The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-05-31
SAVED BY A WHEEL.

L uuu CCIflt u rloTlud W buBo up an dp-
pointment as assistant engineer on new
line ono of the great millionaire hotel own.
ers had decided to construct down the east
ern coast of that low, sandy peninsula.
The work was, Of course all done by ne
groes, o rough, half civilized lot, good
workers when we'll looked after, but very
fends when fired by drink or gambling.
There were five white men only in resi-
dence at the camp, and the number Of
darkies varied generally between 10 and
100. Lately we had been hard put to it to
get sufficient hands in these sparsely popu-
lated wilds and had in consequence taken
on all who came to us and asked for work,
without any sort of inquiry as to their
character or antecedents.
There were several Coughs, f" as they
say in the states, among the new hands,
and of these the worst was big mulatto
known as Gilead Mack.
Two weeks after his arrival the catas-
trophe occurred Marriott, the paymaster,
with his colored servant Cicero, drove to
Warrenton one Saturday to draw the weeks
money from the bank there. His usual
hour of return passed. dusk fell and there
was no sign Of him, s o'clock, and, Sc
riously alarmed, we started o search party
Five miles from camp, where the road
ran through moss hung oak scrub, the
pale starlight revealed horse broken
buggy and two riddled bodies, Marriott's
and that Of his faithful servant, stretched
on the bloody sand.
Four furious men were soon securing
the country for assistance, and ere morn
ing a strong party of white settlers and
planters were following with bloodhounds
the trail of the cowardly scoundrels,
In little more than "a hours after the
crime had been committed the perpetrators
were caught, run down in the black depths
of the inland swamps. There were three
of them-camp negroes, as we had sus-
pected.
Portions of the plunder-poor Marriott's
watch and ring-werc actually found upon
them. There could be no defense, so JUS
tice was metcd out, short, sharp and terri
BILE, and three dead bodies dangled from u
giant live oak, warning to the rest.
During their examination two of tho
three implicated Gilead as the planner and
instigator Of the whole thing. But he was
proved not to have left the camp that
night, and though some were for putting
him also cut of the way of further mis-
chief, it was eventually decided he should
simply be flogged and turned out of camp.
And logged he was! Such fearful
thrashing with heavy hickory switches as
l trust never again shall Sec
This was in March. In May had ten
days leave, which l was to spend with
the Warburtons, old friends had known
at home, who had come out to Florida
chiefly for tho sake of Mr.. Warburton's
health. They lived on the coast, about so
miles due south, and to reach their place I
took steamer down the Indian river.
Rarely have enjoyed myself SO thor
oughly as during those few days, The
surf bathing was perfect, as could well be
imagined, the fishing superb. Sailing on
the river and hunting turtles on the beach
gave us other delightful occupation, while
perhaps the best fun of all was long bicy-
Gle rides by moonlight.
We had splendid ground for a spin Be-
tween low and high water mark the smooth
beach was as firm ns turnpike road, and
except for here and there n soft stretch 100
yards or so in length, one might drive the
flying wheel many mile north or south.
Two years before, something more than
friendship had grown up between Lena
Warburton and myself. Before week
was up We had come to an understanding,
and my happiness was as nearly complete
as human happiness ever is in this world.
My leave of absence was not up till
Thursday. My disgust, then, may be
imagined when on Tuesday darby boy
appeared on pony back with note from
Northcott, the superintendent, requesting
mo to return at once Vale, the second
engineer, was i'll, and my presence urgent
ly required.
There was no river boat going north be-
fore Thursday, go my only way of return
led up the beach. l was about to go over
to Port Len to hire an animal which l
could ride OF drive when Jack Warburton
came to my assistance with the offer of q
bicycle-he had two-on which, he truly
said, could get back to camp very much
quicker than ON any animal l should DO
likely to get in the neighborhood.
1t was about o'clock when l started, q
glorious summer night, whose heat was
tempered by the soft sea breeze that camo
signing off the luminous crests Of the long
Atlantic rollers. Lena and her brother ac-
companied me for some five or six miles on
my way.
AS rode the loneliness came home to
me. North and south, in an almost per-
fcctly straight line the bare, broad beach
extended, on one side tho sailless ocean, on
the other the low, monotonous palmetto
crowned blaff. Back Of this bluff lay a
mile or noEe of unbroken scrub, the haunt
Of rattesnake and panther, and behind
that the WIDE shallow Indian river, on
whose inner bank our camp lay
Two hours had passed. Scarcely five
miles now before must turn to the left
into the track cut through the scrub from
the camp to the beach. So far the only
signs of life visible had been the multitu-
dinous crabs and couple of huge, IN
wicldy turtles the only sound that reached
my ear the monotonous, Kissing roar of the
breakers on the bar.
But suddenly low, distant, drumming
noise attracted my attention, and, glanc-
ing back over my shoulder, I made out
three mounted men galloping up behind
me. AS they gained rapidly turned again
and perceived, with n sudden, unpleasant