The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1891-12-12

TIN sooner OF later to acquire lhe RiIb VI
second sight, and that in an uncommon
degree. Why the seventh daughter should
be so lowered and not, say, the fourth or
seems a singular sort of arrangement.
Probably the virtue attaching the mystic
number seven has good deal to do with
the explanation.
OF the various classes of people, fisher
folks are well known to be superstitious,
especially in the matter of second sight.
Some of those who live on the east and
nor east seaboard of Scotland are credited
with the gift, and are said to have II de-
veioped sometimes very abnormally.
Many well authe nticated stories are told in
| illustration; but one VI two of these may
suffice for the present.
| Deeply interesting and tragic is the
STORY OF the Wrath of Willie Walker"
Walker was fisherman belonging to the
picturesque little village of AucG mithie,
on which the author of "Waverly" has
conferred such lasting distinction. The
village Is situated on the dangerously
rocky seaboard Of Forfarshire. and lies
some three or four miles east of Arbroath
(Sir Walters "Fairport. The popula-
tion is about three or four hundred, and Is
almost exclusively engaged-man, woman
and child-ln the fishing industry. At
| Auchmithie, as elsewhere e, the men divide
| themselves into boats gangs, or crews Of
six or eight for each boat, which has its
| usual fishing equipments among them In
equal shares.
| Willie Walker was the skipper of one
of these boats--the Margaret Ann" Ore
night sore years ago the crew of the
| ''Margaret Ann" proceeded to sea to en-
gage in the haddock fishing. In the
neighborhood of the Bell or Inchcape
Rock-the scene of Southey's famous bal
| lad-about mile to the east of the light
house, the skipper, who few minutes be-
| fore had spoken to one of the men, was
suddenly and unaccountably missed. The
alarm was given, and the boat turned
quickly about to retrace its course in order
to pick up the unfortunate fisherman. who
was supposed either 60 have fallen or jump
ed overheard.
But all was of no avail The night be-
ing very dark and somewhat rough.
| Willie Walker was never seen again.
| But his wrath was!
His wife ana a younger son at home
We're awakened in the nighttime by loud
knocking. as they thought, at the door of
their humble cabin. cottage. The rap was
familiar, though unusually harsh and
| III Was lut hAUSh. Anu
presently it was his voice that said, very
pathetically, Lets in, Betsy, I'm cauld
and wet; haste We let's in!'
Opening the door with all speed and in
great surprise at having to let ter belated
husband in, who, she thought, was far
away at sea, TO her terror and dismay she
saw his figure turn from the door and ois-
appear in the darkness.
| Overwhelmed W tn fear and full of APP
| prehension, she kept" it was not her
husband she had seen, but his wrath and
that disaster had overtaken him.
| And so it proved. With the morning
the fishing boat retuI ned, whose skipper
less crew told by their faces of the loss they
had met with.
He was spoken by the men," said
Sandy Sphinx, one of the crew, ''at three
minutes past twal, and | never saw him
again"
"Wae's mel" sobbed the widow of the
lost fisherman, as the story Of the disaster
was unfoded to her. ''At FIVE minutes
past twal'-for lookit at the knock-he
cam to the door and cried to les him in,
for he was cauld and wet puir man! Now
| ken it was the wrath of my ain Willie
Walker"
lt.in the foregoing story there may seem
] az that more direct evidence OF The
In of the second sight on the part
dow of the hapless fisherman,
is the mysterious appearing
N vanishing of his spirit the
Ne door of bis house loud enough
She sleepers within, and above
stinct appeal for admission in
Rted-all thi. point. to a super
sprehension, If not an actual
RlS widow, of disaster im-
actually occurring, and at
at least fourteen miles. But
aheory can explain the occur
of second sight is held 10 be
! ThSwsS owing story, also connected
with The seafaring life, more fully illustr.
ates than that just related the decided
possession of the uncanny gift.
Some years ago great storm suddenly
overlook a fleet of boats returning from tue
deep.sea fishing to their harborage on the
n prtheaSt seaboard. The storm arose while
the boats were within few miles OF lort,
and So terrible was the tempest that two of
them foundcred almost within hail of each
other, but without the crews of either
knowing of it.
In the one boat were, among the rest, a
father and his son, and III the Other boat
| TWO t4urF SONs, All OtiOnglnE I'd Tie same
family Both boats crews were drowned,
and, indeed. neither were boats or crews
ever seen again, with but one sin le ex
ception.
About fortnight or so afterwards, the
uody of the Youngest son of the family re-
ferred to was found under the following
remarkable circumstances:
An aged grandmother, Oh the maternal
side, of the three fisher brothers declared
that she had seen in vision 1.-THE body of
the youngest oairn tangled in a net mile
out owerbye" Ii. G., mile from the shore.)
So firmly persuaded was she that what she
saw was no imagination, and so convinced
were they to whom she told the fact, that.
In spite of their usual fear and superstition
with regard to the dead, several fishermen
at once rowed out near to the spot indicated
and Immediately began to grapple by
means of heavy-weighted fishing lines, for
the body tangled in the net"
4 r. l. 4 l =