The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-02-06
ALMOST A SAVAGE.
A WHITE MANS STRANGE LIFE IN
TIE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.

|
| PORTLAND, Nc Jan. 30. The story
Of lhc wreck of the Portland bark
| Tcwksbury l.. Sweat in the South Pa
ci6c, and the strange story OF the rescue
Of her crew, as told by Capt. VIM.
Gopding Of Yarmouth, NJ, has Il
strange sequel.
Thc bark sailed from Nc~cast.", New
| SDnih Wales, Mach Z, 1889, for Hong
Kong, under Ci:Artcr for New York.
She procccdcd untiI the 9th of April fol-
lowing, when in latitude 7 deg. ) min.
North aud longitude ll0 deg. II min
J EiS: she encountered II gale aud was
| driven ashore on Susannc Reef, near I0-
zeat leland, one ui the group Of Caroline
! l-ihudS, in the South Pacific
| The crew escaped in one OF he ships
! boats unG maHugCd with great difficulty
! "a reach u smhil islet to the Northward.
| trOm thlS Isle, ! !tcr the storm subsidized
| they made the Island Of POzcat, which is
| lnhaHitcd by 4 race Of fierce savagGs. AS
! the boat approached tho island fleet of
can"c5 put of to intercept them There
| Ws:@ abJUt thirty CanOvs, with eight or
ten men in each, and all were armed
| with Knives ANA spears. Some OF the
| savHGcS could not wait for the boat to
come alongside, but jumped overheard
! and swan - her, each man carrying "A
long wicked looking k,iiu, held between
| ms teeth.
Thc first stvaGus to reach lhc boat
| clam5crcI in until tho boat Was nc9rlv
s~u.npcd. Then they began TO 5! ip the
saiIHrs OF their coats and outer garments,
throwing The garments aboard their own
cnnurs; which hY this time were pad
ding alongside. i'hc whitc men were
soon dGspoilcd Of everything but their
| indcrshlrtS, ties" being left 20 them
| nhd the whole fleet drew in toward the
land.
" hen ihcy got ashore, and while tic
shlpWrrcNcd crew were standing sur
rounded Ny the noisy crowd 81 natives
mNn dressed as all the Others. only
Tilh cloth about his hips, pushed his
way through The crowd and spoke TO
| them in thH EOgIish language.
10 the establishment Of Captain Good
Ihg, to whom The man addressed him
| sell, The seeming native introduced him
self as Charts Irons, an Englishman, and
"icIed to render any assistance it WAS
| possible for him 60 give.
&C. Later the captain learned lrons's his
'ory. 1t appears that he WAS left at
| Pozcat Island Cy a trading vessel about
four years ago, his business being TO rep.
resent the trades in the cocoanut oil
trade, but the vessel had never called for
| lrons since leaving him, aud be had
gradually assumed the habits Of the ma
tlvcs and finally became so much like
them in appearance and manner Of life
he was not III any way to be distinguish
ed from the people among whom he
| lived. He hao taken to himself seven
| wives, aui w;S regarded by the natives
as Il man q! Importance second only to
| the chief Of the ttiDr.
Irons h"d been 80 long among the IA
! tvcs thnt he had forgotten many Of tho
| common things of civilization. A day
or two after landing at PUzcat Captain
Goodlng, who had become in degree
uncertain about his reckoning Of time,
| not knowing exactly whether the day
was Thursday or Friday in the week,
askcI Irons If he knew what day Of the
| week 1t was. lrOne answered that he
| did not, and more that he did not know
| what year it was
Captain Gooding says that the natives
| would ncvcr have allowed him and his
| crew TO leave Po%cat if it had not been
| for the good Offices Of Irons. Irons in.
| tcrcslcd himself in behalf of the ship.
| wrecked men and hired Il canoe from
the natives with presents Of English cal
| iCO, from stores III ms possession. With
this canoe Captain Gooding, Second
Mate George W. Harrison and one Of
| the ships crew set sail ten days after
their arrival at rOZcat, leaving the re-.
maindcr Of the ships company and First
| Mate Richard WalChmnr, seven men in
all, at pozrai.
The captain and his m"n made their
way IN the canoe by a rOuudabout course
from island to island, touching Al eight
! different ones ana making stops at each
varying from twO days 10 II months Gu-
ration, finally arriving at Ruk, where
there Is II missionary station.
Hero they were cared for by the mis-
N.OnNrcs and obtained the use Of the
boat belonging to the station. In ,hc
missionary boat thcy made sail back to
Pozeut direct and taking thc members of
rnc crew they had left there returned TO
The missionary island.
Two months after their return the
missionary vessel, Morning Star, arrived
and took them all to Honolulu, where
they landed November IS. From Homo
luiu Captain GoOding and part of the
crew were brought by the steamer Aus
tratia to Snn Francisco. arriving there
November %.
This story, told by Captain Gooding
on his rotu:n, was published in the Now
York llcrald's London edition, aud to-
day the managing owners Of the wrecked
BARK, Chase I.cayitt & Co.. Of this city
and Captain GOodiu2 Of Yarmouth, arc
IL receipt Of letters from London mnlt
ing inquiry in regard TO the Irons whc
appears 60 figure rs prime minister OF
the savage Pozcal.
Both letters are from tn" same source,
the "Probatc and Divorce Registry,
Somerset House, London, and are siyu-
ed 10y LancclOt G.. Irons. The writer
says he has reason TO believe the white
man on Pozcat Island is his youngest anC
only living Brother, and says: "W,
:; last heard Of him IN December, 1873
when he was trading with the savagcs GI
r New GuiDCa in ship that chartered
from Brisbanc.' He gives minute dc
scrlptIOn nf his brother as he appeared
! ut that time, and says bis full name i.
, William Charles Frederick Irons.
The letter TO {,oDtain GOolinu cnn