The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-05-04
THE LIGHTHOUSE
KEEPERS PROXY


stortxinai3 Z
When 1 wal 9 young man I secnretf
a sob at a lighthouse. My d~utfesksver.s
nominal. and at first l was inucha
pleased at having so little to do. but
before long became tired Of the monot-
1ony and wished myself anywhere else.
asked the keeper what he hired me
for. and he said it was for company.
He couldn't stay there alone.~so he was
willing to give % per cent of his salary
for u companion. / told him that I
would attend to the duties and give
him SO per cent OF the salary, and he
might stay away altogether. To this.
after some consideration, he assented.
When he left he told me he would come
back occasionally, especially inlmedi-
ately after pay days. If lighthouse Of
ncials came along / was to try to find
out ID they had ever seen the keeper.
Branegan. If they had I was to say
he had been taken i'll and had gone to
a hospital. IL they did not know him.
l was TO claim TO be the keeper him
self. With this he departed
| found it IL bigger contract than l
lad anticipated. The loneliness was
& a.ls... awful. | stooJ it 4 Month and
vas about 10 resign when Il boat load
"a lighthouse officials and others came
10 the steps. inc when they came MP |
liOticcd several women anlong them.
'jne of t.eGl was II young girl. Cora
Karl. the daughter of the captain of
the life saving station a mile down the
beach. She vas very pretty. and we
took Il fancy to Zach other from the
start. | showed them over the prem
ises. and as the keeper wasn't known
10 any Of them | assumed to be he.
After they had gone it was ten times
as lonesome as before.
The next day | locked up and went
to the life saving station to see Cora.
l found her mighty we'll pleased to see
me and didn't get away from her till
it was nearly time to light the lights.
| arranged for her to meet me the llext
day half way between the light and
the station. She did so. and it avasn't
long before we We're betrOthed. 1t co.
Cured IL me to tell her that was
oA IN NtNfNts OtN 4 w II w I.
| had nothing TO marry on except my
salary. and | was fearful she would
make a break and I would be relieved
OF that. | was surprised that her IA
Their hadn't seer B%ranegan. but learned
thar the keeper was supposed to be a
solitary man who wouldn't have any
friends. Those | met We're astonished
to discover that he was so sociable.
Branesan caIne along once u month
and sometimes oftener. He had infu-
nce to get information when any Oil
cial would call! at the lighthouse and
would usually be on hand. | posted
hin. how ! WAS playing him with the
life saNin" people. and he was careful
net to Give me away. | married Cora
six weeks after | met Ter. Her father
thought il too soon. but | old him !
was so lonesome that I couldn't stand
X any longer. So we got spliced. and
t'ora came to live with me at the light.
One night In Il fog a vessel came
tight in TO within half a mile of the
light. | WAS in the yawl at the time.
and. as the fog stood q few feet above
the water. could see her, though she
couldn't see me or the lighthouse. |
pulled ont TO her, shouting as ] pulled.
ana succeeded in heuding her of,
When directly under her bows her cap
thin hailed me. and I told him he was
within a few hundred yards Of the
rocks. He gave an order to back off.
liGt before leaving ask G me my name.
etc. | told him | was Brancgan. the
lighthouse keeper.
4 few days later two men came to
the lighthouse and asked for Rranegan.
[ told them was Rranegan. and they
clapped a pair OF handcuifs on me. l
with murder. bat when my accusers
rame to se,. me they declared | was
not RranaCan. | WAX obliged to con
fess low | came by my position. and |
Was returned under guard to the light
house. A man WAS left with me to see
that l did NOT communicate with Bran
egan.
OF our this was Il great shock to
my wife. She remembered that she
thing about me. and was Obliged to
CONFESS mat appearances were much
against ne. but before | was taken |
away l toll her the true story. and she
believed me.
Since II? marriage | was used to
Rranegan half Il mile up the
on ray day. and next pay day I
to 20 TO him as usual. l
save Lin il I would. OF
l was followed and Branegan
was arrested.
The lighthouse governors heard Of
MY arrest rs Eranegan. but the mat
ter was explained. and when | went
back after my release il was with au- |
to act temporarily as keeper.
The truth is they had no one else just
then TO put in my place and knew that
had been acting az keeper for months. f,
was done until after the ar |
rest OF Branegan himself. when l re-
.aiyptJ a call from n mop,hor NJ fbA ,