Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-03-23


we were arrested every piece OF gold
and every Jewel [ had was captured,
all but the opal, which, being an unset
stone, had slipped into the waist
band of my old trousers. 1t was not
found.
'SThe superintendent knew we'll
enough that all the valuables we had
belonged of right to the company, but
he couldn't prove it, at least he could
not to the satisfaction Of the Venezu-
elan authorities, so after long hard
fight in the courts we were let go, but
not until we had been, upon one or
another pretext, stripped of every
thing in sight. He recovered nothing
except his longboat, but the sailors,
lawyers, court and everybody else
pretty much took hack at us until
nothing was left. Then we were liter
ally kicked out.
II got to Porto Rico on goleta;
then to Trinidad before the mast; to
Liverpool in the same way, and finally
back to New York, firing on a steam
err. Lord! What tough time l had!
But through everything managed to
retain my big opal. [ went to see
Jenny Paterson, and she would have
nothing to do with me. Alec had got
home some time before did and pois-
oned her mind against me with
stories of don't know what. [ had
hoped he had forgotten the opal and
our fight, but he had not and had
done me the worst hurt he could.
Sin few days after my return l
was arrested again, at the company's
instance, on the old charge of stealing
recovered jewels, and little gold pin
with three or four cheap small stones
in it that was found in my possession
when I was taken up was held to be
an discriminating proof of my guilt. 1t
was not, for I had won it fairly at
cards from another fireman coming
over from Liverpool, and, SO far as |
know, it had never been within a
thousand miles of the wreck of the
San Pedro Alcantara. The company
did no better prosecuting me at home
than they had done abroad, for proof
was lacking, and 1 was discharged.
But the effect of the affair was damn
ing, so far as work in my profession
was concerned. No wrecking COM
pany would hire diver supposed to
be dishonest. tried for work in other
ways, got several successive situa-
tions and was driven from each in
turn by some unknown person-Alec,
I've no Notwithstanding to my en-
ployer newspaper account of my
trial.
II lost heart and hope, took to
drinking hard, had only rags to wear
and many day was miserably hun
CRY, yet through all that bitter time,
with a strange unreasoning infatua-
ton for the fascinating and accursed
thing, | managed to keep my opal,
and when 1 deemed myself secure
from observation, [ would take it
from its hiding place among my tat
tiers and gloat over it, and wonder
how much it was worth, and debate
with myself whether could make up
my mind to sell it, and, if SO, how
could in my condition, dispose of such
a gem without being deemed a thief
and having it seized from me without
any compensation. All such questions
were suddenly settled for me.
zone night / had become so utterly
wretched shat [ deliberately resolved
to jump off the pier and end it all. L
had been looking at my opal until the
contrast between it's glory and my de-
basement seemed to madden me.
Within block of the river, as pass
ed dark alley, house seemed to
fall suddenly on me, and knew moth
ing more. When l recovered my
senses, | don't know how long after,
my hair and beard were matted with
blood from cut on my head, my face
was caked with mud from the street
where | had fallen, and-my opal was
gone. No doubt some robber had
seen me handling it, followed, and
after knocking me senseless robbed
me.
''The blow left me still dazed after
had got on my feet, and | staggered
along aimlessly, in the direction my
nose happened to be pointed, until l
got to Broadway. And there | en-
countered Jenny, with her mother,
returning home from visit. The
agony in my heart at sight of her, SO
beautiful and far above the thing |
had become, leaped to my lips, and
without knowing what | did l cried
out her name as a lost soul might
shrek to an angel. By sight the dear
girl could not have known me, as she
has told me since, so much had mise
ry changed me, but my voice went