New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-28
STRANGE BUT TRUE.
STORIES CURIOUS AND EXTRAORDINARY
QUEER VOYAGE OF BIT OF wooD-THE TALE
OF MRS MAXwELLs RING-THE TALE


OF MRS. MAXwErIis RING-THE TALE
OF THE INTERESTING GIRL
Writers OF fiction the recognized holders or
briefs for the improbable II not the impossible
and yet there few persons who. II they take
the trouble note such matters. Will not hnd
occurrences In actual life stranger than the most
unlikely dreams OF the novelist Rider Haggard
has doubtless "A lively Imagination. and even Louis
Stevenson sometimes puts strain upon fancy but
am about relate some incidents which are not
nctions but facts-things which came within either
my own observation or that Of persons for whose
good faith vouch; and which are yet as ex-
traordinary and as intrinsically inpropape as any
dream OF romance.
Robert Thorn ESQ., the present proprietor OF the
Island Of Gamma in the far Hebrides can. with
many others. guarantee the truth Of the following
curious coincidence;
In September. 1899. the daughter OF the black
smith In Gamma was wandering on the shore. gain
ering driftwooi for fuel when In small bay.
ahou, one hundred yards distant from her father
house she picked up piece Of wood bearing the
inscription cut with a knife. "Lachlan Camppeii.
bilbao March q. 1892" on taking 1t to her
uo,hcr she became much concerned. as this was
tho nam. n, her own son. who was boiiermaker
I'm Spain and would he the case win most
poople-cer,ainly with fiighlanders-she could not
get over the supcrsiiiious dread that this message
from IN. tho harhinger or eNl uiinEs IT,
rard,ng her son The family OF the proprietor did
their pes, 10 calm her terror. cNhorting her to walt
for an explanation. when writing 70 her son she
told him o, what had happened, and was greatly
relieved on receiving n reply assuring her OF MS
ll-hcing lut was astonishcd TO learn tna' ne
ne-fecflv remembered how. when on a holiday ne
had written as described. on a piec" OF WOOD ana
had idly thrown II into the sea from a rock near
pllh,o We all know tho power % ocean cur
he
wood having been carried for xix months but tho
marvellous and except for undouhiei evi'eh'e-
the incredible circumstance In this case Is mat I'M,
niece % wood after It's long wandering sho"'n
have been washed the shore within on" hhh'r'n
va-iS q, where the writer's mother lived. and that
n should he picked NJ by on. Of his own family
a,t ,akcn hons. Had any novels, dared 20
,irture a message delivered "a this was by means
~ an ocean current. every reader. AMI certainly
every Grille. would have denounced the outrageous
demand on faith. And yet the apparently lmpos-
slblc actually occurred In Gamma
Mr. David r. a woll-known merchant IN "las-
cow vas several years ago travelling IN 'ahada
on A Sunday evening FAR away In the oack"oohs'
he vas Interested by hearing from humb'-
"shanfy" the words OF a Scottish 'paraphrasc
sung n a familiar air. After litue he 'housh'
he wound visit this countryman. whose family wor-
shin had thus recalled 10 him other scenes. AFTER
chatting for a while the man asked wnere ne was
from on being told that he was from 'asso"'
he asked his name. and on being Informed ne De-
c,,,o much excited Il always expected some one
81 vour family to come. My name IS. A. my
,rie,d had never heard Of his name. he asked Tor
an explanation. and the man proceeded to tell MIN
that he was the c.erk who had stolen a consumer
ahle sum from the firm to which T. belonged. mat
he had been miserable ever since feeling sure 'h'
of any hour he might be discovered ,hat ne was
now doing we'll and that IT his intention In n
ali hat he had
friend had been In the West indies at inc "in"
the theft took place and II was not I'LL after his
return 20 Scotland that he learned the parucu'
lars IL H. however. somewhat disappointing 20
hear the statement Nth which he used TO eh' the
recital OF the strange story. IN spite oi HIS
promlsc. We have never yet read OF any pay
ment."
Andrew Maxwell another well-known merchant
I'm Glasgow was the Island OF Arran some years
ago with his mother and sisters The weather was
unusually warm. and his venerable moth'f SUI
,.,ed so much from the heat that her hands be
came swollen, and as her marriage ring was fe'-
ting her finger OF her daughters. AFTER no h't"
cosxing persuaded her to allow It's removal 10
tho dismay Of the daughter the ring was lost but
she procured another like the old one that the
change was not noticed when 1t was placed on her
onCcr Next year the family went back 10 the
same house. and In the autumn. when the farm
servant in a neighboring building. having polied
notatoes FOR the pigs vas crushing potato III ner
hand she felt something hard. and on looking at
this thing inside the potato she exclaimed TO one
Of the Maxwclrs servants who was beside her;
"Uere's a ring In the potato. and showed thin
worn marriage hoop. Il believe. said the other'
1T is my mistresss ring and We can ma that out
because her initials were inside the hoop On ex-
aiming II there were the Initials. ana the iost
ring vas Identified, IL had evidently been swept
out among the ashes. the ashes thrown upon the
ashpit the contents OF the ashpit on the potato
field and the ring absorbed by the potato. inside
OF which 1t was found year after 1t had been
lost.
When my brother. Norman Macleod. and went
TO Palestine In 1864. he asked by an old woman