Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-09-24

at the chance. They lowered a small
boat over the side of the brig away
from the man-of-war, placed the chest
in it, and rowed quietly away to the
shore without being perceived, the
pursuit having conferred Itself on the
, briggs crew. AS soon as they reached
the shore they pulled the boat up into
the bushes and, Selling the chest be-
tween them, made off into the woods,
nor did they stop until they had placed
| several miles between themselves and
the cove. They concealed the chest
and remained in hiding until the next
day, when they crept down to me cove
and discovered that the manrof-War
had disappeared, but that the BARI"
| had been scuttled and sunk to the bot
tom of the cove. The boat III which
they had landed had not been discov-
cred, but the long boat had been smash
ed to pieces, and every one OF the crew
who had left the brig in her had been
captured. What became OF them
neither Summers nor Henderson ever
learned.
A days exploration showed the case
always that they were on a small
UNINHABITED ISLAND,
and they determined to try to reach
one of the larger islands of the group
in the small boat. They decided, how
ever, not to risk taking the chest with
them, and concealed it in a small cave
which they had discovered while ex-
ploring the island. Then they embark
ed in their little boat, and two days
z lofar arooah0l nna ~ tho LARGO islands
Of the group. Here Captain Summers
| caught the smallpox and died, n
! Henderson was left the only possessor
of the secret. He was afraid to share
it with any Of the inhabitants of the
islands, and finally decided to return
home and there fit out an expedition
to go after the chest.
Three years elapsed before he once
more reached his native village OF
Jackson, and he at once went to work
to secure the money he needed to TT
out a vessel to go after the treasure.
But people laughed at his story, n
he could find no one who was willing
! to advance the sum of money needed.
So, in bitterness of heart, he deter
mined to return to the sea, and himself
earn the money needed. Nearly fifteen
years passed before he could do this.
but in 1886 he bought the Flora K.
Fine, at Philadelphia, fitted her out and
set sail for the South Atlantic. But his
ill-luck pursued him, for off Cape Hat
teras the ship ran into a hurricane
and foundered, carrying every penny
Captain Henderson had in the world
with her to the bottom of the ocean.
! Captain and crew escaped only with
the greatest difficulty, and Henderson
was obliged to begin again at the boz
tom of the ladder.
1t was not until last year that he
again had the money he needed. Co.
ing to New Orleans he purchased the
staunch little craft Frolic, belonging to
the Southern Yacht Club, and after
thoroughly oyerhauling her, left New
! Orleans on February %. the
FIFTY-NINTH ANNIVERSARY
of hissbirth. He had with him a trust
ed friend, Claude Thompson, also of
Jackson. The long voyage was made
without special incident and on April
II the Tristan d'Acunha group was
sighted. On the morning of April Ia
the Rover, as THE ship had been re-
christened, swung into the cove where
traces of the wreck of the bark could
still be seen. Captain Henderson and
Thompson rowed ashore alone, and,
despite the thirty-five years that had
interviewed, Henderson had no difficulty
in finding the cove where the treasure
had been concealed. Half an hour lat
er they were on their way back to the
ship with the chest between them.
1t was not until they were in the
cabin of the Rover that they broke
open the chest. They found the con-
tents intact and uniniured, and after
counting the money found that they
were the possessOrs of $173,32 The
Rover was started on her homeWard
journey at once, and reached Philadel-
phia two months later. Captain Hen
derson distributed 81, 900 among the
crew, gave Thompson $4,000, deposited
$3.50. 900 in the Third National Bank at
Philadelphia, and brought the re-
mainder of the money home with him
in cash. Since that time he has been
living quietly, enjoying the fruits OF his
thirty years of endeavor.
1t is only within the last week that
any question has arisen as to the own
ership of the money found by Hender-
son.. A few days ago a man who gave
his name as Howard F. Summers APP
peared at Jackson and filed a suit in
which he seeks to recover from Hen
derson the sum of $50, $3.50, or one-hali
the amount of money that vas in the
chest. Summers claims to be the son
of Captain Summers, and so is entitled
TO one-half the fortune. He claims that
he had always believed his father was
drowned until quite recently, when he
learned of the details of Henderson's
adventures.
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