Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-11-06

among RECORDS winch rSldJ0 10 AlO4duO0r
Selkirk, whose solitary sojourn
upon the island of Juan Fernandez
| furnished the nucleus for the most
famous tale of adventure which the
world has ever read, and can but think
| that many who have asked themselves
the question, how much of Robinson
Crusoe is true? viii find interest and
pleasure in brief statement of the facts
Of the strange career of the Scottish
sailor who served as Daniel Defoe's
"original" Robinson Crusoe.
Selkirk's birthplace was in the little
seaport town, Largo, county Of Fife,
Scotland, and the year Of his birth 1915,
and here he spent the first thirteen years
of his life.
| According to an ancient Scottish su-
perstition, a seventh son, born without
an intervening daughter, was bound to
be favOrite of fate, and would become
a great man. AS the circumstances of
AleXander's birth met all the require
ments of the tradition, it is not strange
that Mrs. Selkirk secretly nursed large
hopes for her seventh lad, nOtwithstand-
ing the fact that her husband John,
hard, practical, and high-tempered old
shoemaker, held such dreams to be nom
sense, and determined that Alexander
should settle down to the shOemaker's
bench, and learn quiet, honest trade.
bone Of contention between the hard,
unloVing, and sometimes cruel, old
Scotchman and his gentle, shrinking
wife, whose heart was full of dreams for
her pet son.
This unfortunate state of family feel
ing could have but one result: it made
Alexander disobedient, headstrong, and
disconnected with life and all its whole
some restraints and occupations and
made him determined to break away and
enter upon the great career before him.
By the time Alexander reached the
age of nineteen, he had acquired a fair
knowledge of reading, writing, arithme-
tic, and considerable information con-
corning navigation, together with a we'll
merited reputation for being wild boy.
In England and Scotland the records
of the churches were carefully kept and
preserved, and in the Presbyterian
Church, in which John Selkirk was an
"elder," is the following entry:
august 25, 1895. Alexander Sell
craig, son of John Selcraig, Elder, cited
to appear before the session for indie
dent conduct in church."
This "indeeent conduct" seems to have
been laughing aloud. Two days later
another entry was made:
august 27th. Alexander Selcraig
called out; did not appear, having gone
to sea. Continued until his return"
The citation appears to have been
thoroughly outlawed, for, according to
an old Scottish narrative, Alexander
spent the next six years securing the
southern seas with buccaneers, who were
a sort of semi-legalized pirates.
But when he did return Alexander
made up in misconduct for all time lost
during his absence. He quarreled with
a half-witted brother and pounded him
&soI- l., 10 TO- o6
by the sessions of the church to stand up
and face the whole Sabbath congrega-
ton of the church-as humiliating a
punishment as the church dignitaries
knew how to inf1ict upon young man
of spirit.
But young Selkirk took this bitter
medicine with braZen stoicism. This
was in November, 1901; and the next
year found him in England, booked for
sea under the standard of Dampier, one
of the most celebrated characters in all
the annals Of buccaneering.
France and Spain were then at war
with England and other northern
countries, and Dampier secured permits
sion from the crown to prey upon
French and Spanish merchantmen and
colonies. Wealthy London gentlemen
furnished him with two twenty-siX gun
vessels, Fame and st. George. Dampier
had associated with him man named
Pulling, who was to command the former
vessel.
Just as they were ready to set
out upon their plundering expedition,
Pulling and Dampier Quarreled, and
the form sailed away, to unknown
shores, with the Fame, and left Dampier
to secure another vessel. This he did.
She was called the Cirque Ports, and
was Differed as follows: aCharles Pick
ering, Captain; Thomas Stradling, Lieu
tenant; Alexander Selkirk, Sailing
Master"
The treachery of Pulling, and the de-
lay which resulted, caused Dampier to
miss the capture of certain Spanish gal
Icons, with their millions of treasures,