Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-12-11
THE WRECKERS.
BY c. b. LEWIS.

was small island Off the Florida penln-
sula known as Shark island, and on this
was lighthouse to warn vessels off the
Florida reefs. In the spring Of 1861 a
terrible gale blew for threea days and
nights, and when it had ended Shark is
land had been washed away and the water
was ten feet deep on its site.
From 1S4S to 1868 the lightkeeper on
Shark island was man named Coombs
He was widower, and his only child was
a daughter, named Kate. She was years
old when he took the light, and in 1885,
when he died, she was IA and had not
been off the island half u dozen times in
her life Coombs had been sailor, and
was rough and uneducated, but he had
brought woman to the lighthouse to be
companion to his child and educate her
up to certain point In July, 1858, this
woman died while on visit to the main
land.
Two weeks later ship was wrecked off
the island in gale, and among the wreck
age driven ashore was u big trunk con-
tanning about 81, 900 in gold Those were
the palny days of the Florida wrecker
who was little better than Malay pirate
- luiio" ny w .iio WYNN oiios soi'ioho"
ieafneu vi INC eol''' anu 'hey au Arso pro-
poseo 10 snare IL WIN Cooilips anu Keep
the mattef secret When ne refused 10
hand over any part Of it, they planned to
take all by force, but at the muzzle of
rifle he drove the gang off the island. Two
days later the lighthouse tender Morning
Star made the island OH her regular
montn!y "Trip TO leave suppiles' anu was
one Oh her crew
Inc eolu anu lou VI oChef SUM Plchea
up rom tne peach was taken aboard anu
was leit Dehihd 10 secure Whatever else
nlght oe ohroWh up anu aiso 10 aiu ia
proVecuihe government properly siiou!o .no
"reckers CAL u, again anu pfoceeo 10 Violele
measures lhey were Il ci'ss u lneil le''lco
oll snore anu sea aiihe' anu ~ uoAeii M
Stances on tlao lonely coasC haa ullVoh ou1
Vlio ilshoAespeis' eAviilss uienoi VIC iisnoe
anu hit'''e on WIN an o,io suppilos' was
given I"o ihushe's anu plenoy " aiiinu
niCioii, anu "s Cooiilps ils'u 8 rue anu ni9
ulughoef a sho,suli W. ooiisiuele'l our
sel,ce ploOVy "oii ai,,iou ''ii ,'0.ooh
ror I!lree uays az MenO Meli. oooili's
was ihciliieu W 10 sileiiv ''l! Vaoio''ih' anu
MS oaush!er shy anu susploiouS' puI W.
were Oh lrlehuly Ierlhs anu gov a,ohs nfsV
iate' NO more wrecheis ca,iio .snolei puu
Juso pelore sun,.o"n VI uno Viiro way
Wrecker hahieu iiopolhs, "iio was sofV
Oh leader was ianuea rom u schooner
ana came up 10 inc llghonousc aloiie, Me
Thought IL pest not 10 Leu MN know that
was about, and l was therefore slowed
away OUT OF slgnt' nc was man III the
puO ne Iau come 10 try moral s'it.siol w.
,ore piooeouins ~ 'roienoe, anu oiioi ~
had smile on MS lace. ne was olicreu
something 10 eau ana urihk, anu lor nan
an houf ne coaxeu anu atgueo Win Coolhps
TO give up snare OF inc money "hen
toid 1haG IL had gone away on uhe tonder'
ne Would ho0 oel!eVe IL, Judging the liehu-
mouse Keeper by ms own moral Standard
Wnen az laso ne ioahu ohhO li'lr "ofus were
ol no AVAIL ne tufiea OH Cooiiips anu
SAID:
see mere, man. you KNOW me anu you
know our crowd. Elther dlVlae WIN US
orWeil take all. IL you 40 NOT agree VIZ II
come mere tomorrow ana nave you OUT Oh
gnls dead or awe!
CoomDs refused nm, and ne went away
IN boiling heat. he Thought ne hau only
an old man to deal with, ana why nc ald
not call half dozen men from the
schooner and make the attack theh ana
there was something couio not under
stand. AS ne stepped INTO nus poat no
called back that Vlslt miSht DC expected
from him on the morrow ana l judged
from the tones OF ms voice that nc was
desperately IN earnest shark island was
ABOUT Two acres IN eAteht, WIN inc lBhO.
mouse IN the center Oh II ahd fuae "harI
on the east SIDE
Had Coombs ana ms daughter peen
tnere alone they Wouia nave prepared 1ust
ehe same 1or delehse, Duo WIN al extra
hand to help beat on the wreckers the OLD
man was really pleased at the idea OF
skirlnish with the men nc had lived in fear
OF for several years. The base OF tho light.
house was divided into living room and
a storeroom, and above it were three bed
rooms, i'll which hammocks were swung
From these spiral stairway wound up to
the lantern room, 5O feet above. The
height OF tho structure from ground to top
was about % feet, and at that tlme the
light was considered one OF the most I'M
po tant and the best on the coast. me
de- way at the base was JUST woe enough
TO roll In a barrel OF OIL, ana the acor i.sei,