Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-01-20
SAVED BY A WHEEL.

pOintment as assistant engineer IN n ,iexv
line one of the great millionaire hotel own
ers had decided to construct down the cos
ern coast of that low, sandy peninsula
The work was, of course all done by ne
groes, a rough, half civilized lot, good
workers when well looked after, but verv
fends when fred by drink or gambling.
There were five white men only in resi-
dence at the camp, and the number of
darkics varied generally between 70 and
100. Lately we had been hard put to it to
get sufficient hands in these snarsely 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 antecedcnts
There were several Coughs, - as they
say in the states, among the new hands
and of these the worst was u 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 week $
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 a search party.
Five miles from camp, where the road
ran through IA moss hung oak scrub, the
pale starlight revealed IA horse, a broken
buggy and two riddcd 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 strong party of white settlers and
planters We're following with bloodhounds
the trail of the cowardly scountlrcls.
In little more than "A hours after the
crime had been committed the perpetrators
We're caught. run down in the black depths
of the inland swamps. There were three
of thcm-camp negroes, us we had sus-
pected
Portions Of the plunder-poor Marriott's
watch and ring-wcre actually found upon
them. There could be no defense so Jus
tice was metcd out, short, sharp and terri
bic, and three dead bodies danglcd from a
giant live oak, u warning to the rest
During their examination two Of tho
three implicated Gilcad as the planncr 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 out of the way of further mis-
chief, it was eventually decided he should
simply he logged and turned out of camp.
And flogged he was. Such fearful
thrashing with heavy hickory switches rs
l trust never again shall see.
This was in March. In May / had ten
days leave. which l was to spend with
the Warburtons, old friends had known
n homo who had Co,ro an,
chiefly for the sake of Mr. Warhnrton's
health. They lived on the coast, about 80
miles due south, and to reach their place
took steamer down the Indian river
Rarely have enjoyed myself so thor
oughly as during those few days The
surf bathing was perfect. rs could well lie
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 us firm as ii turnpike road and
except for mere and there soft stretch 100
yards or So in length, one might drive the
flying wheel many II mile north or south.
Two years before something more than
a friendship had grown up between Lena
Warburton and myself Before a week
was up we had come To an understanding,
and my happiness was as nearly complete
US 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 a darky boy
appeared on pony back with IA note from
Northcott, the superintendent, requesting
me 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 So my only way of return
led up the beach. | was about To go over
to Port Lea to hire an animal which |
could ride or drive when Jack Warburton
came to my assistance with the offer of u
bicycle-he had two-on which, he truly
said, | could get back to camp very much
quicker than on any animal l should be
likely to get in the neighborhood.
1t was about 5 O'Clock when / started, IA
glorious summer night, whose heat was
tempered by the soft SEA breeze that came
signing off the luminous crests of the long
Atlantic rollers. Lena and her brother &C
rompanicd N, 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 sireight line, the bare, broad beach
extended, on one side the saillcs> ocean, on
the other the low, monotonous palmetto
crowned bluff. Back of this bluff lay Il
mile or more of unbrokcn scrub, the haunt
of rattcsnake and panther, and behind
that the wide. shallow Indian river, on
whose inner hank our camp lay.
Two hours had passed. Scarcely five
miles now before l 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 |
Ginous crabs and n couple of huge, un-
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, gianc-
ing back over my shoulder, | made out
three mounted men galloping up behind !
me As they gained rapidly turned again /
and perceived, with a sudden, unpleasant
shock that they were all negroes, and the |
foremost no other than that yellow rascal, |
Gilead Mack.
Then the whole matter became clear to |
me. | had, no doubt, been cnticed on to
this lonely beach by forged note. Gilead |