The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-07-05
TALE OF HAUNTED No. l..
A Marine. Who became Food Tor
Fishes. Keeps Pace With the
Guards ON the Tragic Walk

| f0S< NO .sAG kDfk DttH hHS"a a. ZIG
| haunted post al the navy yard 8, Mare
1 island. Cal. Tradition had il that one
| night. years back, a marine taking French
| leave, had tried TO swim from there over
/ TO the town OF Vallejo. opposite. What
| the crabs and fishes .eft OF the marine
| they buried a week later. but regularly
| every Friday night. soon after the second
! relief is posted az Il o'clock. the sentry
! on No. hears footsteps keeping time TO
| his own.
| Halt: Who goes there?" comes the
| challenge. but there is no reply. and the
| footsteps cease. The sentry feels that he
| is mistaken. shoulders his musket. and
| commences again ais monotcnous pacing
10 and fro.
'Pat-pat-again the footsteps are heard
| and the sentry. feeling that they are close
by, wheels quickly around to see who is
stealing upon him from the rear. There
| is not soul. and again all is quiet. The
feeling becomes uncanny; cold chills
creep down the sentrys back, and he
feels his hair stiffening under his cap.
Pit-pa t-pat, still those footsteps lodging
and the sentry, in desperation. goes under
the lamp-pos;. and in the comforting
dance OF the light tries 10 reason it out
calmly-an impossibility with a pulse
beating at the rate his is.
Softly in the distance is heard the strik-
ing of eight bells on the old Independ-
ence, and the sentry in response sings
out:
Post No. 7-12 o'cIock-and a-a-!..s
WE'LL
The word "well' Is hardly out Of his
mouth when there is a splash In the
| water. followed by blood-curd1ng groan.
| Some of the new men have been known to
| throw down their muskets. and on dead
run burst into the guard room, white
| a sheet. and wild-eyed. attempt to tell
their story 10 the sergeant Of the guard,
and, becoming incoherent, end in hyster
zeal laughter. The commanding officer
doesn't court martial a man for leaving
his post under these circumstances-there
have been too many men reported for the
same thing-so the X. o., who knows
| that the sentry is only human. lets him off
with ten days double irons.
The old soldier who was assigned to
post No. :. when his tour of guard duty
came on Friday. would swap guard with
a Johnny -come--ateiy. ALL of course. for
the convenience of the greeny.
one night not dong ago several marine
officers had gathered in the officer of the
days office at one Of the main barracks
on the Atlantic coast. Naturally they
drifted into yarn-spinning. with the scene
shifting from aboard ship in every cline
TO anywhere ashore on the seaboafd of
the United States. One of them-call him
Lieut.. Barnwcll-told the story that fol-
lows; ne gave no explanation. You can
explain IL to suit yourself:
barracks az Mare island, and on the nigh:
,, l speak of / had been doing duty at the
post for more than a year. OF course, l
heard the yarn about post No :, and had
seen men punished for leaving that post.
However. ! am no believer In the super
natural Time and again had visited No
at night. seeing nothing or hearing
nothing unusual. and laughed at the story
| OF the phantom sentry.
'One night l was on duty as the officer
| of the day, and the early part of the
evening / spent in the office reading some
work on military surveying. With my
head full OF this stun shortly before mid
night started out TO visit sentries Than
ghosts nothing could have been further
from my mind. First visited No g. then
No. ). and rapidly came toward No T.
Without any assignahle reason, unless
il was the resonance OF my footsteps I
experienced an uncomfortable, nervous
feeling OF being cod. | walked more rap
idly, but the feeling only increased, and
/ became colder and more nervous.
There under the lampIight stood the
seatry, who challenged me in clear. sharp
tones. his rifle rafting he brought it
up 20 port arms halted and gave the
countersgn. and the sentry ordered Ad-
vance. officer of the day l walked up
10 him. and as did SO broke into a cold
peTspiration. AT first there seemingly
was nothing unusual about the sentry
l ordered him 20 repeat the orders Of his
post and he did So but instead OF giving
the recent orders for the post gave those
that were in force severa. years nre,..-
ously. Then | noticed that the man was
ghostly pale. and THAI his eyes burned
win deep. hollow fire and that his rifle
was rusty and damp. / frankly confess
| that Wild feeling Of terror oyercame
me, Cutting the man short in what ha
was sayins. whirled about and rapidly
moved off. When l reached the end Of
his past. inEolun;arily | turned TO take
another iook. The man bad disappeared
tritlcise Tne II you VIII. but ! am no cow-
ard, The strain was too much and |
broke into a run. In A moment, however
T. ! controlled myself and, visiting the 9th
or posts. l nnaiy reached my office. at
terry exhausted. Sleep shat nignt ! cou1l
not. and feverishly tossed, waiting M
I'll day came. when | could investigate
ana explain matters.
The following morning started in snd
! rA.led up the sergeant o? the guard In
:eply To my inquiry the sergeant said:
Il was about twenty miauies 10 u
"nen the officer OF the day Informed ne
,ha, he was going qua - visit Sentries'
Could possibly have been walk ug IN
my sleep, sergeant
90 Ne. sir IA surprised tones both the
corporal OF the guard and myself were
standing oats,de The guard room door.
,
usual
Very well sergeant. Find on; who
"a, N Ne. :, N the second ts1ef. and
ask am when / visited his post .ast u4Sht.'
Ine sergeant went oti on his GRAND.
ana shortly returned. win every express
s-o@ 81 surprise and inc:edu.sy In his
C1gu5snaa>c private Baxter, s4-. and he
says Yea i,dat visit him while lie was On
post as: night
i Went ;o-o she ottlos and tried % think
I out and amaly determined 10 send for
Baxter ana question nm myself was
Nitn$ wSea me knock sounded or re
d'eT- Private Baxter. sir. and looked
pp.
Il sax before ne an entirely dgfferer,
mar from Ire one ! hal seen under the
lamp. Baxter insisted .hat I Aaa ne; basn
near aAs post. ana that shortly after -
"c.otk BE as5 moved Down - me waters
TX" - investigate a suspicious YuS.Hnx
aFnoas t3r PUSHES thst De could not pos