The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1907-10-25
A LO We
TR AGEDY 7.
Ioriginall

win receive them and trade with them,
but will not mingle with them At
sunset each day every white person
must leave their territory till the fol-
lowing morning. This is a law of the
/ tribe, and no white man has ever been
known to succeed in breaking it.
Cocoanuts are the product of the
country, and the crop is usually very
valuable, though vegetable ivory is al
so a source of income. The cocoanut
groves are large, and every tree after
the fourth year bears abundantiy The
nuts are allowed after ripening 10 fall
on the ground, every twenty cocoanuts
being worth a dollar All day and all
night the owner of one Of those estates
may sit and listen TO the thud of his
wealth dropping about him.
Many ships touch there to bring
away the crops, and since the San
Bias girls are attractive there is great
temptation for the Jack tars to take
risks in attempting 10 court them. The
fascination In such cases is proper
Tomato to the danger, and the danger
is very great. Indeed, the penalty II
caught is death.
One morning the barkentine Sarah
Clark touched at San Bias to trade for
cocoanuts and vegetable ivory. Some
time was consumed in getting the
stock collected and transferring it to
the ship. Meanwhile the crew Of the
vessel were coming and going TO and
from the shore. Near the beach lived
q young girl with her parents, who
came down to where the boats were
loading. Young Jack Cutler, a mate Of
the vessel, saw her and was enamoFed
Of her wild beauty. The girl saw that
she was noticed and went away, well
knowing the penalty Of INDUCING a
love for a white man and feeling that
she could not trust herself under the
influence of the handsome sailor. Jack
followed her, and there was a short
but vivid wooing. Both were caught in
the tolls Of love.
How long the ship remained there,
how often the sailor saw the girl, how
they managed TO communicate, not
speaking the same language, can only
be coDjectured. Cutler as mate Of the
vessel was much OF the time on duty
and could only spend brief intervals
with his love But he was in charge of
the shore end OF the shipping Of the
cargo, and this rendered it possible
that he should snatch these intervals
for lovemaking. Be this as 1t may,
during the brief stay of the ship there
grew up a devotion between the dark
Indian girl and the fair Anglo-Saxon
stronger than the love of life. Then
came the thought of parting 1t was
not to be endured. Yet If the sailor
tried to take the girl away with him
and failed she must pay the penalty
with her life. Only extreme youth
will take such chances.
On the night before the ship was to
sail the mate was missing He was
lying concealed in thicket near the |
shore and the girls home. She came to
him, they left the thicket and went
down to the beach. There they found |
a canoe and started 10 paddle for the /.
ship.
That region is famous for its storms, |
its cyclones and its hurricanes, which |
often come without any warming The .
pair were padding, life and love be-
fore them, certain death behind them. /
The girl was an expert with the pad a..
die, and the man was strong. 4 black .
cloud came up over the ocean, in its !
breast a storm wind. 1t struck the /
frail boat and nearly capsIzed it. II .
would have been better had the wind .
come from of the shore In that case
the two might possibly have been able
to reach the vessel. As it was, if they
succeeded in keeping their canoe afoat
they would be blown back to the land
to suffer the inevitable penalty Of their
crime against the tribes laws. All
the long night they were now tossed
on the crest Of a wave, now lowered
in the trough Of the sea. When morn
ing came they had drifted ashore ex-
hausted. They were seized and the
girl condemned to immediate death.
They had been seen from the vessel,
and the captain, knowing what was in
store for them, sent a boats crew
ashore with a rescue party. 1t arriv-
ed before the sentence had been car
RED out, and 2 demand was made for
the captives. The mate was released,
but no threats or persuasion could in
luce the Indians to spare the girl.
Cutler, calling upon the sailors to
follow him, made rush for his sweet
leart. They backed him manfully and
lad almost succeeded when the girls
'ather struck the mate down with a
pear. The girl. crazed with grief at
SEEING her lover laid low. broke away 3
rom her CaptoFs. seized the spear. and 2
lrOve It into her breast :
There was now but one thing for {
he rescue party 70 do-t0 get their !
mate TO the boat Several a.,
+ them seized him and dragged him :
ver the sand, while the others by dint
+ hard strokes managed to keep off
be Indians. In this way. fighting as
hey went, they got him into the boat.
prang in themselves and pulled away ,.
or the ship. e
Here ends the story. One cannot =
ut wonder what were the feelings Of
be young man who had led this IN
1tored girl through a few DAYS Of
I'VE to death by her own hand. Would