Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-24

fortune, nearly two millions, comes to
YOU
Dolly appeared not to catch a syllable of
this important piece of information. A
deep silence fell on the little group. 1t
was broken by Dollvs tsrting wildly up.
Its mine. is it. Mr.. Andrew. all this
money!" she exclaimed, laying hold OF the
merchants arm
Yes, Dolly, all yours he said calmly
''Iou're millionaire twice over
Then with Gods help" cried Dolly,
raising her right hand soleInnly towards
heaven, IN put it TO good use. I'll find
Capt. John Branigan. for although you may
think that he went down with the Franklin.
say no. He's alive: l feel it; / know it.
On July p the Dolly Hope, fine screw
steamer, fitted out BY the wealthy Mrs.
John Branig gar and placed under the COM
mand of Can't. Ellis, left the port OF San
Diego to fathom if possible the mystery
which for four long years had hung over the
disappearance of the clipper ship Franklin.
Capt Ellis entered upon his task BY Wis
ting the Caroline Islands. where he passed
three months searching for some clew of
the missing vessel On December 2 he
reached the Philippines whence. after a
thorough search, he traverSed the CelebeS
sea, reaching B0rneo March 20. For two
months he cruised among the adjacent
islands, Offering large rewards for any
proof that the Franklin had gone to pieces
in these seas. The port of Batavia was
next visited, and on June 20 the Dolly Hope
sighted the isle OF Singapore. Here the
fruitleSS search came to an end, and Capt.
Ellis reluctantly gave orders TO return to
san Diego.
The voyage had lasted nineteen months,
but IN spite of Captain Ellis indomitable
courage and unwearying efforts, the disap
pearance OF the Franklin was wrapped IN
greater mystery than ever. Two months
later, that is. in March, 1881, SIX years al
most TO the day since the Franklin had
sailed from the port of San Diego, there
came 4 strange tale of the finding of a white
man by an English merchantmen which had
sent a boats crew ashore on one OF the
Sandwich Islands in search of fresh water.
So darkened by sickness and exposure had
the mans skin become and so tangled and
matted We're his hair and beard that the
English sailors had had difficulty al first in
persuadiug themselves that he was really
white man. His mind was found TO be IN
fixed. which accounted for his not having
made any efforts TO escape from the native
village where he was found. After several
weeks of tender nursing the poor wretch
had been encouraged to utter a few words
II is supposed continued the account that
his name is Franklin, for ne has repeated
that name many times.
At last the mystery was solved. The man
proved 10 be Capt. John Branigan, sole sur
vivor of the crew of the ship Franklin,
which had blown up in 1915 on its twenty
first day out from San Diaeo, and it was
strongly suspected that the ships destruc-
ton was due to an Internal machine shipped
among its cargo oy Leon Burker, who COM
mitted suicide in New York when arrested
for completely in the murder OF Edward
Starter, the Tennessee millionaire.
Capt John is now silent partner in the
house of William Andrew, but he devotes
so much of his time to Dolly that lie has
very little left over for business matters.