Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-25
last sepulchra throb w.s like the dying moan
OF THE coxvIcrA

At last, about thirty years after the founding
Of the colony. some 500 prisoners broke loose
from their chains. murdered the guards and
escaped. They seized the garrison and for
several days held possession Of the island. just
then Nantucket whale ship happened TO put
into Cumberland bay for food and water. The
convicts seized the captain and compelled him
TO take on board ss many Of their number
his vessel could possibly carry. Two hundred
OF them crowded in and they threatened the
snip otncers with instant death in case Of
failure to land them on the coast Of Peru
whittier they determined to go, TO escape the
vengeance Of the Gillian government
The captain Of the whaler ran over
to the nearest land on the coast
OF Chill and, leading the convicts TO believe
tnat II was Peru. put them ashore only about
thirty miles north Of Valparaiso. They soon
found out their dangerous situation, but it is
said that every one Of them succeeded in elud-
ing the Gillian authorities and eventually
time advancing upon Santiago. Most OF the
prisoners left upon the island escaped by differ
emit vessels and were scattered over the globe.
BUT very few OF those engaged in the massacre
were recsptured, and they were shot in the
central square Of Chili's capital. All this 90
Cured less than forty years ago.
Speaking Of those days brings 10 mind the
story OF q former governor of Juan Fernandez,
which Is still told and believed by everybody
on the island. Looking mp TO the uttermost
PEAKS Oh ionkaman abrupt precipice on all
sides. rising 5000 feet into the blue-one
sees the dim outlines Of . black cross and
wonders how in the world it got there. Many
attempts have been made. by sailors and others.
to scale the peak, but always without success,
except in a single instance. One day the gov
ernor OF the convict colony went out riding a.
was his usual after-dinner custom, and when
near to fonka he beheld SO remarkable q vision
that he galloped back to the village in
hot haste and related that he saw.
-,
tall man, dressed all in black and mounted on
very tall white horse. The strange rider had
face CHASTITY in its Wilderness, and turning he
looked steadily at the governor with ewes Of
hre, the glare OF which made the air hot all
around" Trembling with fear the governor
made the sign Of the cross, whereupon the
phantom put spurs to his horse and rode
straight up the precipice to the top OF the peak
where he paused and looked back. Seeing the
sign of the blessed cross repeated the mystic
rious horseman lifted his hands wildly as if in
despair and plunged out Of sight on the other
side.
THE STORY or THE BLACK CROSS.
Being devout man and believer in spooks
the governor recognized this as an omen of i'm
pending calamity, which could only be averted
by planting a crucifx on top Of the peak. For
this purpose he selected two criminals who
were under sentence of death and offered them
their Liberty if they would make the ascent
and erect the cross. The prisoners resolved to
hazard the attempt. as on the other hand there
was the certainty of death. Tools. ropes, lad
ders and provisions were furnished and they
were sent on with the warning that il they had
not succeeded in the course of ten DAYS they
would be Immediately executed. For more
than week they toiled necessarily, driving
spikes into the cliff. and day by day went up
higher. letting themselves down at night
by ropes to the base of the precipice
On the eighth day they reached the summit
almost dead from fright and worn to skeletons
by the terrible ordeal through which they had
passed, SO that for many hours they lay COM
pletely Frustrated. The table on top OF the
peak ID a vast rock, forty feet in diane ter, and
In the middle Of it a clear spring bubbles mp.
One Of the men bathed in the water and felt so
refreshed that he at once knew il had magical
properties. He peered over the western preci-
plce to see where the cascade fell, when To-
directly below him, stretched from crag to
crag over the awful gorge, was clothes line
full of linen Shirts white as snow. Deponent
does not say what this portended; but the con-
Wet called his comrado to come and see,
and while they were looking q tremen-
dons hurricane came up, compelling them to
lall nat on their faces TO avoid being blown
over the abyss After the wind had passed
they looked again, but clothes and line had
disappeared and nothing was to be seen but
the bare rocks. Then they fell on their knees
In prayer and an angel appeared who showed
them q tree suddenly grown up beside the
spring and bade them use it for the cross
They did SO; and then letting themselves dow.
by the ropes, hasteped to the governor to relate
their adventures. The tale SO impressed that
pious dlgnltary that he not only redeemed bis
promise by giving them liberty, but sent them
home laden with gifts and had crosses erected
In various parts Of the island and daily masses
said by the soldiers for q long time after ward.
TO sELKIRK's MEMoRZ.
On that side Of Crusoe's lookout which faces
the bay marble tablet ,as been set. bearing
tho following inscription: I'm memory of
Alexander Selkirk, marine-, native Of Largo.
County OF Fife, Scotland, who lived upon the
island in complete solitude for four years and
four months. He was landed from the Cinque
Ports galley, Sc tons, 16 guns, A. ID. l7O4, and
was taken OF In the Duke, privateer, on Feb
ruary II. 1909. He died lieutenant of II. b.
NJ. s. Weymouth. forty-seven years. This
tablet is erected of Selkirks lookout by Com
modore Powell and the officers of II. B. N. s.
Topaz A. ID. 1868"
Standing where Crusoe stood when he was
monarch of all he surveyed-and his right there
was none to dispute--one looks of upon lovely
valleys and wooded ravines fair and solitary as
the Happy Valley Of Rasselas, till recently sell
every side by the long swells of the Pacific, un-
broken to the horizon except by the dim shapes
OF islands belonging to the same group.
Later we hunted up other relics OF Selkirk's
stay. Great care has been taken to preserve
things just he left them. SO far as inc xorabie
time will allow. The 'castle" long since
succumbed to wind and weather. and the
country residence" as we'll; but the cave
which has also been . famous resort for bucca-
neers, may easily be visited 1t lies in ridge
of volcanic rock and looks as if il might be the
doorway into the ruins of some splendid
temple. The entrance is fully fifteen feet high
and the cavern runs back about thirty
feet, varying in height from ten to eighteen
feet. There are many holes, or pockets. dug
into the inner surface Of reddish rock. which,
perhaps, were Crusoe's cupboards. There are
rusty spike nails driven al around, where he
may have hung his guns and household uten-
sils and those wonderful garments and UNI
brellas made Of goatskins. A stone oven, with
a sunken place for fire underneath it is visible
in the back part Of the cave, and . broad dark
smoke line reaches to the roof-probably made
while his man Friday kept the house tidy,
For he sure twas his business TO DO so,"-
according to one of the many long-winded
songs that sailors sing pertaining to Crusoe's
adventures
Nobody goes to Juan Fernandez without
bringing away souvenirs In the shape Of sticks
and stones. There is q wood peculiar to the
island which makes beautiful canes, having
rare grain and polishing we'll Your CORE
spondent pleased herself better by gathering
quantity Of ferns and moses that grew about
Crosoe's cave and in the glen where his castle
stood. in secluded paths where he fed his goats
and held converse with his faithful pets and
honest Friday. carefully pressed them in an
album and sent them to my PARKWAY home in