Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-03-13
A MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
San Nicolas Was Once Peopled
by a Race of lniians.
AN ENIGMA OF THE PACIFIC.
On ThiS Barren, Wave Swept Sand
Dune Are Mounds OF Shsiis and Bones
and Stone implements. Monuments Of
Lost Race OF Ancient People.


Dune Are Mounds CT Shsiis and Bones
and Stone Implements, Monuments Of
a Lost Race OF Ancient People.
About eighty miles northwest
OF San Pedro. ia California. lies a
desert island that has all tie combined
romance Of the ages in its history. IL
Is rarely visited and has but a single
inhabitant yet it has Il peculiar fas-
cination for many people The very Gle
ments seem To conspire TO make the
place forbidden. as it almost invariably
blows gale of wind In the vicinity.
and when one reaches the inhospitable
island there is no bay or harbor for 4
craft much larger than a rowboat.
The island is about seven miles long
by two or three in width and rises 10
height of 500 70 1000 feet in tho
center. Wind swept. forbidding. haunt
ed by the spirits Of storms. il does not
invite inspection and appears to have
been cursed by the elements yet de
spite this the island was at one time
the home OF a numerous people. rice.
that has been lost sight Of. The writer
maze several attempts to reach the
island in sixty ton yacht and was
literally blown or. finally making II
one day about noon. coming To anchor
near long. specter-like tongue 81
land that extend out into the O oan.
where The tide ran like mill race
anu heavy ground swell swept
around the point from the windward
side. The island OF san Nicolas an
pears like a sand dune. The landing
was wave swept beach that received
high swell from three points. and II
was evident that skill in landing
alone would make Il possible.
The boat lazy OF WAITING for n low
sea. and finally went sailing i'm uDoo
one OF less size. and the crew iunnoi
overheard and held on u the boat that
the undertow ana back rush attemptcd
TO claim. In this manner the entire
party landed. ami an Investigation az
the island was begun. The one inhab.
liant, a Basque. came down II tho
beach. lie had not heard the news of
the world for year ana did not dis
play any disposition TO learn it. but he
was not happy-too many dead peo-
pie. too many bones that make wind
spirits blow. he said ANA when he
heard that The party was after the re-
mains Of these dead people he showed
an inclination TO leave. In all probn-
bility there is not i'm any land more
remarkable mound 10 bc seen About
ten feet i'm height and nearly a mile
In length. il was at this time Il vcrita-
Die GolSotha. collection of bones ana
Implements of the lost people. ever
changing. ever shifting. today expos.
ing numbers of skeletons. tomorrow
covering them up i'm sheets Of sand
The mound was town site upon
which hundreds OF people had lived
for untold ages. They had brought I'm
their shells and fish bones. pilin- them
up at the doors of their nuts. slowly
building themselves up HIGHER ana
higher. until i'm time they came To liv.,
on the top OF Il vast shell mound. Here
they buried their dead. concealed their
household goods. ana when Il man or
woman died his or her possessions were
buried with them. and so the BIG
mounds were made mp OF shells. stone
Il
monument OF this lost race.
Where The original islanders came
from. who they were or why they
lived on such 4 wind swept nearly
waterleSS island is one of the mvs.
terieS, bat II is known that the mission
fathers visited san Nicolas years ago
and took OF the few survivors found
theSe and divided them up among the
various mainland tribes. When this
human loot was being carried into ex-
ecution. storm came up. and in the
hurry of departure il was found that
a woman had left her baby on the
beach
1t was impossible TO land. 50 the
captain sailed away, but not with the
mother she had plunged into the
waves and swan Il long distance To the
shore and with her child was deserted
the captain intending - return later
for her. San Nicolas. however. was
not visited For many years. The YES.
sci was wrecked. hut the legend lived.
and many years after Il priest decided
10 visit the island and learn If the
woman had survived. An expedition
was got IN in 1880. the party making
safe landing They formed line
across the island In order not To miss
any signs of human habitation and be.
gan slow search from the south
point north. They soon found cvi
dence OF ancient occupation and i'm
deep canyon discovered hut and
woman. the mother who had been de.
serted years before. She was living i'm
the hut, which was made Of whale ribs
and sea lion hair, her sole companions
being several wild dogs that Savagely
charged the strangers
The woman could not make herself
understood. and. singularly enough. no
one in all the Indian tribes in southern
California could he found who under
stood her. She told her discoveries by
signs that the wild dogs had killed her
child long ago and that she killed sea
lions and sea birds with stones and
lived on them.
Vt first she appeared to be afraid of
the men; bat, finding that they treated
her kindly. she consented To go with
them. She took al the rude articles
she had used during the years Of her
solitude. hNr skin dresses. made mostly
from the skins of the sea lions. and so
Interesting We're the costumes that
they were sent 10 Rome 10 the pope
by the priest who instigated The res
cue.
The Wopoo7 was tol-o,, =, co,,., D..