Asheville daily citizen., 1892-03-21

marooncd lies off the east coast of China,
and l. Ill uninhabited. On the day after
she hAU been put ashore she made 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 crew of four men, stood in to in
vestigate, and the captain and boy came
ashore in small boat. No sooner was it
discovered 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 hxd marooned her,
she was armed, and the result of the affair
was that she shot the captain dead and
drove 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 manne, by Europeans came so near
that she could have sgnaled 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
were many drawbacks there was also
certain amount of enjoyment in the situa-
tion. She first set about building house,
hlu illSu WIZ lllSpcIuCu :" uth SuC
was rescued were agreed that few men
could have done better. 1t was 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 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 lunatic. He
was no sooner ON shore than the boat
FASTENED away, and the mans conduct
soon proved that he was bereft of his rea-
son. He began singing and shouting and
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 sundown
Then he made 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 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 dozen parrots. There was also a
species of dove on the island, and she built
cote and soon had half hundred of them
| .l.o L.. Il,
and flowers to make homelike surround
ngs, and when time hung heavily on her
hands she cut away at the underbrush or
gathered firewood. There was a beauti,
full spring of cold water about u quarter of
mile from her house and on higher
ground. With the ax left her she cut
down aud followed out small trees until
she had II continuous line of troughs from
the spring to II point near the house, with
supply of water almost great enough tC
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 8
musket and making the circuit Of the
island, which was journey of half day
She had returned from one of these excur
sions when she came upon three Chinese
sailors from 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 he
musket, tumbled the fellows into thei
boat empty handed and left her the waite
c;lsk as a trophy. The junk hung abou
the island for day or two, evidently anx
ious to land, but mystified and afraid, anC
finally sailed away and left her in peace.
1t was just thirteen months and u da.
from her landing before Mrs. Welles wa
rescued. 1t might have been far longe
but for John Lee and his companions
When they were taken aboard the Fox
hound they told of the woman havin,
been marooned, and after some time spen
In locating the island she was found ant
taken off. There were four men left to b
tried and punished by British law TO
what had happened. When | asked tn
. old sailor about this he refused to explain
, When pressed him he became sullen ant
morose and would talk no more H
wasn't hanged, of course, but the recollec
tion of a long term of Imprisonment
wouldn't be very soothing to him.