, 1892-03-22

The brig was plunder6Qa at Will, and as pro
visions began to grow scarce there was
more drinking and less eating. The first
man killed was the mate, and this too
place about a fortnight after landing. His
death was speedily followed by that OF q
second man, and after that there was no
restraint on the evil passions of the living.
AT length, tired and disguised with their
orgies, the Jones party attempted to get
the brig atioat and leave the island. They
were discovered, and a terrible fight took
place and five pen were killed. The brig
was likewise set on fire and destroyed, and
from that time on until the British gun
boat Foxhound touched at the island and
took off the four survivors, the men did
little else but aunt each other to the death
The island upon which Mrs Welles was
marooned lies off the east coast Of China,
and is still uninhabited. On the day after
she had been put ashore she made a smoke
signal on the west side of the island to at
tract attention, and it came near proving
her destruction. A native trading craft,
with a crew of four men, stood in to In
yestigate, and the captain and a boy came
ashore in a small boat. No sooner was 1t
discovered that she was alone than a plan
was concocted to rob her of her possessions.
Had his succeeded she would probably
have been murdered as well. Thanks to
the desperadoes who had marooned her,
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was that she shot the captain dead and
dove the survivors off the island. From
that time ON she was in such fear that she
made no further effort to attract attention.
On two occasions ships which she believed
to be manned by Europeans came so near
that she could have signaled them, but
she let them pass without doing so.
1t was a real Crusoe life the captains
wife was compelled to lead, and while there
,or 1a-rv l~aryhnalra thn-a NINA aT6n m
certain amount of enjoyment in the situa-
tion. She first set about building a house,
and the men who inspected it when she
was rescued were agreed that few men
could have done better. 1t was a frame
work of poles covered with one of the old
sails given her, and from the stones along
the beach she had constructed a fireplace
which made her home comfortable in the
bad season. From the first she discarded
her own attire and dressed in her hus
bands clothes, and when first seen by the
rescuing party she was supposed to be q
man. Her second adventure occurred after
she had been on the island about four
months.
A native craft put in one day and landed
a man who was evidently a lunatic. He
was no sooner on shore than the boat
hastened away, and the mans conduct
soon proved that he was bereft of his rea-
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dancing, and the woman hastened to shut
herself up and prepare for discovery and
attack. She did not hear from the man,
however, until next day toward shutdown.
Then he made n sudden and fierce attack
upon her house, and in self defense she
had to shoot him. She only wounded him,
however. and he ran down to the sea and
plunged In and brought about his own
death.
One must wonder what a woman, stu
ated as the captains wife was, could find
to do to pass away the time. After build
ing her house and getting the interior to
suit her, she captured and domesticated
half a dozen parrots. There was also a
species Of dove on the island, and she built
a cote and soon had half a hundred of them
about her. Then she transplanted vines
and flowers to make homelike surround
ings, and when time hung heavily on her
hands she cut away at the underbrush or
gathered fir wood. There was "A beauti-
full spring of cold water about a quarter of
a mile from her house and on higher
ground. With the AK left her she cut
down and followed out small trees until
she had u continuous line of troughs from
the spring to "A point near the house, with
a supply of water almost great enough to
run "A mill wheel.
One more startling adventure befell the
wOIntu DtloTt bht WhS ICbCuCu- LII lhll
weather, when she had nothing to do about
the house, she was in the habit of taking q
musket and making the circuit of the
island, which was a journey Of half a day.
She had returned from one of these eXcur-
sions when she came upon three Chinese
sailors from IA junk lying off the shore.
They had come ashore with an empty
water cask in search Of water, and having
caught sight of her house were plundering
it. One of the trio had his arms full of
goods and was on his way to the boat
when she came up. Her sudden appear
ance, coupled with the discharge of her
musket, tumbled the fellows into their
boat empty handed and left her the water
cask as n trophy. The junk hung about
the island for a day or two, evidently anx-
ious to land, but mystified and afraid, and
finally sailed away and left her in peace.
1t was just thirteen months and a day
from her landing before Mrs. Welles was
rescued 1t might ave been far longer
but for John Lee and his companions.
When they were taken aboard the Fox
hound they told of the woman having
been marooned, and after some time spent
in locating the island she was found and
taken off. There were four men left to be
tried and punished by British law for
what had happened. When / asked the
old sailor about this he refused to explain.
When l pressed him he became sullen and
morose and would talk no more. He
wasn't hanged, of course, but the recollec-
ton of a long term of imprisonment
wouldn't be very soothing to him.
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