The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-29

Next morning it was aScertained
that the woman had spent. the night
in her hut. She had smade a bed of
the blankets and eaten of the pro
visions, but she had tor1rthe letter into
many pieces, and that probably with
out reading it. We left another let
ter for her, but it met the fate of the
first. On the fourth day as 1--WE had
finished our work and the aeastaway
had not come near us, it was deter
mined to run her down and discover
who she was. "a
To make speedy and thorough job
of this, everybody but the cook was
landed, and we had about As men in
line. We stretched out across the head
of the island like so many skirmishers,
and then swept down its length and
back again. In returning we sighted
the woman, who had been concealed in
depression, and breaking cover she
ran like a deer and was soon! out of
sight.
We had spent half an hour looking
for her when the lone man left aboard
the ship fired a muSket and rang the
bell and caused US to hasten down to
the beach,. The castaway had fianked
US and reached the shore and put off
in one of our boats. She was already
half a mile away, using an oar as
paddle, and soon as she saw us in
pursuit she redoubIed. her exertions.
A boat was manned and sent off in
pursuit, and we easily overhauled the
fugitive, but as we came up she sprang
ing and lodging she evaded us for half
an hour.
Nobody could make out just what
sore of woman it was until one of
the men finally caught her by the hair
and pulled her into the boat. She
fought him with savage ferocity, biting
one of his fingers to the bone, and we
had to tie her hand and foot to keep
her. She appeared to be about 40 years
of age. and though her face was rough
ened and Drowned by exposure, we felt
sure that she was English or Ameri-
can.
We took her aboard the ship, and the
captain talked to her in a gentle way
and tried to satisfy her that we were
friends. When she grew quiet he cast
off her bonds, but as soon as she was
free she attacked him so ferceIy that
he had to call for help. She was then
locked in a stateroom, the things in the
hut sent for, and we sailed away on
our cruise.
AS we did not intend to make port
for three months, the idea was to trans
fer the woman to some other craft. We
spoke half a dozen in succession. but
not one of them would receive her.
From one, however, where the captain
had his wife aboard, an outfit was pro-
cured, and no sooner was IT handed
over to the castaway than great
change took place in her. She quoted
down, dressed herself from head to foot,
and spent whole day in brushing and
combing her hair.
One morning she electr1neO the stew
ard by saying she would eat breakfast
in the cabin, these being the first words
she had spoken since her capture. When
she emerged from her stateroom no
body could have recognized her. She
was now a fairly good-looking woman,
mild-eyed and shy. and her voice was
low and gentle. A sshe entered the cab
in she looked about her in a wondering
way and queried of the captain:
''Sir, will you please tell me how I
came aboard of this ship. and what
has become of my own wardrobe ?"
When it was explained to her that
she had been taken from Lighthouse
Island, where she had been living as
a castaway for months or years, her
establishment was beyond utterance.
She had woke uD that morning to find
herself in a strange berth. and re-
member nothing of the past. There
have been many other cases like it.
and they have been written of at
length, and so there is nothing SO very
singular in that part ofsrny story. She
dated life from tn he hour she woke up
and heard the steward knocking on
her door.
As near as we could figure, though
it was mostly guess work after all, the
woman must have been on the island
fully two years. She could not help