The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-11-04
SECOND TRAGEDY OF ROANOKE
Raleigh Sends Out His La1t Colony.
Hts Organization and Experience I'm
the New W orld-GOvernor Whites
Return GO EngIand-The Colony Left
10 ItseIf-CrOatan Lost

10 4 LOST
(Studies in North Carolina H~istory.)
Such fatal results had followed the
attempts at settlem 1t in America, in
previous years, that many Of those who
had favored the project began TO lose
hope. Lanes effort and failure in 1886
had abated the order of Englishmen to
some extent. Later on, however,
Thomas Harriet, a scholar of eminence
at the time and who had been in the
first expedition to Carolina, published
a treatise on the natural advantages of
the country, which interested people
in the new found land" to a great ex-
tent.
This treatise was an exhaustive analy-
sis of the of the country, OBJ
tainable at that time, going into details
about the soil, fruits, vegetable pro-
ducts, timbers, flowers, birds, fishes,
beasts, manners and customs of the
natives, and much other information
useful and instructive. This valuable
work which is found in Haklnyt's his
tOlJ III HC"iy uID1ONClCd ldlldoJ III
lished during the reign of Queen Eliza
beth, excited a growing interest in the
colonization of America. westward
HO!" was again the cry.
Sir Walter Raleigh was one who had
not been discouraged by Lanes failure.
He had invested much money in the
scheme Of planting a colony in North
Carolina, but up to that time there was
no return for his expenditure. He did
not falter, however, in his undertake
ing. Accordingly early in the year
1887, he organized another colony, con-
sisting of ninety-five men, seventeen
women, and nine children, to settle
somewhere on the coast of North
America.
Before the colony left England, Ra-
leigh appointed John White as COVER
nor Of the intended settlement, and
named twelve assistants, unto whom
he gave a charter and incorporated
them by the name of governor and
assistants there were thirty-tWo incOr-
pOratOrs, nineteen of whom remained
in England and thirteen come to Caro-
lima.
John White, in his accounts of the
voyage, a cOpy of which is in the pos
session of the writer, gives the names
of all the men. women, and children
that were in the colony. These are
not interesting beyond the fact that,
although this colony was lost, the list
contains many names that are we'll
known in North Carolina today.
1t was on May 18th, 1887, that the
Admiral, a ship of one hundred and
twenty ton burden, a fy-boat and a
pinnace, having on board the colony,
departed from Plymouth. Raleigh had
instructed the governor and his assist
ants to establish the settlement some
where on the shores of the Chesapeake
bay, Lane having pointed out the ad-
vantages Of that location in his report
to the council the year before. Fur
thermOre, they were ordered to stop at
Roanoke, take on board the fifteen men
left there by Richard Greenville, and
then go farther north to form the set
Element.
After a voyage of over two months,
much of the time spent among the
West Indies keeping a hostile eye upon
the Spaniards, they arrived on the
22nd of July safe at Hatorash." Gov
ernor White, at once, left the admiral
in the pinnace with forty men intend
ing to go up to Roanoke is'und, take
on board the fifteen men. and return
ing to proceed to the Chesapeake bay
and plant the colony somewhere on its
banks.
AS soon as they had gotten under
way, the commander of the ship, Simon
Fernando, whose name sounds Span
ish, called to the sailors telling them
not to bring any of the men back but
TO land them n return, saying that
the summer was far spent and that he
had no time to go farther north. There
was no use to argue, sc White and all
his company were landed upon an is
land hat had already been the scene
of two failures.
Next day the governor and some
companions walked to the north end
of the island and found the fort built by
Ralph Lane and some dwelling houses
but no sign of the fifteen men save the
bones of one of them who had been
killed by the savages. The fort had
been RACED to the ground, but the dwell
lings were still standing. Gov. White
had the houses repaired and the fort
rebuilt, making it as safe as possible
IlolIl il' lloClllC dIldNnO vi IL IliIlullG.
When the houses were repaired all the
women and children were carried
ashore and the settlement was estab-
lished.
A few lays afterwari an event hap
,pened that alarmed the cOlOnists to a
considerable extent. This was the kill
ing of George Howe, n of the assist
ants, by the savages. He was wading
in the wafer Of the sound, two miles
from the settlement, catching crabs
when he Was fl ,red upon by a company
of Indians on land, receiving sixteen
arrow wOurnls in his body. Before mis-
companions could so to his assistance,
they had beaS en- his head to pieces and
fled over the water to the mainland.
These were sOme of Winginass hostile
band, who ha6 annoyed Lane The pre-
ViOuS wear.