The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-22

war she turned privateersman and was SO
successful that her captain and crew grew
rich.
The captain was especially fortunate
and succeeded in amassing a fortune Of
SITE, 600, all Of which he kept in gold and
notes in a heavy chest in his cabin. In
1864 the bark ran into a terrific hurricane
and was blown away into the sonth At
lantic, near the Tristan d'Acunha islands,
where she was sighted by man-of-war
and was run ashore and scuttled by her
crew. All Of the crew were taken prison.
ers with the exception of Capt. Summers
and his first mate, Charles A. Henderson,
the fortune in it ashore and concealing
1t.
THEY FINALLY ESCAPE.
After living the lives Of Robinson
Crusoes there for some time they finally
managed to escape, but could not take
their treasure with them. On the voyage
home Capt. Summers caught the small
pox, and died, leaving Henderson the sole
5possessor OF. the secret. Henderson finally
reached home, but was unable to secure
the money necessary to fit out a vessel
to go after the treasure. For thirty
three years he Iabored to earn money,
eating his heart out with the knowledge
of the great fortune that lay beyond his
grasp. After many failures 1t was not
until last year that he finally started
from New Orleans in the Rover. He
reached the island in April without mis-
hap and secured the money, amounting
to $173, 800. He got home safely and since
that time has been living quietly, enjoy
ing his fortune.
1t was not until few days ago that
anyone aspired to dispute his ownership
of the money. Then a man about forty
years Of age. who gave his name as How.
ard F. Summers, reached Jackson, and
after a short investigation and confer
ence with Capt. Henderson, filed the suit
noted above He asks for the sum Of $685.,
ego, or one-half the amount secured by
Henderson. He claims that Capt. Sum-
mers had wife and son at Baltimore,
and that the wife has since died and that
he is the son.
His father sailed away on what was to
be his last trip In 1863 and his family
never heard anything more from him. 1t
was known that the bark had been
caught in violent gale and 1t was sup
posed that she had foundered. Mrs.
Summers knew that her husband was
possessed Of a large fortune, but supposed
that 1t had gone down with him. She
died In ignorance Of his fate and it was
only recently that his son learned of what
had become Of the money and at once
took steps to recover his share of 1t.
Capt Henderson declares that Capt.
Summers never mentioned his family ana
wants young Summers to prove his
claims, which the latter alleges he can
do without difficulty.
PLACE OF THE DEPOSIT.
The island where the treasure was so
long secreted and but recently unearthed
is situated about halfway between the
coasts of Africa and South America, in
latitude SO degrees Il minutes south, lon-
gitude "a degrees 80 minutes east, and has
been christened Summers island. Here
was enacted several years before the Re-
bellion one Of the most exciting dramas
Of the high seas
While yet mere boy Capt Henderson
ran away from home and shipped before
the mast. In 1858 he had just returned
to the United States after cruise to
the West Indies and in Philadelphia fell
in with Capt. Summers. He said he was
shipping crew in his clipper-built brig,
the Lark, engaged In the fruit and spice
trade with the West midas and South
America, and offered Henderson posi-
ton as mate. Henderson accepted the
offer.
Just about the time the Civil war was
opening the Lark started homeward from
a South American port and ran into a
violent hurricane, which blew her out Of
her course eastward and southwark for
over a week During this time there had
been no opportunity of taking an ebser-
walton, and Capt. Summers had no def
mite idea of his whereabouts. On the
ninth day the weather cleared and an OBJ
servation showed that the vessel was far
out in the Atlantic, only about thirty
miles south of the Tristan d'Acunha
group. That same afternoon the lookout
discovered an American cruiser steam1ng
at full speed, apparently directly for
them.
CHASED BY A CRUISER.
There were lively times OH deck when
Capt. Summers gave orders to put the
ship about and try to run away. l. was
evident from the first that the brig was
no match in speed for the cruiser and
the captain and his crew Were fast losing
hope Of escape when land was sighted
straight ahead. AS last desperate eff
fort to elude the cruiser the brig ran into
a little cove sheltered by a long reef. The
cruiser could not enter the cove, but hove
to outside and prepared to lower her
boats. The only refuge for the crew was
on the island and there they were safely
landed in hurry. It was at this mo-
ment that Henderson learned the secret