The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-09-13
A TALE OF HORROR,
A Terrible Story that Comes from
Charleston.
AFLOAT WITH A MANIAC.
One of the Survivors Tells OF Cast
ing Lots and Sucking the
Blood of One Com
panion.


tain Milburn. arrived at Charleston
from Hamburg Saturday, August 81,
two handred and fifty miles south OF
Charleston the Woodruff picked up
Maurice Anderson and Goodmund
Thomasen, survivors Of the Norwegian
bark Drot, wrecked August 10, off the
Florida coast. The Drct was bound
from Pascagoula to Buenos Ayres. An
derson is a raving maniac and his COM
panion is shocking ly mutilated from
bites of tho crazed man. Thomasen
tells dreadful story. The captain Of
the Drot and seven seanen were swept
overheard and lost in the recent West
Indian hurricane. The mate and seven
other men put to sea on raft made
from decking. The raft parted soon
after, and the mate and one man were
separated from the others. The mates
companion was landed at Philadelphia
by the German steamer Titania on Au-
gust %. He stated that the mate COM
mitted suicide. Of the six men oo the
other part Of the raft one became Graz
ed from exposure and jumped into the
sea. Two others exhausted from suffer
ing fell overheard and were lost. An
derson, Thomasen and German sea-
man, drew lots as to which one would
be eaten, as none of them had had a
youthful since they took to the raft.
The lot fell to the German. He was
killed and the blood was sucked from
his veins by the two survivors. Soon
after Anderson lost his reason and sav-
acely attacked his only companion.
Thonasen's breast and face were bitten
in several places, chunks OF good size,
being torn out. Both men are now at
the city hospital and the Norwegian
consul has taken the case IN hand.
Thomasen is native Of Stevanger,
Norway.
Thomasen is mere lad. He is Nor
wegian, II years Of age, and this trip
out from his own country was his first
He is a pale boy, thin and white, and
his bones yesterday showed out from
under the sheets of his cot. He could
barely talk above whisper, though he
nodded pleasantly when reporter
went to bis side to talk. On the lips
of the lad there are two thick, black
scabs, the remnants Of ugl y sores doubt
less made from contact with the biting
of the human flesh. There are no
bruises on his..face and the ulcers over
his BODY have been covered with deep
smelling drugs. What might have been
flesh has disappeared from the boys
legs, and he looks no larger than a
straw. The physicians are ENCOURAGED
at his condition, and they will bring
him through.
Andersen is an older man. He is
about 35 years old. His chin is cover
ed with a soft growth of stubby hair,
and whiskers sprout from the sides Of
his face. His eyes are deep set and
hollow andtbey burn red like Goals Of
fire. The man appears conscious. He
cannot speak English, but he shook his
head knowingly as he gave his hand to
the reporter. His eyes roamed about
and he was still so weak that he could
barely lift his arm. His general con-
dition, however, is good, and there IS
the same encouragement at his steady
Improvement. ;, i,
During the day many sailors called
at the hospital. Some Of them could
speak the language Of the sufferers and
they seemed anxious to hear from the
survivors the story of the disaster.
Andersen said Wednesday to an in
terpreter, who was assisting the repor-
ter, that made straws from splinters
picked from the raft. 1t had been
agreed that the man who got the longer
stick should die. Hewas German, or
an Austrian, and be made no objection
when he got th2 straw that killed. He
seemed anxious, however, for quick
death. and his companions were eager
for bis blood. There was a heavy
piece of iron on the raft. How it got
there the sailors are unable to tell, but
it came in handy, according to the story
Wednesday, for it was used to knock
the victim in the head. He laid fiat
on the raft. While one man stood
ready to brain him, another was stand
ing BY with huge knife tc rip for his
heart the moment the IRON landed on
the unfortunate's head. The German
shut his eyes. The iron was raised
high to fall with terrible blow, and as
It landed the knife was driven deep
into the heart. Then the comrades on
the raft fell over, placed their lips close
to the wound, and sucked in the blood:
Once the men at the hospital told
Wednesday that after the blow was
landed on the head the knife was jabbed
into the victims heart. Again they
told that the weapon went into the
throat instead. At times they said the
man was German; again they said he
was from Austria.
While the raft was drifting about at
the will of the waves the water poured
over to add to the suffering OF the crew.
Almost the entire tine the men were
waist deep and more in the water,
which surge0 on unceaslnSiy auu 9"ep
with it small sharks and fish and little
demons from the sea. When the sharks
would come by they jumped fercel y for
the prey, but strange luck saved the
creatures on the raft When the two
companions died the bodies were held
on the craft fJr time, but they soon
began to give forth : sickening, deadly
scent and they were cast over. The
SHARKS hanging about, hungry and
wild, were there and as the forms
splas he'd on the waves they were lifted
rp and eaten by the lighting, strug.
cling tribe.-News and Courier.
Poisoned Birds.
Tourists travelling in Italy are warn;