St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-06-10

followed by that OF 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 afloat and leave the island. They
were discovered. and terrible fight
took place and five men were killed.
The brig was likewise set on fire and
destroyed, and from that time on until
the British gunb0at Foxhound touched
at the island and took off the four sur
viv0rs, the men did little else but hunt
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 smoke signal on the west side OF
the island 10 attract attention, and it
came near proving her destruction. A
native trading craft, with crew of four
men, stood in to investigate, and the
captain and boy came ashore in
small boat. No sooner was it discov-
cred that she was alone than plan was
cOncOcted to rob her of her possessions.
Had this succeeded, she would probably
have been murdered as well.
Thanks to the deSperadOes who had
mar0Oned her, she was armed, and the
result of the affair was that she shot the
captain dead and drove the survivors
OFT the island. From that time on she
was in such fear that she made no fur
ther 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 real CruSoe life the captains
wife was compelled to lead, and while
there were many drawbacks there was
also certain amount Of enjoyment in
the situation. She first set about build
ing house, and the men who Inspected
1t when she was rescued were agreed
that few men could have done better. 1t
was framework of poles covered with
one of the old sails given her. and from
the stones along the beach she had con-
structed a fireplace, which made her
home comfortable in the bad season.
/. From the first she discarded her own
attire and dressed in her husbands
clothes, aud when first seen by the res
cuing party she was supposed to be a
man. her second adventure occurred
after she had been on the island about
four months.
A native craft put in one day and
landed man who was evidently a
lunatic. He was no sooner on shore
mans conduct soon proved that he was
bereft of his reason. He began singing
and shouting and dancing, and the
woman fastened to shut herself up and
prepare for discovery and attack. She
did not hear from the man, however,
until the next day toward shutdown.
Then he made a sudden and fierce
attack upon her house. and in Self-de-
Tense 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 woman. sit
uated as the captains wife was, could
find to do to pass away the time. After
building her house and getting the III
terror to suit her. she captured and do
was also species of dove on the
island, and she built cote and soon
had half a hundred of them about her.
Then she transpianted vines and flowers
to make homelike surroundings, and
when the time hung heavily OIL her
hands she cut away at the underbrush
or gathered firewood. There was
beautiful spring of cold water about
half 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 continuous line of
troughs from the spring to point near
the house, with supply of water almost
great enough to run mill wheel.
One more startling adventure befell
the woman before she was rescued. In
fair weather, when she had nothing to
do about the house, she was in the
habit of taking muSket and making
the circuit of the island, which was
journey of half day. She had returned
from one of these excursions, when she
came upon three Chinese sailors from
a 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 plum
dering it. One of the trio had his arms
full of goods, and was on his way to the
boat when sue came up. Her sudden
appearance, coupled with the discharge
their boat enpty-handed, and left her
the water cask as trophy. The jonk
hung about the island for day or two,
evidently anxious to land, but mystified
and afraid. and finally sailed away and
left her in peace.
1t was just thirteen months and day
from the landing before Mrs. Welles
was rescued. 1t might have been far
longer but for John Lee and his COM
paDions. When they were taken aboard
the F0xhound 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 pressed
him he became Sullen and mOrOSe, and
would talk no more. He wasn't hanged,
OF course, but the recollection of long
term of Imprisonment wouldn't be very
soothing to him.