The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-08-30

In a moment the fight became general
Half OF them would have been killed
or wounded had it not been for an ac-
cident that drew their attention from
the fighting to a danger that threatened
them all in common. In the scuffle In
the cabin a large lamp was overturned,
and before anyone attempted to put out
the flames the whole cabin was in a
blaze. Without trying to save the vessel
they rushed to the single boat remain
ing, leaving one man dead in the COM
panionway and another severely wound
ed on deck. Thus all the stores and
tools were burned, together with the
poor wounded wretch on deck.
The next morning a party set out to
explore the island, and soon found
supplemented old German on the opp0-
site side, who lived all by himself-a sort
of Robinson Crusoe Hfe-tilled a little
soil and kept a couple of fishing boats
That night some of the more desperate
spirits of the party proposed that they
should steal one of the old German s
boats, sail to the mainland, seize small
vessel and bring it back to the island
with more provisions and tools.
The carpenter and the sailor who had
Joined him the night before tried to dis
suade them from putting the plan into
execution, but they persisted and sailed
away the next day.
| In about two weeks the sailboat hove
| in sight, and when she was beached, an
emaciated. wounded wretch crawled out
| the sole survivor of the crew that had
sailed away so confidently two weeks
before.
! Before he died he told how the rascals
had succeeded in reaching the coast
| safely, and with little difficulty had
| found a small vessel suited for their
purpose
| They tried to get away with It in the
night, but the owner discovered them
and attempted to interfere, with the re-
suit that he paid for his vigilance with
! a knife slash which settled him in a
minute. But the pirates did not get far
| away before they were overhauled taken
| back to port and every one OF them was
! hanged, except the teller OF the tale,
who had escaped, but had been mortally
wounded in doing so.
| The carpenter and the sailor pros
| pected daily about the ravine and the
! beach, but having nothing except their
| knives with which to work they made
little progress. Still they picked out Of
hte crevices a considerable amount OF
gold.
One day they borrowed a Ratchet from
the old German and penetrated the raw
Inc which ran Up The side OF one OF the
mountains. Some distance up the slope
they cleared the underbruSh and found
| the ledge TO be composed Of soft. rotten
stone impregnated with gold in large
quantities
As they worked, however. their Ives
| were inconstaEt danger. as the mountain
| side seemed to be alive WITH poisonous
reptile scorpions. tarantulas-in fact.
owing TO these pests they were fam 70
1 OF m 2 IN - FrFr@p
and contented themselves with working
about the foot of the mountain. They
remained or this island nearly two
months before they we're taken or BY a
passing vessel which stopped 70 FL her
water casks.
Shortly after their return 10 The 18th
mus the sailor was taken down With
isthmus fever and died The carpeute-
then took The gold. and. keeping bis Sc
cret, set san for Ills home. where he
bought a hotel. Ne intended some tine
20 return 20 the island. bat ore winter
day he fell on the ice receiving an IL
ljuTy that resulted in paralysis, ard a
year later BE also died But before -
did 50 Re told % s f7eud wAo hsa
uurse5 him al ths details Il his strange
/ adventures n TIE southern Pzelac. drew
s. plan of the Island. eescrihed "a loca-
ton and topography and gave such an
accurate DESCRIPTION rat anyone famgliz-
Rrith the coast could hare 10 ci-leulsy
/ in verifying The staTe-ez'
I ZAe carpenters frfea3 cd not survive
HIM ioaz. bat before b dec he Lac
wise related to carpenters story % 5
| captain who VAS familiar xit1 ths va
tsrs e the soutAerE F'zcsSc An6 rs-
| another ezre3i1o1 has been Sttsd cBs
/ Or the mysterious Isle - eolz
Bus ~lseacres shc1k sssir hea6s ard
/ a!rea1y belief hss grown aEuouF the
/ .uss. ara. sndss1. nloss san IL cus52
7 thai a curse II 8sSociss to Ni3a faa sl.
an1 tns treasure. thar Sessa ard 6sozs
Inevitably sosIsw tie sErsslE C i1s A.
isveg-