The San Francisco call., 1896-04-05

DlS truth CGUIdlneQ IN q fragment
VI of manuscript which has lain un-
needed in my desk these many
days explain my long Withholding of q
suggestion that is as wonderful as terrible.
But when the circumstances of my secur-
ing possession of the document are related
there may be found some palliation of my
stupidity. 1t came about in this wise:
One day while 1 was seated at my desk
an uncouth mlddle-aged man slouched
into the room and handed me card on
which my name had been written and
asked me II was the person indicated. l
answered atfirmatively. The man, regard
ing me with a manner that suggested fear
and loathing, fshed out tattered parcel,
handed it to me and was quickly escaping
when l had the presence of mind to halt
him.
"Who are you," 1 asked" land who
sent me this?'
The fellow spoke English very lamely,
but it was evident that he feared me and
dare not try to evade my questions. He
was Portuguese sailor. A few years be-
fore his advent in my Office he had been
cast away on an island in the South Paci-
nc. There he was taken care of by white
man who spoke many languages, but
whose nationality could not be deter
mined. All the other inhabitants of the
island were the native savages of the place,
and they regarded the white man with
sentiment composed of awe, fear and
veneration. The sailor remained upon the
island nearly a year, serving the white
man, and then, being no longer able to
bear the life which he was compelled to
lead, he stole one of the primitive boats
used by the natives, and with blanket
for an improvised sail left the island. To
his great astonishment he found the white
man waiting for him on the beach the
night of his escape, although he might
have known that nothing could escape
the knowledge of this extraordinary per-
son. The white man, to the sailors sur
prise and delight, made no demur to the
servants desire to leave, but on the con-
trary gave him some gold and precious
stones, informed him what general course
to take in order to fall IN with trading ves-
sells, and handed him the manuscript and
the card bearing my name, with the
solemn injunction to seek me out in San
Francisco and deliver the manuscript to
me, whether that might happen one year
or twenty years thence. Should the sailor
neglect this duty he would be visited with
terrible penalties from unseen sources, and
would never have good luck until the mis-
sion had been accomplished.
In all this the narrator, man of primi-
tive intelligence, had an unmistakabie air
OF sincerity, but it puzzled me greatly to
observe that he feared me thoroughly and
was eager to leave my presence. Seeking
to take advantage of this 1 demanded to
know what he had seen so terrible on the
island, what the name of his white master
was and why l had been selected as the
final custodian of the document. I was
led to this by the discovery that the manu-
script had been so badly worn by the
sailors care as to have lost its beginning
and end ana so TO have become utterly un-
Ineligible. The remaining part of it read
like delirious tale of impossible things.
My aggressive attitude threw the poor
fellow into the most distressing and help
less confusion. He called upon the Sacred
Mary to witness that he was an honest
man and had done his duty, and that
never of his own will had he harmed
living soul. The things which the white
man had compelled him to do would
cultly Dt IOIStNtL uS Iue BOOu 0OQ IN
heaven, for he had prayed humbly and
long to the holy Savior for his interces-
sion. Thereupon my visitor broke down
and wept plteously. An ague of horror
and contritlon racked all his bones and 1
was forced to let him go, believing that
his mind had been sadly weakened by
some dreadful experience and that to tor
ture him further would be murder. Since
that visit L have not seen him to this day,
but l trust that good fortune attends him.
With the greatest care l studied the
manuscript and all the circums tances at
tending its delivery. The mans honesty
could not be doubted. The writing on the
card was identical with that of the manu-
script and hence both had been written
and sent to me by the same person. Evil
IDENTIFY the manuscript in its original form
contained full explanation of it's appar-
ent absurdities and impossibilities, and
certainly the writer had furnished his
name. Either he knew me personally or
had sent the manuscript as friendly act,
or had seen my name somewhere and de-
sired that l should make literary or sci
entitc use OF the paper which he had sent
me. A vague impression haunted me that
there was familiar aspect in the penman-
ship, but the most careful reflection did
not enable me to recall person of my ac-
qualntance who could lit all the require
ments OF the case As these failures on
my part rendered the fragment worthless,
and as the document itself lacked neces-
sary explanation IL would have been idle
for me to publish it.
A recent combination of circum stances.
including a careful review of works on
anatomy, physiology and surgery, and
a comparison of the penmanship of
the document with that of all nv
old correspondents, suddenly filled the
stralfge' production with a semblance
of light. The result, if have
guessed anything like the truth, is SO
startling and terrible and suggests
criminal possibility of so overshado wing
magnitude that | deem a full exposition