Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-01-18
Hmerican finds a
South Sea Bride
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Jed Edgingfeld, American sailor,
whose home is, or was, in Davenport,
Mass, has won a bride among the
Malays of Mitiero island, in the Her
very archipelago, and, in order TO wed
the girl of his choice, has become the
blood brother of half the people on
the island of Atiu-the nearest island
to the one on which his bride lives,
and where he now has his abode.
The courtship and wedding of the
New England sailor and the Malay
girl, as revealed by himself in letters
to relatives in Davenport, were one
of the strangest In the history of the
world, and kdgingfeld's triumph
proves that love will find way. Des-
perately in love with the beautiful
young native girl, determined to win
her and wed her, both by the Malay
rites and by the ceremony of the
Christian church, as performed by the
missionaries, the sailor overcome
seemingly impossible obstacles, yet in
the letter received a short time ago
he tells the story of his dramatic
courtship and picturesque wedding in
a few words.
When the yetter was written, Mr.
and Mrs. Edgingfeld were at the mis-.
sionary station on Raralonga island,
$50 miles from their home, on their
wedding trip, having gone there in a
small sailing vessel in order that they
might be married according to civil
lied method.
Jed Edgingfield left Davenport
eleven years ago as a cabin boy in the
schooner Hyperion, bound for Liver
pool with lumber He made three
voyages, then the bitter cold and the
fierce storms of the north Atlantic
drove him to seek warmer climates
and he shipped from Liverpool as sea-
man on a British steamer bound for
New Zealand. The soft winds and
the scent of palms among the south
sea island seduced him, and after
several changes Of vessels, he be-
came a trader In the Society islands,
owning his own little schooner and
engaging in pearl fishing. He pros
pered, at least enough to purchase
another little schooner, and three
years ago he transferred the scene of
his operations to Raralonga in the
Cook islands, where he established a
f..al t,,ar s.tn al
woods, feathers, and pearls from the
natives of the group of islands.
He was among the first of the trad
ers to establish himself ON really
friendly relations with the Malays,
who, among all those in the south
seas, have proved the most obstinate
in resisting the advances of white
men and missionaries.
In August of last year Edgingfield
valuables which his agent had pro-
cured from the natives. 1t was his
custom to visit each of the outlying
stations in the archipelago twice each
year, or at least to send his vessels
there, and to keep up his friendly re.
lations with the natives.
He does not tell in his letter clearly
how, and under what circumstances
he met Nilega, the daughter of Mog-
sagu, one of the head men of the Is.
land, He simply says that he met
her, and that they fell in love with
each other.
He sent to his relatives photo
graph-a little snapshot taken by
himself-of his bride. She is a glori
GUS creature, 1.-THE and slender as a
fawn, with a wealth of black hair,
and beautiful eyes. Her costume, as
shown in the photograph. is an exag.
geration of the extreme iecollete:
indeed, 1t Is decollette to the Waste.
and the beautiful lines of her perfect
form are scarcely hidden even by the
girdle of blossoms and the skirt OF
bright cloth, below which can be seen
a perfect ankle and beautiful foot.
Possibly the rough, hardy, hard
AS'NNs SNiphS SNtdTllE AilleTltdu
sailor, unused since boyhood to seeing
Any women, met the slip of girl--a
perfect standing in the sha.
dow OF a great group of bread fruit
trees, twining chaplet of flowers for
her black hair. Possibly he met her
ON the white. glaring beach, against
which the soft wash of the everlast.
ing summer sea rolled up in little
white caps TO break unsteady against
her golden brown feet.
At any rate Cupid was just as active
out there in the end of the earth.
where the least ami west are one"
as in the heart of civilization. for Jed
Edgingfeld, able seaman and trader.
and Nilega. daughter of the chief, saw
each other. and they loved.
Edgingfeld had the American idea.
He told the girl he loved her. lie
held her close in his arms and kissed
her lips, her cheeks. her hair-and
then no wont and hunted nm 4ba Ala