The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-04-06
STRANGE SEA TALES.
ONE SEES QUEER THINGS ON
THE BRlNY DEEP.
Calculated to Make Nervous Man Sec
Ghosts-A Haunted Bark In Demarara
A Ghost From Salvador - In tho
Chain Locker. !"

A Ghost From Salvador - In tho
Chain Locker.
We were eating dinner one night on
the old cargo ship, says New York
Sun writer, and talking of the happen
ings at sea and on shore that are
called sup ernatural, when the captain
said:
"One sees some things at sea not
supernatural which are fit to make a
nervous man see ghosts. There was
that case in one of Green's liners to
the colonies, where man was sent
down to clean out the chain locker.
The locker had seemed foul all the
passage home, and SO they hoisted out
the chain and sent this fellow down
with his brush and soap and bucket,
with lamp, to clean it out. I'll wager
he saw ghosts for a year after that,
for when he'd got down on his knees
to begin scrubbing he found himself
bending over the skull of dead man
ut was most likely q 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 out of him.
However, I did know of case that
seemed supernatural right enough. It
was in the Demarara trade and I was
acquainted with the first officer of the
bark where it all happened.
lin the first place, while she was
out there loaded and ready to sail, the
captain had trouble with one of the
seamen, who out with his knife and
stabbed him to death then and there.
The mate afterward took her home,
but on the way a passenger took to
ailing in some mysterious fashion, and
up and died very suddenly.
''Of course, she was q haunted ship
when she arrived home, and so her
owners had her name changed, and
she was redtted and painted up entire
1y different from what she had been.
Then she sailed away with new cap
tain, but on the way out he took to
drink, and by the time she reached
Demerara he was off his head and
killed himself with revolver.
''Now she was haunted sure enough,
if you could believe the mate. Mind
you, after she was reftted the mate
said never word to the new captain
about what had happened in her be-
fore, and ever; when the new captain
came out from home to take charge of
her, believing that the last captain was
naturally a drunkard instead of one who
had taken to it after he had come on
this ship, the first officer never said a
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 9 o'clock
went to his room and retired. An
hour later he was calling the mate and
telling him that he had gone to sleep.
and then had been awakened by a
light in the room. On opening his
eyes he saw a short, thick-set man
with side whiskers, in the armchair
at the desk, leaning over, with his
elbows on the desk, holding his head
between his hands and saying: "Oh,
my poor head! Oh, my poor head"
THAT was Eenough 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 yet the
picture ghost, or what you may call
tin the chair was the image in ap-
pearance and dress of the suicide, and
had complained in precisely the same
words and voice of the dead man.
This brought out the story of an
exile from Salvador, whom the narra-
tor met in Guatemala. Having got
into trouble with the authorities,
Senior Don Sebastian Mojarieta saved
his life by fleeing to Amapala, Hon
duras,as many another exile has done,
and there taking a steamer north to
San Jose, Guatemala. A friend of his
who was involved in like manner was
to have reached Amapala by differ
ent route in time for the same steam
er, and to prevent any possible delays,
Mojarleta engaged staterooms and Sc
cured passes from the Amapala author
tiles for his friend and himself as soon
rs he arrived. But the steamer came
without his friend, and Majorieta was
obliged to sail alone
cat the usual hour, on the first night
out, the story went on, '.Mojarieta re-
tired and went to sleep, but had no
sooner dozed off than he awoke, hear.
ing his friend 8 voice, as he says, in the
next stateroom,' which he had sup
posed to be empty. Leaving his berth
he went out into the passageway and
opened the door to the adjoining room
and there, he says, he saw lying in the
berth the body of his friend fully
dressed, but with three bullet holes. il
the breast of his coat and one in the
right cheek.
cat that Mojarieta tainted, and wa
found on the deck by the steward ant
put to bed again. Thereafter it was
most miserable passage, for the vesse
touched at both the Salvador ports
and was about week reaching Sal
Jose. Mojarieta was sure his frient
had been shot, and expected force t,