St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-11-24
WEIRD TALES OF THE SEA

WEIRD TALES or THE SEA
| 4 Haunted BARK In Demerara-A 0hos
from Salvador-In the Chain Locker.
We were eating dinner one night OF
the old cargo ship and talking Of tn,
happenings at sea and on shore tina
are called supernatural, when the cap
tain said:
'One sees some things at sea NO
supernatural which are at to make q
nervous man see ghosts. There was
| that case in one of Green's liners t.
the colonies, where man was sent
down to clean out the chain locker
The locker had seemed foul all the pas
sage home, and so they hoisted out the
chain and sent this fellow down with
his brush and soap and bucket, with a
lamp, to clean it out I'll wager he
saw ghosts for . year after that, fol-
when he'd got down on his knees tC
begin scrubbing he found himself bend
ing over the skull of q dead man.
1T was most likely = man that had
slowed away out in the colony and had
been caught under the cable when
they were running it down quickly,
and so had the life crushed ont Of him.
However, I did know of a case that
seemed supernatural enough. 1t was
in the Demerara trade, and was &C.
quainted with the first officer of the
bark where it all happened.
I'm the first place, while she was out
there loaded and ready to sail the cap
tain had trouble with one of the sea-
men, who out with his knife and stab
bed him to death then and there. The
mate afterward took her home, but on
the way passenger took to ailing in
some mysterious fashion and up and
died very suddenly.
''Of course, she was haunted ship
when she arrived home, and so the
owners had her name changed, and
she was refitted and painted up entire
ly different from what she had been.
Then she sailed away with a new cap
drink, and by the time she reached
Demerara he was off his head and
killed himself with a revolver.
Now she was haunted. sure enough.
If you could believe the mate. Mind
you, after she was refitted the mate
said never q word to the new captain
what had happened in her before, and
even when a new captain came out
from home to take charge of her, be-
lieving that the last captain was natu-
rally a drunkard instead of one who
had taken to it after coming on this
ship, this first officer never said word,
because he did not believe in ghosts or
even in future state.
However, the first night the new
captain was on board the trouble be-
gan. The captain at about nine o clock
went to his room and retired. An hour
later he was calling the mate and tell
ing that he had gone to sleep. and then
had been awakened by light in the
room. On opening his eyes he saw
short. thickset man, with side whiskers,
in the armchair at the desk. leaning
over, with his elbows on the desk, hold
ing his head between his hands and
saying: oh, my poor head! Oh, my
poor headr
THAT was enough for the mate. He
left the vessel that night with all
hands. This new captain knew moth
ing Of the style or manner of the one
who had killed himself, and the pic
ture-ghost, or what you may call it
in the chair was the image in appear
apce and dress of the suicide, and had
in precisely the words and
voice Of the dead man."
This brought out the story of an
exile from Salvador whom the narrator
met in Guatemala. Having got into
with the authorities. Senior
Don Sebastian Mojarieta saved his life
BY fleeing to Amapala, Honduras, as
many another exile has done. and there
taking a steamer north to San Jose,
A friend of his who was
in like manner was to have
Amapala by different route
N time for the same steamer, and to
prevent any possible delays Mojarieta
engaged staterooms and secured passes
rom the Amapala authorities for his
friend and himself as soon as he ar
lived. But the steamer day came
without his friend, and Mojarieta was
obliged to sail alone.
'.At the usual hour, on the first night
,ut," tho story teller went on, ''Moja-
.ieta retired and went to sleep, but
had no sooner dozed off than he awoke,
rearing his friends voice. as he says,
n the next stateroom, which he had
to be empty. Leaving his
berth he went out into the passageway.
md opened the door to the adjoining
Dom, and there, he says, he saw lying
IN the berth the body of his friend
tully dressed, but with three bullet
holes in the breast of his coat and one
n the right cheek.
"At that Mojarieta tainted, and was
'Ound on the deck by the steward and
,ut to bed again. Thereafter it was
! most miserable passage. for the YES
el touched 1T both of the Salvador
,orts and was about a week reaching
IAN Jose. Mojarieta was sure his
riend had been shot. and expected a
orce to come of from each Of the Sal
'adOr ports to demand him. Moreover,
le was haunted continually by that
'icture Of his dead friend.
''Once in Guatemala he obtained en-
'loyment quickly and then began to
ecover something of his former spirits.
lie ascribed his vision to his over
wrought imagination and was begin |
ing to hope that his friend would yet |
ppear, when q letter was received |
rom a relative in Salvador. 1t not |
My told that the friend had been shot |
y the government soldiers, but de- |
cribed the wounds Of the body after it |
vas dead. Mojarieta declares that the
description accurately portrayed the
ision he had of his friend, and he be-
ieves that his friends spirit, being UNI
BILE to rest or wholly throw on its de-
ire to take passage on the steamer.
ad come on board and was occupying |
hat berth. IN. Y. Sun.
ROMAN STANDARDS.
Hillary Ensigns by Which the Troops Were