The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-09-07
Strange Stories
OF Spirits Work.
Four Well-Attested Incidents That Point
To Laws Far Beyond Our Present Ken.

SWlIt ana gone on an .til-nlSnt spree
with him. They had all got drunk
they did not know exactly when, or
where. or how--he had disappeared
without his address or making any APP
pointment to meet them again. That
did not trouble them, however, as they
knew the Shelley boys, Fred and john,
could give his address, and they meant
to hunt him up At once.
When told that he was dead. that he
had committed suicide and was buried
While they were on the ocean, they
would not believe it. and could not
be convinced until they saw the news
paper reports uf his death and the in
quest.
For a fun month after Tom Swifts
body had been laid to rest in IA suicides
grave he was met occasionally in the
streets and was recognized by persons
who had known him well, and always
most clearly, II was observed, by those
who had not been aware of his death.
In 1913 the bark Thames, f., Wilson,
master. from sag Harhor bound Tor
the North Pacific on whaling cNpedi-
ton. at II point in the South Pacific
about four degrees below the equator
,the exact latitude and longitude not
now remembered by his son, who sup
plies and vouch.S for the facts). fell in
with a monster sperm whale ana low
cred boats for it's capture. captain
Wilson succeeded in mating fast 10
the whale, which started or at ter
rife rate Of speed, towing the heavy
boat, with him and tour sailors, ana
swan SO fast and far that the mate,
Thomas Brown, left in charge of the
bark. entirely lost sight OF the chase
Finally the creature. in Il fit of de-
structiVe rage. charged the boat ana
closed It's punderuus jaws upon H.
Three of the four men a. the oars d'S-
aprearcd at once and the boat was
reduced to spliutcrs. Captain wilson
and the surviving sailor, Portuguese,
chrug to and supported themselves by
The doatiug tub in which the harpoon
line had been Coied. The whale, nav
ing thus ctfUctuaily disposed OF ms Tor
mentors, swan away.
That catastrophc happened about
noon. The Portuguese sailor held on
.o his side of the tub about four hours.
Then exhaustion overHamc MIN! ne let
"a and sank. After be was gone Cap
lain Wilson found difficulty in keeping
the Tub from tipping and filling, ana
was compelled to climb upon it ana
balance himself across II. The posi-
tinn was far from Comfortabie ana OF
doubtful safety. hut, in narratlnE the
circumstances GftorWart, ne AWAY
said that he did not feel while percheu
an thn tlrb SO long as he remained con-
scious of anything, the slightest anNl-
ETY.. 1t seemed to him that ne was
imply waiting for certain rescue anu
we ,,1 NJ, ,,,o,o thsn any fears for
-, rata vioht feIl; the long
,, '',r W 10 arl,,sss nasscd: day dawucd
.t,' s,,, rosn bi,rher and higher, she'd
Ijrr ON hin, a fierce hcat; still the un-
d,,s,,tnd ts',T el,inpar foated and calmly
,,.,itad Tha water WAS not cold, but
I,,,,,,e',. 49,, ,hirst and the strain of his
,,o,,nl rosit,ou gradually weakened
Hi,, min he lost CONSEQUENCES. The
iast +hi3g he remembered WAS think
| ira- If was about time fur Brown to pc
,,.o'l't,o. tho slln." The next he knew
| !. rl,,1,,d bir,seif living in a bunk,
| nboard a French whaling bark, ana
,,.o, torl that ne had been picked up
| art.r having first been almost run
| I,,,.n--tbrap davs before.
| cop+aip Wilson'S wife. at home II,
| cao Varbor, was startled about
| n'cIncI; In the morning INTO sudu'H
,,,,l,.sf,,ln,ss by her husbands entering
! The room where she slept and sittlhS
| dnvyn noar the front Of the bed, When'
! according to the programme by WhiGn
! he Ieff nome. six months before, ne
| ought to be somewhere In the PacIle
! ocean catching whales, and not que u
return for thirty months more. ShC
! sprang 10, calling him by name ana
| asking eXcitedly: "What Is the mat
| tarp Where did you come from? is
| your vessel in again? What has.hap-
! neued?" OF course, she Imagined lna'
/ he bark had come into Gardeners BAY
and that ne had come across the neck
! of land to Sag fiarbor, bat his untlmely
| return could mean nothing else than
| disaster of some sort.
| He held I'D his hand as If to calm heT
| excitement and replied pleasantly: NO
/ II isn't that. MIN. ] only want you 10
/ know thar If you hear that any accident
/ has happened to me it is all right and
/ I'm coming home with my ship.
( "Wnv YOU are home! 1t Is all right
/ she rejlincd: "and You haven't had any
/ breakfast" Saying this she jumped
t ont of bed. and. throwing on a wrap
! per. hurried past him toward the
! kitchen, calling as she went to hei
mother. who slept in an adjacent room
/ Cpd has come home, mother. The shiI
is in Get nm" He called after her as
| If To detain her: "Oh, no; my ship has
NOT come. / have come to tell you this
80 that YOU will not be worried" Bul
she went ou into the kitchen and threw
/ omen the shutters to let in the early
! linht and prepared to start Il fire, wher
har mother. who had looked into the
room she had Just left. called TO her
..Where is he?"
Mrs. Wilson fastened back to- he'
bedroorrn and looked about but her nus
hand was no longer to be seen. Hel
mother. having found the door locked
and boited on the inside. and the shut
ters and windows fastened. fatty de-
niod that the captain had been there
and declared that her daughter hat
dreamed IT all. but the wife stoutlJ
maintained that she was wide awake
had srem him as plainly as ever in hei
life and that ne himself had been ther,
and told her things she believed ant
world continue to believe, even If sh,