The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1903-11-21

and at last Seymour saw his grasp re-
lax. and then he was gone.
He was not permitted to sink; he
was toe valuable to be lost. Seymour
caught him, took handkerchief from
his pocket, and made the body fast
to latch that remained on the door.
Then his desire was to reach the land,
and he tried, by swimming, to push
his float in the direction Of the Mis-
souri, shore, but made little progress
in that endeavOr. Columbus was
passed in the course of time, and the
low shore of Wolf Island became Wis
ible. This was landing which Sey-
mour was able to make, and he sue
ceeded in beaching his float upon the
sand, where he found himself in an
exhausted condition. and his burden
some companion quite dead.
He did not wait long to recover his
strength. but soon proceeded to "busi-
ness" Removing the ring from his
finger, he placed it on similar finger
Of the dead mans hand. Then he felt
in his pockets, to see if there were any
thing there by which he might be iden-
titled. Finding nothing he took from
his pocket some wetted cards bearing
his address, and transferred them to
vest pocket Of the other. Finally he
dragged the body little way up on
the sand, obliterated the footmarks,
and his task was done.
His next object was to reach the
mainland, and he succeeded in pushing
his float over to the Kentucky shore,
where he was cared for and Hospitality
entertained, as survivor OF the great
steamboat disaster. His money and
securities were on his person, wet but
unmutilated, and he had lost nothing
but his trunk and his ring. Thus he
passed out Of the world as John IL.
Seymour. re-entering it as Benjamin
Sinnott. and read with satisfaction the
advertisement for his body and Its
final discovery and burial.
There was one fact, however, which
should have been published, but which
did not appear in any newspaper ac-
count which came under his notice.
Nothing was said about his valuable
and noticeable ring, and this omission
was quite perplexing to Sinnott, alias
Seymour.
This mystery I proceed to solve by
explaining that the body on the Island
was first discovered by man named
Wilson Replette. who had been search
ing with a skiff for relics Of the disas-
ter. He, also, had seen a description OF
Seymour. and had recognized the man
on the island by the ring on his LETT
hand. His cupidity being too strong
for his conscience he possessed himself
of the ring, and left the body where
he had found It, 1t was afterward dis
covered by others, and buried as the
body Of John H. Seymour.
Not long after the Ben Lewis disas-
fer news came to Canada OF the
death of an uncle of the supposed dead
man, in England This uncle had been
a well-to-do merchant, and his property
descended to John H. Seymour and his
elder brother, David, their parents be-
ing dead. David Seymour was man
Of remarkable honesty in purpose and
in action. AS soon as he learned OF
this unexpected wiEdfall, his first
thought was to ind his brother, OF
whom he had heard nothing during
many years, and secure to him that
portion of the property which was
rightfully his. Accordingly. he adVer-
tised in a number Of newspapers IN
Canada and the States, telling John d.
Seymour that he would hear OF some
thing to his advantage by communicate
ing with his brother David, at Kings
ton. and requesting all who might be
possessed Of any information concern
ing him to send it to that address.
This notice came under the eye OF a
gentleman who had known John n.
Seymour in Alton, and he wrote 10
David. informing him that his brother
was supposed to have perished IN
steamboat disaster on the Mississippi
Further inquiry brought out the part1c'
ulars Of the explosion Of the Ben Lewis
and of the discovery and burial OF
what was believed to be the body OF
John H. Seymour. The evidence to
this effect was so convincing tnat
David Seymour was compelled to be
lieye that his brother was dead, ana
was preparing to use his share OF the
property as his cwn, when claimant
nut in An appearance, representing
himself to lie Join Fl. Seymour, VINO
vas supposed to be lost.
LII pursuance OF my purpose not 70
allo.r nv readers to be mYsti0ed. al.