affected, he started for
ward and stretched forth his hands as
if to reach and save her.
Not oneof the staIwart French sailors
was ever seen again after the water closed
over the III fated vessel; but the beautiful
and frightened young girl, Pauline de la
Chasie, rose to the surface and with her
long. wet hair clinging close to her shape
~ shoulders and girlish bust, was seen
tossing about on the short chopping
waves. In some way her clothes had
caught bold on fragment of spar, go that
she had been kept afoat Fortunately
her instinct Of self preservation had over
borne her fear at the critical moment.
With desperate eagerness and energy she
chung to the bit of buoyant wood and was
able to keep her head above the foam and
spray of the noisy and tumbling waves,
albeit she was scarcely aware of what she
was doing.
Cortes, whose habit was to spend no
time ia celebrating at the point of an
emergency, called for men and quickly
had boat lowered. In few minutes
the girl, in a semi-conscious condition.
was on board the Spanish vessel, where
she received every kind attention that
chivalrous men could offer under the cir
cumstances. The shock to her nerves
had been very great, not only on account
Of the terrible nature of the engagement
and the results following it, but more on
account of the; peculiar conditions under
which she had left France to 90 to the
obscure little garrison at Mobile, on the
then wild southern coast Of America.
In those days love was something to
live for and to die for To be young and
in love meant that along with the youth
and love went certain romantic devo-
ton which would turn aside for no OBJ
stacle, hesitate at no sacrifice. Man and
woman, youth and maiden felt that to
60 to the end of the world for loves sake
was at need the noblest of all tasks, the
highest and hottest of all duties The
influence Of chivalry was still alive and,
although the formalities of olden knight
hood bad mostly passed away forever,
there fingered in the world, especially
among the young and the brave, spirit
of honor which demanded extraordinary
exactitude ia the matter OF keeping prom
foSsSs ain cokrcS@e1ty A-tooO lttoA1A4oCc DOtkuu
by the golden thread of love.
Pauline de Ia Chasie at the time OF
the disaster to the vessel that bore her
was on her way to join her soldier lover.
one Louis Doucet, whose fortune had
called him TO Mobile. 1t would be very
interesting. if space.and the scope of this
story would permit it, to go back and
give the details of this romantic love
affair, which budded IN the fairest part
OF southern France, at one Of the old
towns whose ruins date beyond the time
when the pope had his home in Provence,
and whose roses are still the very ones Of
which the troubadours raved. We must
be content, however, TO trace the Aneri-
can part Of what must always remain
one Of the most noteworthy strains of
romance connected with the settlement
Of our southern coast.
The grave historian. who scorns what
ever is not dry as dust, runs over what
he looks upon as mere incident, and be
turns aside from anything romantic "a
touched with sentiment, as though pc
feared some lurking infection whi&h
might enliven his blood and send thffl
q poetry into his book must cloudde