Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-09-27
oUrDo1NG s1NBAD THE SAILOR.

/
New York and its environs furnish
many a strange story. The latest and
most wonderful is about one SAMUEL
THORNTON, a we'll to do baker, OF
Brooklyn, and his wife's young and
pretty sister. Several weeks ago they
went down to Coney Island beach for a
pleasant ocean swim, and were not
heard of again until their relatives
were notified on Wednesday last by
telegraph from Jacksonville, Florida, to
remit money and clothes to bring them
home.
On the evening OF the day they took
their mysterious sea bath their clothing
was found in the bath rooms which they
had respectively occupied. Very
naturally they were considered as two
more unfortunates who had gone be-
yond their depth and became the vic
Tins Of the treacherous under tow.
Their apparel was identified the next
day and their heartbroken families duly
went into mourning.
The wonderful part Of the tale now
follows, which il true, sends SINBAD
the Sailor and his fairy stories to the
realms OF commonplace incidents.
THORNTON says, and Miss JEWELL, his
slster-in-law corroborates it, that their
rescue from watery grave happened
thuswise: They were disporting them
selves among the breakers some 200
feet from other bathers when wave or
something else carried them beyond
their depth. His sister-in-iaw, who
could not swim, lost her presence OF
mind and he in his efforts to save her
from drowning lost his. He yelled for
assistance but no one heard him owing
to the roar OF surf he thinks. They
were carried further out by the tide
and would have drowned but
for the appearance Of friendly
log which they clutched with a grip
that only drowning people understand.
The wind and tide rapidly carried them
far out to sea, when a crew OF Span
ish vessel just out from New York
espied them. They were taken aboard
and everything in the limited power Of
the Captain was done for them. The
young lady was so exhausted that she
tainted and did not recover her wits for
six days. Then the ship was too far on
her course to turn back. The forlorn
couple had nothing else to do but con-
template their wretched situation and
think of the terrible anxiety of their
relatives at home, who were probably
suffering the tOrtures Of the damned.
About this time another Spanish ship
hove in sight, bound from Yucatan to
New York. Her course drew her close
10 the Florida shore. The sympathetic
skipper of ship No. . after some parley
consented to take them aboard and land
them on the Florida coast. They got
there in due time after many trials and
tribulations that are only known to
storm tossed people in their situation.
1t was a lonely spot where the vessels
yawl landed them, but that was nothing
so they reached terra frma. 1t was
twenty miles from Jacksonville, which
distance they footed, and on the arrival
Of the derelicts in the town communi-
cation was at once opened by wire with
the Brooklyn end Of the family for
help.
This highly romantic and wonderful
tale Immediately got into the newspa-
pers, imbellished in great shape. Re-
ioicings Of the most intense character
took place at Brooklyn. The Widow
THORNTON discarded her weeds Of woe
in iiffy, and readorned herself in the
gayest hsbiliments. Money was tele
9raped to the absent ones who had riser
from the dead, so to speak, and theil
arrival home was expected yesterday.
But there is another side to this
strange story which, il true, indicates
that the pair are not without guile. L
is told by Conductor BARR, Of the Pull
man sleeping car Rincou. He wa
much taken with the couples vivid rem
dition Of the story in the morning pa
pers. Their marvellous escape from
death, their dreadful suffering
by sea and land, together will
their personal description, mad
such an impression upon him tina
he at once made up his mind they wer
the Identical pair that occupied bert
No. 2 on the night before from New
Orleans to Jacksonville. Hurriedl'
posting to the hotel where they wer
stopping, he readily confirms
his bslief,s and 50 charged them