The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-30


knife ripped open the stitches. My
hand shook painfully. What II he
were really dead?
confess to experiencing a singu-
lar feeling of relief when the man
opened his eyes, and the resuscitated
Brandon sat up. I administered some
brandy, which helped to revive him.
He quickly and noiselessly dressed
himself. Then he produced from an
American trunk n dummy figure which
he had previously prepared and weight
ed, and inclosed it i'm the shroud. This
he sewed up with his own hands. Not
word was spoken by either of us
When all was completed / stepped out
TO reconnoitre. Seeing the coast clear,
| slgnalled him, and he crept swiftly
across the passage into his daughters
cabin, where he concealed himself.
In the first dog watch of the same
afternoon. the bell commenced to toll
its solemn knell for the funeral of
Anthony Brandon. Officers and men
and passengers stood round me with
heads uncovered as l read from the
Book of Common Prayer the beautiful
and impressive burial service. God
forgive me, it was an awful mockery.
| don't know how | got through with
it. Afterward I heard it commented
that / was much affected during the
service. Heaven knows was, but
twas with guilt and fear.
After the funeral Brandon returned
to his own cabin, which was kept con-
stantly locked, and the key of which
l retained in my possession. With my
connivance Alice smuggled food to
him from day TO day
About two weeks afterward, while
proceeding up the channel under all
sail, we were hailed by tug. Antici-
pating danger slipped down the COM
panionway, and conveyed Brandon to
my own cabin for concealment. When
I got on deck again, l was just i'm time
to see a stout, we'll l-groomed party
clambering over the vessels side. With
out any preliminaries he brusquely de-
manded.
Got a passenger by the name OF
Brandon on bOard?"
II had, stranger; / had"
He gazed at me inquiringly.
Come below, sir" l said
AS we descended, he explained that
don, who had absconded from Aus
, tralia "A considerable sum of money
and valuable negotiable securities.
When he had produced his warrant, /
. ordered the mate to fetch the log
book. Under date the 18th of January,
he read this entry:
Buried at sea in lat. So degrees 49
minutes n, longitude SO degrees 1G
/ An 1,
| passenger. Cause of death unknown +"
| He muttered something under his
| breath which was quite unintelligble
| to me. Then he demanded to see
! Brandon's effects. led the way into
| his cabin. He ransacked every trunk
/ and portmanteau, but not a vestige of
! paper or anything of value did he dis
| cover The expression on his face
/ when he left the ship some hours later
was not particularly pleasant.
When we arrived in the dock at Lon
| don l smuggled Mr.. Brandon ashore
/ In one of his daughters trunks, after
! they had been searched bv the Gus.
/ toms officer. No one in the ship ever
suspected the truth. Their secret re-
mained alone with me.
1t was arranged that Alice and
should be married quietly before set.
ting out on my next voyage. and on,
honeymoon was to he spent on the
bosom of the deep. When we partei
that night she promised to communi.
cate with me when her father had Sc.
cured some quiet retreat in the coun.
Try she Kept her promise Here is
the letter. | have preserved it al
these years 1t has neither superscrip.
Ia