Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-05-13

WIU, as we Slldll presently , =, dS 10 NC
the greatest terrOrs.
But it should here be explained as
sort of justification of the Jesuit Fathers
that they had hardly got their religious
settlement solidly founded when they
were recalled by the king of Spain, or
at least made powerless by the confsca
ton of nearly all their privileges and
their property. And SO other people
took their places and time swept on.
After years and years gold was found
in California, and ships began to sail by
in great numbers. One ship after an
other reported seeing lone figure like
that of human being standing on a
little pyramid Of heaped-up stones and
looking out after the ship till lost to
sight.
Finally inquiry in and around San
Francisco revived the story about the
lone woman who had been left for SO
many years on the island, and the cir
cumstances as ] have set them down so
far as the facts were known at Santa
Barbara.
But everybody was busy getting gold.
We had no lighthouse or government
stations then as now. Our acquisition
of the vast sea was new. We had not
vet explored or set foot on the half Of
our possessions And SO time still
H.,
left with her wild dogs in the desOlate
little island off the salubrous harbor of
Santa Barbara
And now one Of the great steamers
carrying gold and passengers, the Geni
Scott, was wrecked on a still smaller
island not far off.
The wreckers and others saw the WOm
an not infrequently now. And the story
went about that the little pyramid of
rocks was gradually growing higher, and
the lone and desolate figure that mount
ed it taller and taller as time went by.
Finally the American spirit could en-
dure this idea of lone and endless cap
tivity no longer. Two men from Boston,
and some others from | know not where,
hired a small ship and sailed straight
for the relief of the poor, desolate pris-
oner. She stood high and lone on the
heap of stones and waited for their
coming.
And what could have been her
thoughts? Would they, too, pass on
and away to the left and to the right as
a thousand other ships had passed.
Would they come to her? Could they
come ? And what if they should come?
Would they devour her; as the wild
dogs that were gathered about her
were waiting to devour her? Landing
without trouble, for the ocean there is
still and restful as rule, they walked
away over the sea birds eggs and
through the sWarms of seal straight uD
toward the feather-clad figure on the
high heap of stones. 1t did not attempt
to run away.
And here is the grimmest and most
pathetic part of it all; she could not
run away without danger of being de-
voured by the horde of wild dogs that
literally sat in circle around her, wait
ing, watching for her to come down.
She had been for years building her
little fortress, and she had built it with
all the care and skill of trained en-
gineer. Here was a stone house for her
provisions; there q cell for water, and
here one worn and crooked pass where |
she could possibly beat back the dogs
with her club as long as she had strength
But when strength failed her? She had
not been unmindful of failing strength
in the end, however, and SO had built a
little tower on top, where she could at
the last lie down and die
One of the rescuing party told me
that she surely could have held out but
a little time longer.
Strange as it may seem, she laughed |
at the pity offered her. She would not
come down to them; but when they |
laughed outright and hid her face in her |
rich robe of feathers. In fact, as this |
same man told me, she laughed almost |
continually, perhaps the poor creatures |
only form of expression. For of course |
she could not understand one word that |
any one spoke to her. And one of the |
interesting things about it all is when |
they got her to Santa Barbara not one
of her tribe was left alive to talk with
her
Dr. Brinkerhoff, who was the principal
citizen of Santa Barbara. and whose |
widow is still there to verify all that has
from the boat himself when the party |
got back from the island with her, and |
that she began to laugh as soon as he |
took hold of her hand to help her
ashore He further told me that |
as he walked up town with her towards |
MS house they met a man in the street
on horseback; and that on the sight of
this man on horseback she sat right fat |
down in the dust and laughed and |
laughed as if she could never stop |
laughing.
Of course, the strange story and the
news of the rescuing from the island |
soon spread all over the world. Bar
mum sent a man all the way from his |
Bridgeport home to secure her for his
greatest show on EARTH" and the state |
of California promised to make ample |
provision for her comfort and we'll being
at home.
But before Barnum's agent arrived or
the poor little laughing creature had fair
ly ceased 10 laugh at sight of the first
horse she had ever seen she fell i'll.
All was done by the good people of
Santa Barbara that could possibly be
done She had the best of care, and
certainly the best of physicians attend
ed her. But she rapidly declined; and
one day, while sitting on the grass eat
ing piece Of Watermelon, she suddenly
turned her face away to her island,
looked a moment, and then sank down
on the grass, dead
They found great many fishhooks
hidden away in her new clothes and
also a number of needles, for ishhooks
and needles were the wonder and the
delight of her heart, and this gave rise
to the idea that she was getting ready to
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