The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-10-08
A Self=ISOlated CruSOe.
ONCEDROS ISLAND, $50 miles south

M CEDROS ISLAND, $50 miles south
" of San Diego, off the coast of Lower
California, a man is living the life of
Robinson Crusoe andhelikesit so much
that he won't come home. He is DR..
+. q. Powers, of San Diego. He was
sent down to the island to retain pos
session of it in the name of a mining
company claiming a concession upon
it. The life was pleasant TO him, and
after some months spent there he con
scented to remain. His mother desir-
ing to 90 down to the island, the lonely
man consented to have her do so, and
they have been there ever since, ap
parently without a desire to see civ
ilization. They are heard from occa-
~siOnally through the visits of passing
schooners, and the report from the
island invariably is that DIR. Powers
and his mother are well and happy
and don't care to leave the island"
1t is now almost four years since the
couple chose that lonely spot for a
home. The lonesomeness, they say,
soon passed away. DR.. Powers, it must
be confessed, has a streak of laziness
in his make up.
Il take it easy" he told the skipper
Of the schooner Alta. Il have plenty
of time on my hands, but 1 am not idle
as much as you would think. There is
wood / o get for mother, helping her
with the homework, the killing of a
goat occasionally, the catching of fish,
the repairs to our house, and so on. I
ramble over the island and get speci-
mems of plants and flowers and trees,
and pick up mineral specimens, too.
We have books to read and nature to
contemplate. 1t is the ideal life"
Judging from this it may be con-
iectured that DIR. Powers is somewhat
of a philosopher, as well as a well-edu-
Gated man. The chances are that he is
a natural philosopher-every lazy man
is said to be. Perhaps he is right. At
any rate. he declines every offer to
transport him back TO civilization, and
his mother says that she, too, is per-
fectly contented.
Some months ago a schooner was
wrecked on the mainland opposite
Ccdros island, and three of the crew,
jumping into u small boat, rowed and
sailed TO Cedros, where they were
cared for by DR.. Powers and his moth
er. The men were more dead than
alive when they staggered from the
boat upon the beach. They had been
without water for two days and with
out food for four days. One of the men
was i'll for six weeks. The others,
hardy Swedes, rapidly recovered. y
schooner going up from the guano
islands to san Diego stopped for water,
and one of the Swedes and the sick man
eagerly took passage for home. The
third man, known as Suffering Pete,
refused to leave the island. In the
lew weeks he had beer there a spell
had been woven around him by DR..
Powers that was too strong to break.
While the sight of a sail in the ofiing
brought a thrill of happiness to his
heart, the chains of Robinson Crusoe's
life pleased him still better. He saw
the sail fade away OF the horizon with
much regret. From that day to
this Suffering Pete, from all that can
be learned, is as happy a castaway as
ever seen. He and DIR. Powers are
companions and enjoy their long walks
over the island. They hunt goats on
the precipitous sides of the mountains
and seek out the strange growths to
be found in the messy canons and on
;he higher hills.
DR.. Powers is mere fortunate than
Crusoe in one respect, and that is, he
has communication with the main
land. infrequent though it be. \ coast
ing steamer calls at the island about
every six weeks and leaves provisions
for the islanders. \ store of illustrat-
ed papers and magazines, books and
other reading matter is also left. Thus
the trio live in comfort.
when we were there last week."
said the purser of this steamer, "Dr. |
Powers rowed out to see us. He rarely s