The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1893-04-28

'tuim WTckcus
"a pirates ship. -
"Sank down 1704.
"0ld treasures.
"Nine bags gold.
~ silver, guns.
"Rubies, jewels.
"Sure to he here.
"Dig far in sand.
"Write all down."
So ran the first lines to my utter
and bewildered, |
reached out by my side and picked
up a sun tinted oyster shell, and
wrote on the inner surface what |
had read, with stylographic pen,
feeling startled enough tn make
the shade too cool. A south s-a-
breeze struck me and | threw off
the chill. The same tickling
breeze also played down the hill
side and oblitera,ed the words,
leaving the surface as blank as a
tide. washed beach, and me tn wide
eyed wonderment. | pondered
over my shell-page chapter, my
whole mind being worked into
one intense "why Z" Raising my
eyes again to the hill, a new chap.
ter was beng written before my
eyes in raised letters OF fault ess
execution. | could not zee the
hand, bui the progress of execut
ing each letter was distinct, and it
ceased to smite me with terror,
leaving me at my best 10 copy on
shell after she'll, from which | now
hasten. gentle reader, to give a
consecutive compilation. But |
am mystifed by the TACT that the
firsl ten lines were written by eX.
actly twelve characters, and | have
no idea why that was the case. 1t
continuing, saying:
"By a judgment of heaven the
lightning hit our main mast, and
the mighty waves beat on the star
board Of our ship, and the winds
and waters cleared our deck and
drove US afoul of this sand bar.
We were pirates on high sea and
robbers on land; we bave disabled
many rich ships and emptied lhell
Golfers we have shed much limo
cent blood on sea and on land We
have burned Spanish cities on The
coasts of Columbia, lsthmus o
Daricn, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexi
co; plundered the palaces o
kings and queens and murdered
the people OF their cites, and wert
on our voyage to plunder an(
burn Pensacola and drive the peo
pie TO CONSERVATION with lhs
sword. The storm of lightning
winds and waves overwhelmed u
our ship was broken and wrecked
and our loud prayers and confess
ions did not save us from destruc
ton, and we all perished on thi
spot, with our crimes upon us
The winds torment us and sand
forever mock US and bury us deep
er every day. Our spirits cry on
through The sands every day an,
murmur through walers of the >e
every night to be released iron
the judgment upon US. We groal
and moan and suffer these man
years.
"Now, therefore, redeem on
spirits with many prayers lrOr
our crimes, and we beseech the
to dig deep into these sands iha
have hidden us and our ship iron
view, and dig out The great copper
bound chests that have in ther
The bags of gold, silver, gems an
many treasures, and return ther
TO whom they belong, to the pool
and to those who can interced
for us and gain our liberation.
"That thou mayost know on
misery. climb unto the hollow {
this hill and place thine ear agalns
the sands. AMI hear our lament'
tions and that thou mayest ais
see nur mls.rles with the eye, tax
with thee SANDS from This hill an
look at them sharply with a gre,
glass, and behold upon each graz
the likeness Of our wOeiul face
, and the tortures we are put t.
, Therefore, gentle spirit, strive ft
us diligently, and thy rewar
r shall be untold riches that sha
remain thine. Wall, sand, wal
and make The hill tremble with
melancholy noise And waller
, murmur and moan to sicken tn
: hearts of the livingw
Then the hillside assumed j
, every day appearance, but 81
f there half dazed till solitude W,
/ painful, and cimed into the hi
5 against my will and held my e,
|. dumbly against the sands, and Il
v clinking OF the gold and silve
Q the breaking of shipmasts, nr
t the shrieks Of woe are ever rim
n ing in my ears 10 this day, and
4 never hear the murmuring of Il
n sea at night on all this coast,
/. see the sands play about broke
a nieces of shius on the shore, wit
| out seeing the same woeful face
d or can | ever hold a magnifyil
' glass over a vial of these sands
II have standing on a marble pede
/. tai without chilling shudder
o and, because ! am unable to Vi
!. aid to those avarice. ruined sou
t melancholy keeps me away frc
Is Sand Hill on Cat Island, and t
!. riches | know to he there.
y Leslie +. Kelley Will sell his