Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-03-03

1 direction or superintendent us that
which may supply us with the key to
this astounding mystery. A singular
superstition of old standing, but which
was believed to have died out has been
revived among the people to account
for the disappearance of the brothers.
| It is said that the coast is haunted by
what the English speaking fishermen
call "a worm,' and the Irish speaking
a piast. Even before the disappearance
| of Edward Freeman / overheard talk OF
this piast in connection with John Free
mans disappearance, but when 1 laugh
| ingly desired more definite information
ON the subject l was refused. AS you
are aware, when | was first stationed in
this district determined, for profes-
sionai reasons, to learn the language in
which the people express their most If
innate thoughts-that is to say, the old
Gaelic tongue. 1t has been very useful
to me. | have always found that the
people are much more communicative
and confiding with IL person who can
| speak to them in this ancient language.
| Concerning the piast, however, on the
occasion referred to, found the men
whom l had overheard speaking sui
| lenly and obstinately uncommunicative.
| am certain, however, that the notion
| of supernatural and man devouring
monster now haunting these shores is
universal among the island and coast
population. Since John Freeman was
lost not man has been seen fishing
upon any of the rocks along the coast,
L.
same equally amazing manner no fish
| ing boat has ever remained out after
! dark from our little basin. For myself
I must say that, although of course dc
! not believe i'll any such nonsense, yet
for some days have found my imagi-
| nation most disagreeably haunted by
the thought Of this reptile prowling
round the shore and seeking whom he
may devour. | have dreamed of the
brute and that he had plucked me, too,
not from off rock, but out of my
| flowers. The beast seemed to be a mon
strous serpent with wings and hairy
| name. He reared himself out of the sea,
| and looking all around with his basilisk
eyes suddenly swooped down upon me
| and seized me. | screamed SO loud that
the whole household came running to
my room. You can imagine what a fool
I seemed to myself and others.
On Friday in the afternoon, | say,
the second young Freeman was lost. Of
| what we have done and attempted in
tho meantime you will find enough in
the official report. The following is for
your private eye, for know you take an
interest in these queer superstitions
which still linger among the peasantry
and fisher people, and which are, sup
pose, Il remnant of paganism:
On Sunday afternoon | saw Il four
| cared boat endeavoring to gain the long
island where you and / made such a
bag of rabbits last summer and which
the people call Lau-woper. Curious to
see whether the rowers could accom-
plish their purpose against the head
wind which blew strongly from the
west, l kept watching them. The boat
had started early that morning from
the little fishing village of Coos-heg,
which lies to the east of our own village,
Dun Beacon, and some 10 miles distant
from my place. Suddenly the boat S
head was turned toward land, Il sail
hOisted, and the boat came driving
straight toward my own private little
harbor, Coos an dorcha, which of course
you remember. She seemed to me us If
fleeing from the pursuit of an enemy, 50
furiously she came plunging along, with
! the water leaping and boiling at her
| bows | went down to the strand to
meet the crew. When they We're landed
and had drawn up their boat, had the
men step up to my house and have some
refreshments before going to the village.
| They intended to sleep there that night
and go on next morning to Lau wohr
should the wind come down or change
its direction. They were in all six
Lau-wohr men, very wild and rough in
appearance, but, like all the remote is
| landers along this coast, by no means
so wild as they looked. Indeed these
islanders are almost invariably sim
pie minded, peaceable and hospitable
and kindly people, decidedly better
than the shore folk, who are somewhat
contaminated, as you might say, by
| civilization.
l gave them comforting daft of
WHISKY lIItD StlI AAINt VI 4C't
| themselves around big fire in my
| kitchen, and afterward RECALLED them
| with plenty Of homemade cake and but
| ter and big bowls of steaming hot tea.
They We're much exhausted from row
ing, and the poor fellows looked SO hap
ply and pleased as they ate and drank
that it was a delight only to see the
| look of satisfaction in their simple
countenances. Then at my suggestion
| they took out their pipes and smoked,
| |, too, smoking with them, and asking
many questions in Gaelic. They were at
first very friendly and communicative.
l spoke of the disappearance of Mr..
Freeman S sons, of the resultlessness of
all our searchings, and observed with
as serious and awestruck face and
manner as | could assume that they
might have been snatched from Dhu-
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