Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-12-10

veloped sometimes very abnormaliy
Many well authenticated stories are told il
Illustration; but one vr 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 Aucnmithie
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 Arbroatt
| (Sir Walters ''Fairport. TIE popula.
| tion is about three or four hundred, and is
almost exclusively engaged-man, woman
and child-ln the fishing industry. Al
Auchmithie, as elsewhere, 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" One
night some years ago the crew of the
Margaret AM" proceeded to sea to en-
gage in the paddock fishing. In the
neighborhood of the Bell or Inchcape
Rock-the scene Of Southey's famous bal
lad-about a mile to the east of the light
house, the skipper, who a few minutes be-
fore had spoken to one of the men, was
suddenly and unaecountably 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 to have fallen or Jump
ed overheard.
But all was of no avail. The night be-
ing very dark and somewh"t. -eugh.
Willie Walker was never seen again.
But his wrath was!
His wife and a younger son at home
were awakened in the night time by a loud
knocking, as they thought, at the door of
familiar, though unusually harsh and
hasty; it was the gudeman's knock! And
presently it was his voice that said, very
pathetically, Lets IN, Betsy, I'm cauld
and wet; haste We. let's inr'
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
appear in the darkness.
Overwhelmed W; tn fear and full Of APP
prehension, she kept" it was not her
uuSUdu SLe udQ SEEN, Dub HIS WIdllu, anu
that disaster had overtaken him.
And so it proved. With the morning
the fishing boat returned, 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, sat 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 unfolded to her. cat FIVE minutes
past twal'-for lookit at the knock-he
cam to the door and cried to let him in,
for he was cauld and wet puir man! Now
ken it was the wrath of my ain Willie
Walker"
If in the foregoing story there may seem
wanting that more direct evidence of the
possession of the second sight on the part
Of the widow Of the hapless fisherman,
nevertheless the mysterious appearing
and sudden vanishing of his spirit, the
knock at the door of his house loud enough
to waken the sleepers within, and above
all, the distinct appeal for admission in
words quoted-all this points to a super
natural apprehension, # not an actual
vision, by his widow, of disaster inn
minent or actually occurring, and at
distance of at least fourteen miles. But
what other theory can explain the occur
reuces If that of second sight is held to be
inadmis:ible?
The fol- 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 feet of boats returning from the
deep-sea fishing to their harborage on the
n 0rtheast seaboard. The storm arose while
the boats were within few miles of port.
and so terrible was the tempest that two of
them foundered almost within hail of each
other, but without the crews of either
knowing of 1t.
In the one boat were. among the rest, a
father and his son, and In the other boat
two elder sons, all belonging to the same
family. Both boats crews were drowned,
and, indeed, neither were boats or crews
ever seen again, with but one SIM lie 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, On the maternal
side, of the three fisher brothers declared
that she had seen in vision ''the body of
the youngest BARN tangled in net a mile
out owerbye" Ii. e., mile from the shore J
So firmly persuaded was she that what she
saw was no imagination, and so convinced
we're 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. )"
CStrage to say, their efforts were soon re-
warded by its discovery in the very posi-
tion described by the aged seer.-Edin
burgh Scotsman.