Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-03-22
TIE ISLE OF SKULLS.
A Woman's Lonely Life Surrounded by
the Bones of Her Tribe.

the Bones of Her Tribe.
From the san Francisco Erdmias-.
On the lonely swind-swept Island OF
San Nicolas, eighty miles off the coast
of Ventura county, where, as far back
as the memory Of man runs, hundreds
OF white skeletons have dotted the val
leys and hillsides, local archaologistS
are now busy gathering the relics OF a
strange extinct race. The Island Is ten
miles long and oval in shape, being four
miles across at the widest part. Strange
utensils OF serpentine, sandstone, and
Steatite are found there among the hu-
man bones, aud the Island and It's erst-
while inhabitants have history so Gu
rious that it is difficult Of apprehension.
Ia 1895 the padres OF Santa Barbara,
learning that there were but sixteen OF
the strange Indian race then living
there, determined to rescue them from
the island. They went over In sloop
and succeeded, as they thought, in get
ting all on board. At the last moment
an Indian woman returned for her
child, aud one OF the frequent storms OF
the channel islands springing up, the
sloop was driven away without her.
The sloop went on the rocks OF Point
Conception and all on board were lost.
Sixteen years later Capt. George Md
ever and two men went from the coast
on a sloop 10 hunt otter off San Nicolas.
On landing they were, like CruSoe, as
tonished to discover human footprints
in the sand. They saw no one, howev-
err, and storm compelled them to put
to sea-.
1t was two years thereafter that the
adventurous Captain, revolving in his
mind the sight Of the footprints in the
uncanny island, determined to go and
discover and bring over the lonely
woman Of whom he had vaguely heard.
Men accompanied him, and at length
they saw on the surf-beaten shore a
woman with long tawny hair dressed in
queer garb OF colored bird skins, and
scraping, with bone knife, the blubber
frSm a seal.
They surrounded and approached her
stealthily, and, although suddenly con-
fronted, she did not appear in the least
afraid, but smiled, and then, falling on
her knees, prayed to the sun. The wild
woman offered no objection when by
signs she was made to understand that
she was to go with them in the boat.
They reached Santa Barbara across
the rough sea, and the first thing the
Indian woman saw was DIR. $. l.. Shaw,
now so years old and yet living there,
riding a horse. She had never seen nor
heard OF any object like it, and thought
the man and horse were one, and she
knelt on the shore and offered her devo-
tions TO it. Two weeks afterward the
last inhabitant Of rock-ribbed, tempest
tossed San Nicolas died from eating food
to which she was unaccustomed, fur
nished by her rescuers, and the curtain
fell on her race forever.
Wild dogs had eaten her child. Her
dress Of red and blue feather, a won
derful creation Of barbaric hands, was
sent to the Pope Of Rome. Relic hunt
ers have gathered mortars, pestles,
ollas, toy steatite canoes, and other
curious things there for some years
past, and shipped them to various East
ern and European universities. Skele-
tons and parts of skeletons have also
been collected in large numbers, but
to-day the bones of thousands OF In
dams are scattered about there. Some
lie face down, indicating that they have
fallen in battle. There are so many
human relics there that San Nicolas is
known as the isle Of Skulls"
1.-The lonely island, whose highest
part is but 1,O4O feet above the sea-"
said resident Of Ventura last night,
ais noted for the high artistic class of
many OF It's relics. Had the woman
rescued, then 50 years old, not died, a
story passing strange wonld no doubt
have been told OF the race so long
hemmed in by the waste Of waters
about. As it is, much OF the story is
Shrouded in mystery forever"