The Washington herald., 1908-01-19
CHASTITY RELICS ABOARD
VESSEL FROM THE ORIENT

New York Jan. 1S-Certain unusual
happenings on board the British steam
ship Muncaster Castle caused Third Off
Ger Griflths considerable anxiety. Hc
had not previously established a repGta-
ton as a supeTstitious man, but, accord
ing to the other officers, he can now
qualify as such.
The Muncaster Castle, in from a quick
voyage to and from the Orient docked
at the Bush Stores, where she will dis
charge a varied and valuable cargo She
came to New York via Boston. At Bos-
ton orders were received, probably re-
garded as providential by Mr Grifiths,
transferring the third officer to another
vessel Of the same line
The uncanny happenings came to pass
during the westerly passage. Outward
bound the Union Castle liner had taken
railroad outfit. locomotives and 200 cars
to Dalny While there various officers
Of the steamship purchased some rather
grewsome relies Of the late war. Mr.
Stevenson, the first officer got the skull
Of a japanese who had died Of a bullet
wound through the head. and Second
Officer Thraefel became the possessor Of
the skull Of Russian The other officers
bought bones, sabers, and other souve-
Mrs. except Mr. Grifflths. who seemed 10
shun the ghastly relics. one day the Off
GERS visited some old battlements-
haunted forts" they were called. and
Mr. Grimths went along much against
his Will
The vessel was 10 load again FOR the
States and after she had taken on board
a big cargo Of Chinese and Japanese
goods she called at Cebu, in the Philip
pines. for a consignment of hemp While
there she took on board six Theoretically
sealed collins, containing the remains Of
United States soldiers who had died in
the islands Mr.. Grifiths saw the collins
taken aboard ship. 1t seemed TO him
that the voyage would be something like
a long drawn out funeral At Cebu. too.
some strange animals were secured-a
splteful tiger cat, a blue kangaroo. and
a rock wallaby from Australia consigned
to New York.
The arrival OF these creatures did not
serve 10 llven up Mr. Griffiths' view of
things It seemed that everywhere he
looked he saw a skull or some other
gTewsome thing, and he always renem-
bered the six collins slowed in the after
deckhouse. It had been his privilege to
see them placed in the dark poop. which
seemed at once to resemble a vault. Until
after the vessels call at Colombo there
were no more unusual incidents and the
third officer may have become somewhat
Injured to his lot
When but a few hours out of the Cey-
lon port, however, some excitement was
caused on board through the fact that
the tiger cat broke out of It's cage IL
did not get out on deck, but two OF the
Chinese seamen were pretty we'll scratch
ed up before ii was captured There was
a good deal OF noise, too. the cat sauall-
ing IN terrific fashion, and the Chinese
yelling in weird accents. 1t all happened
at night while Mr.. Grif1ths was on
watch He was asleep. too. or pretty
near so. and he only heard the racket in
a drowsy way, Afterward the uproar
seemed to produce a ghostly nightmare
and the remainder Of his sleep was filled
with disquieting noises and strange Wis
ions
Then again. in the Red Sea, during
torrid night watch a terrifying thing oc-
Cured. Capt Watson was on the bridge.