The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-11-13
LUKE'S FORTUNE.


out into the ocean like a great thumb, and
that of its southern limits, in what Is
known as the straits of Florida, there are
dozen or more islands. Some OF these
are inhabited by fishermen, shell gather
ers and turtle catchers, and some are not
visited once year by anybody. Some OF
! the islands are only banks of sand, with
here and there shrub or tree, while 9TH
ers are covered with luxuriant vegetation
and are veritable gems Of the sea.
In the spring Of 1879 boy IA years OF
age, named Luke Smith, who was an or
phan and had lived for several years at Co
lumbus, Ky. managed 20 make his way
down TO New Orleans on "A steambOat.
He was disappointed in finding nothing
20 do after his arrival, and for two or three
weeks lived by begging on the streets.
Being threatened with arrest for this, and
being now as anxious 10 leave the city as
he had formerly been 10 reach il, he hid
| himself away on board OF small schooner
! loaded for Charleston. He did not dis
sover himself 20 the crew until the craft
was well on her way, and until he was
near perishing with hunger and thirst.
! The schooner had "a small crew, and tho
boy could have been of use, but both the
captain and mate treated him In the most
shameful manner. He was fogged and
cuffed until he tried 90 jump overheard TO
escape his prosecutors, and the food he
got was hardly enough TO sustain life.
The only offense he had committed was
! in hiding aboard, but the officers, who
were both hard drinkers, looked upon this
as a crime punishable almost with death.
| They would probably have driven him to
suicide but for the interference Of the crew,
who threatened TO report their conduct
and their cruelties as soon as they entered
port. This made them let mp little, but
! it also set them to planning Learning
| that they might get into the clutches of
the law if they carried Luke to Charles
| ton, where he could make n complaint.
they determined TO maroon him.
! A course was steered for the cluster OF
islands mentioned, and on reaching them
the captain had himself and Luke pulled
ashore on pretense Of seeking some shell
gatherers.
The island that the captain had selected
was about five miles from the nearest
| neighbor and entirely uninhabited. It
was only about mile across in any direc
| tion, but fairly we'll wooded and contained
fine spring of fresh water
Shortly after getting into the woods, out
| of sight of the sailors in the yawl the cap
| tain informed Luke that he was TO be left
there and threatened TO kill him If he at
tempted 10 regain the boat. Luke was
rather pleased than otherwise, and the
captain finally showed up on the beach
| and reported the boy TO have run away
from him and concealed himself. The boat
was ordered TO pull of at once, and when
.sal- - u. IA.
WIS 70 bchUft tho schooner three or feaF
miles distant. The first thing he did, as
he afterward told me, was TO hunt for
fresh water. He not only found the spring,
| but he discovered an abundance of wild
fruit in the woods, and along shore he
| found oysters in plenty. One of the sail
ors, probably mistrusting the captains
! intentions, had secretly furnished the boy
with "A sheathknife. some matches, a fish
line and handful OF salt.
IL was about 10 o'clock in tho forenoon
! when Luke was left ashore. Before night
| he had satisfied his hunger for the first
time in weeks and built himself a shelter.
| That was his introduction To Crusoe life,
which lasted till Oct. IL. During the six
months no one landed mt the island, and
he saw no sail within three or four miles.
His bill of fare consisted Of fruits, berries,
roots oysters, fish and wild onions. lie
caught several turtles, but not knowing
how to prepare them he could not uso
them. Now and then. to vary his diet, he
killed n bird, but the only species he could
lay hold of were rather rank in taste.
The sth day of August was memora-
bic day TO Luke Smith. A heavy sen had
been beating on the west side of the island
for two days previous, and the tides had
also been unusually high. Along the
western shore, just Mt average high water
mark, was "a continuous bluff five or six
feet high As Luke walked along the
beach on the forenoon of the Sth, with the
tide out, he noticed that this bluff had
been badly cut into In places At oncspot
n great tree had been uprooted and carried
Off by the waves, and "a the boy looked
into the hole thus left he saw what APP
peared TO be n wooden box about 10 inches
square 10 took all his strength TO lift it
out on the sands, and searching about he
soon discovered four moro Just like il.
They were iron bound cedar boxes, and
they were full Of gold and silver coins and
had no doubt been buried for 20 years or
more.
The money was nearly all Spanish and
counted up nearly se,oo6to the box. NAe
buried it will never be known, but there
are those who connect 10 with a Cuban lil-
clustering expedition of years ago.
Luke Smith was taken off the island by
revenue cutter on the day have named,
and Of course his money went with him.
Had il been almost any other craft he
would probably have been robbed of n
goodly portion. The captain Of the cutter
not only landed him at Pensacola, but
stood by him until the courts appointed
legal guardian.
Luke was nc once sent TO school and in
due time TO college, and today he is OF
the brightest lawyers in Louisville. The
captain who left him on Doubloon island,
Rs 10 is now called, expecting him To die
Of starvation, heard Of the treasure find.
"a did hundreds of others, and IL was said
that he never got over being mad TO his
dying day.--Tuke Sharp in Detroit Free
Press.
Cure For Rattlcsncisc Bitc.
4 send Won a rpciDa for tho bto Of N rof-