The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-22
GUARDED BY A SHARK.
a Monster That Did Sentinel Duty at the
Dry Tortugas.

The recent ordering of troops to the
Dry Tortugas. Florida, recalls a curious
incident in which a boy prevented the
escape Of prisoners and performed a
humanitarian act. which was greatly
misunderstood at the time and aroused
no little comment in the press of the
day.
At the tim mentioned the island Of
Dry Tortugas was used as a great
prison, and bounty jumpers, deserters
and prisoners of all classes were con
fined there to the number of several
thousands.
The island is but 13 acres in extent,
surrounded by a wide and deep moat.
which made 1t almost impossible for
prisoners to escape, yet every time a
vessel came into the harbor one or more
men would max the attempt. Obtain
ing ropes, they would lower themselves
into the mOat from a portfolio, swing
across tho ditch and try to pass out the
tide gate. despite the fact hat SEN
tries paced up and down on every face
and kept watchful vigilance, with or
ders 10 fire and call the guard. Sew
eral prisoners did escape the sharp
eyes of the guards by swimming and
lodging under water when passing the
sentinel. Reaching the tide gate, they
would dive again, swim to the chan
mel, and i'm the darkness climb aboard
the steamer lying there and conceal
themselves.
But all were not successful. Sever
al unfortunate men dropped into the
ditch from the ropes and were found
drowned the following morning. The
guards were doubled and everything
done to prevent the attempted escapes:
not because there was any danger of
the men getting away as the trans
ports were always searched, but to pre-
vent casualties.
Just hen it happened hat the sur
geon of the post was making a study
of the large sharks Whereabouts, and
one day his son suggested that they
put a big maneater i'm the moat where
ii could be watched. He said to Gener-
al Meigs, who was stationed at Fort
Jefferson at the time: 1T will prevent
the men from swimming the moat. and
so be the means of saving their lives"
The proposition was put into immedi-
ate effect. The surgeons son, with the
boys of another officer, went out fish
ing and soon captured a shark. which
the surgeons l2-oared barge lowed in
shore, the huge fish beating the water
with Its tail, and at one time taking the
cutwater i'm its jaws and shaking il as
"A cat would a mouse.
Finally, after several hours of hard
work and with the assistance of many
men. the shark, which was at least l3
feet i'm length. was hauled over the
tide bridge. the surgeons son cut out
the hook, and with a swirl of its big
tail. the monster went dashing away.
This shark was dubbed the Provost
Marshal by the prisoners, and that it
inspired a wholesome dread i'm their
minds was soon evident. But il was a
perfectly harmless creature. II swan
round and roun very near the brick
wall, with one eye east no pathetical-
ly. 1t presented "A formidable spectacle.
moving slowly along, and no one dared
enter the water. consequently no cas-
ualties were reported. But ii was not
long before an article appeared in "A
paper, calling attention to the
terrors of Dry Tortugas, where, among
other torturcS, the Union officers used
maneater sharks to capture prisoners, |
and so no little excitement was occas-
among thoughtless readers i'm the
North n South at what was conceiv-
to be a brutality of the officers who
had charge of the Dry Tortugas prison.
Meanwhile the great shark. i'm reality
a timid n utterly demoralized crea-
ture. was swimming about. refusing the
daintiest morsels of fish which were Of
fered il. finally becoming so tame that
ii could be touched by it's boy captors, |
who followed il about ON RATS. while
the naturalist watched the method of
and made many sketches of
IL and the singular fishes which chung
To its sides. The shark lived six months,
finally dying OF starvation. Its Jaws
now be seen in the American Mu-
scum Of Natural History, Central Park.
New York city.