Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-07-01
A MYSTERY OF
! FORT FISHER
fOriginal.l

"a With considerable loss. Hervey's
soav was found in a depression in the
onS I'm the extreme advanced position
reached by his men of the Juniata. A
handkerchief (not Heryey's) had been
y.ed for tourniquet to stop the flow
:, blood from the commanders left
o,tIe which had been shattered and
tbe artery cut by a rife ball. The
,,ounded man must have been killed
consequently by fragment of shell
-vhjch had struck him in the head.
Who had saved the captain in The first
ISSUANCE? 1t must have been some one
who had been killed in the action, for
no one claimed the credit
Some time before the Juniata. which
Heryey commanded, Joined the feet
she was refitted at the Portsmouth
navy ward. Commander Hervey's fam
,ly were there In enc of the officers
residences, including his daughter,
irene a girl of seventeen. There was
"a petty officer-net commissioned, but
nm enlisted man-named Edgar Fori-
stall. who was cockswain Of the cap
tain's dingey. He used to carry Irene
in the dingey to and from the Juniata.
On such occasions she sat in the stern
of the boat beside the cockswain.
Though very young, she knew well the
difference in station between enlisted
men and officers and that 1t was not
becoming TO have anything to say to
the coclSwain. When any of her fam
iIy. associates or officers were In the
dincey, she never made a remark to
young Foristall, but when none of
these was present she waxed quite
friendly. Later Foristall was In the
action 1T Fort Fisher, was severely
wounded ana was promoted for bray-
cry.
Ten years passed. One day Irene
Hervcy was present at the launching
of a United States cruiser. A su-
perirtendent of one of the depart
merits OF the works that had built
the vessel stepped up to her and
asked her If she remembered him. She
did not and he informed her that he
was the cockswain who used to carry
her in her fathers dingey to and from
the Juniata. Irene's face lighted up
at once. She was especially pleased at
meeting Foristall as a citizen and not
as an enlisted sailor.
AZ have never seen you" she said.
"since the Juniata left us for the at
tack on Fort Fisher. |. saw the notice
Of your promotion for bravery, hsw-
ever"
"Oh. everybody was brave on that
OCCASION" said the young shipbuilder.
But it is pleasant TO be singled out
from the throng."
At that moment the ship was
launched and the remarks were inter-
rupted. Nevertheless they were the be-
ginning of renewed acquaintance on
different basis from that Of blue
jacket and captains daughter. Irene
had treasured a remembrance of the
black eyed boy who used to sing out
the orders to his oarsmen so Justify,
though he had changed so much in
appearance that she had not recog-
nized him: The new man proved SO
attractive to her that her heart slipped
into his possession. Then she was
pleased that he offered her his own in
exchange. But what was her delight
when he opened the case of his watch
and showed her little lock of her
hair that he had surreptitiously cut
from her 'spigtair' one morning when
she was on his dingey.
They were engaged, and in time the
day was set for the wedding, but, I'M
fortunately, one evening when Irene
was in bad humor she let fall re-
mark Indicating that she still had some
of the feeling that a captains daughter
might have for a bluejacket. Foristall
at once broke the engagement. Irene
when she had cooled longed to recall
him, but 1t is not an easy thing for
woman thus to humble herself. So she
pinned and moped till her mother found
something for her to do in getting up
material for biography of her father
to be published with those of other
naval officers who had fallen in the
civil war.
She was thus enga ged when she came
upon packet marked Papers found
On Commander Hervey's body" Open
ing it, she took out several letters,
shuddering that they had been drench-
ed in her fathers blood. and examined
N-~Au III lulu. upVh
a few scarcely legible words on the
back of one of the letters scrawled with
some blunt instrument. possibly fin
ger tip:
'Cockswain saved me. They will hit
me yet"
Like flash from heaven the secret
attending her fathers death burst up
on her. For years she had wondered
who was the man who had carried her
rather to less exposed position and
mad bound up his wound. Was he
young or past middle life? Was he
dark or fair? Why had fate deprived
her OF the satisfaction of taking his
hand and expressing something of what
she felt with her lips and her eyes?
And now she knew that this man was
tne young tar who had stolen lock of