The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1899-09-07
ALONE ON AN ISLAND.
SELklRk AND HIS
UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
rrue story Of the Original Of Defoe's
"Robinson crusOe Statue
at LarKs-severaI Memsutees OF
Him still in Existence.

Him still in Existence.
In the Century. j. Cuthbert Hadden
tells the story OF Alexander Selkirk-a
story once very familiar, but OF which
all that We remember IS that there was
4 eastaway Of that name on the island
Of Juaa Fernandez. whose experience
suggested De Foes great story. He
was very rcal person. II seems. aud
Intimate memorials OF him are not lack
ing.
Largo. sluggish and sleepy as 1t must
then have been. eonld hardly be so dun
as Juan Ferna ndez; yet there - some
reason for believing that Selkirk round
it TOO lively for ais tastes He erected
a sort Of cave dwelling IN his father )
back garden. aud when he Was not
.meditating there, he was Ia the
woods or walking modify by the shore
People evidently fought shy Of him, as
OF some uncanny creature who had
been Ia league with Satans Invisible
world. The parish minister Of the
town. writing In 1873. refers 10 an old
Largo man who remembered having.
when boy slept with him for one
nlght after his return. He could not
be persuaded TO do # a second time, be-
Ing Terrified at the uncommon white
ness OF his linen and the hairlness of his
body" Ina gination truly does go
long way. To the unmarried females
Of Largo. Selkirk had however, ro-
mantle side; and one fine day IL WAS
discovered that the eccentric exile had
eloped with one Sophia Bruce. who had
suecumbed 10 the charm OF the white
linen and the interest Of the island sto-
~. Why there should have been an
slopement It would have been difficult
TO make ont. had 1t not afterward sp-
peared that the union WIS OF that sailor
type not likely 10 be sanctioned by the
rigid rules OF Largo kirk. The pair
were traced to London, where Sophia
was presently found alone. Selkirk hay-
Ing gone back 10 sea. Before he thus
dared the 'perrilis" OF the deep, he
made a will In her fayor-thls was In
January 1I17-ln which he describes
her as his loving friend, Sophia Bruce,
of the Pail Mall. London. spinster," and
bequeaths her a house at Largo. which
had come to him from his father. But
the sailors affections are VIGOROUSLY
unstable, and poor Sophia, being out OF
sight, was soon out OF mind. Before
1720 Selkirk had yielded to the blan
dishments OF certain widow named
Frances Candis, and the old will was
revoked. At this time the worthy sea-
man, as we learn from the will, was
mate OF His Majesty's ship Wey-
mouth" That is practically the last
We hear OF him. for he died on board
the vessel before December OF the fol
lowing year. On the strength OF her
connection with him, the Sophia OF the
elopement arterward applied for char.
lily to a dissenting minister IN West
minister; and the much marrying wild
ow she took a third husband immedl-
ately after Selkirk's death-proved her
right In the Scotch courts to the house
at Largo.
There Is a statue OF him at Largo.
and such of his many personal effects
as We're associated with his island ex-
lstence have naturally been guarded as
interesting helrlooms by all his collat-
eral descendants. There Is the gun.
there Is the chest. and there Is the
drinking cup. The chest, a clumsy
looking affair made OF cedarwood,
bears the exlle's initials on the lid.
with certain other rude carvings
practical result. no doubt. OF hours of
ennul on the Island The drinking cup
WAS made by Selkirk himself out OF a
cocoanut shell. At one time 1t had a
silver foot and stem, but these seem to
have been disposed Of by some distress
F ed descendant. The present mountings
have 10 be placed to the credit OF Sir
Walter Scott. Sir Walter heard OF the
relies at Largo. and one day he set on
TO see them. In company with Consta-
BILE, the publisher. He took the cup
back TO Edinburgh with him. and had
a silver rim and a new rosewood stem
added 10 It; while Constable. not to be
outdone ia enthusiasm. carried away
the old parish records containing the
already mentioned entries relating /,
selkirk. and had them handsOmel,
bound for preservation. Such are som,
Of the Selkirk relies still to be seen Il
Scotland. Aud Juan Fernandez has III
memorial. too. Two thousand fee
above the sea level. on the height whIcl
selkirk called his Lookout. a hand
some tablet commentaries him.
Thus. while Defoe himself remain
undistingulshed by statue or mark o
public favor OF any kind. the humbl
hero whose fame he created Is meme
rallied IL two widely separated col
ners " The globe.
CARVED HIS OWN MONUMENT