The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-02-07

BRACED MY NERVES.
many months, and during that time had
discovered goldfeld 50 rich that
miner could dig enough in three days to
make him rich for life. | am only Civ
ing you the skeleton of his story. He
filled in the particulars SO nicely that
nobody could doubt his sincerity, and to
cap the climax he exhibited several mug
gets of gold, which he claimed to have
secured without the slightest trouble.
His idea was to charter a ship and take
ont 100 gold hunters at 50 much per
head, but such was the rush OF adven-
tuners that two ships were chartered.
One Of them was fitted up to carry 100
men, and the other had 1870 aboard.
Cross was bold and heartless villain,
and his story was g lie from beginning
to end. He intended to get possession
of all the money he could and then dis
appear He had no idea Of sailing with
either craft, bat circumstances wrought
a change in his plans, The gold seekers
watched him 80 closely that he had no
opportunity to sbscond, and when the
day of sailing came no found himself
aboard the ship Magnet, an English ner-
chairman chartered for the voyage
This ship was to sail week in advance
of the other and wait for her at point
agreed upon. The second ship did not
get away. The Magnet had been gone
only two or three days when some Eng.
fish people arrived at Rio and stamped
Cross as an adventurer and impostor
who had been obliged to Zee the coun-
try Up to this time it was supposed
that the money he had received from his
victims had been deposited in bank at
Rio, but it was now ascert2ined that he
had transferred it to Paris.
As to what occurred after the Magnet
sailed much will never be known beyond
a certain date. Four weeks after her de
parture from Rio her yawl was picked
up at sea 700 miles south of her course
for the Hottentot coast. There were
three dead bodies in the boat. and they
were fairly identified as those Of Cross
and the captain and mate Of the ship.
They had been sent adrift without oars,
sail, food or water, and the people aboard
the ship must have been in vengeful
mood to do such thing as that, Three
weeks after the boat was picked up q
craft supposed to be the Magnet was
sighted to the east OF Tristan da Cunha
island A week later she WAS sighted
again further to the southeast. This
time she was sadly wrecked alOft and
was flying signal Of distress, but as
gale was blowing and night coming on
no assistance could be rendered.
Nothing further had been reported up
to May, 1861, when the American bark
Ezra G.. Davis, cruising for whales south
Of tha cape of 9ood Hone. touched at
Marion island t0 renew her supplies. 1t
was there learned that di3nested ship
supposed to be the Magnet had been
sighted to the south only three days be-
fore. We had newspapers on board the
Davis giving the particulars rs / have re-
lated them, and when we left the island
it was to cruise for the lost ship rs well
as for whales. She must be death ship
as well as a missing one Every drop OF
water and every morsel Of food must
have been exhausted in the first 30 days,
and if the ship had touched at any island
or spoken any other craft the fact had
not been reported. We did not believe
that the derehct reported by the island
ers could be the Magnet, which had not
been heard of for % months, but never
theless hoped to find the hulk and solve
a mystery.
Forty miles south Of Marion island we
killed a whale and drifted off to the west |
as we tried out the blubber and cleaned
up. We then made half days run to
the south and changed our course to the |
east, and at the end of the fifth day after |
leaving the island we were about 80 |
miles to the southwest Of it. Half an |
hour before sunset the man in the crows |
nest sighted the derelict dead ahead. but |
a long way off With the going down
of the sun the wind died out, and as
night came down the wreck was still |
four or five miles away. Her bearings |
were taken by compass. and We had no
do1ht of picking her an neN D0TuaR&