The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-03-27
THE LIGHTHOUSE
KEEPERS PROXY
fOrfginaI1

nominal, and at first / was much
pleased at having so little to do, but
before long became tired of the monot-
ony and wished myself anywhere else
1 asked the keeper what he hired me
for, and he said it vas for company
He couldn't stay there alone, so he was
willing to give % per cent of his salary
for a companion. 1 told him that l
would attend to the duties and Civ
him 80 per rent 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 immedi-
ately after pay days If lighthouse Of
fcials came along / was to try to find
out if they had ever seen the keeper,
B~ranegan. If they had 1 was to say
he had been taken ill and had gone to
a hospital. If they did not know him,
| was to claim to be the keeper him
self. With his he departed.
l found it a bigger contract than 1
had anticipated. The loneliness was
simply awful. L stood it a mont and
was about to resign when a boat load
of lighthouse officials and others came
TO the steps, and when they came up 1
UOl4NCu z OLlS oAIoLS lhNL4-
One of them was a young girl, Cora
Earl, the daughter of the captain of
the life saving station a mile dow the
beach. She was very pretty, and we
took a fancy to each other from the
start. l showed them over the prem
ises, and as the keeper wasn't known
to any of them | assumed to be he.
After they had gone it was ten times
as lonesome as before.
The next day l locked up and went
to the life saving station to see Cora.
1 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.
l arranged for her to meet me the next
day half way between the light and
long before we were betrothed. 1t &C.
CURED to me to tell her that L was
not the keeper, but 1 didn't dare do it.
1 mac nothing to marry on except my
salary, and l was fearful she would
make a break and l would be relieved
of that. l was surprised that her IA
Their hadn't seen Branegan, but learned
that the keeper was supposed to be a
solitary mar who wouldn't nav any
friends. Those | met were astonished
to discover that he was so sociable.
Branegan- came along once a month
and sometimes oftener. He had infu-
ence to get: information when any Off
cial would call at the lighthouse and
would usually be on hand. / posted
him how l was playing him with the
life saving people, and he was careful
not to give me away. | married Cora
six weeks after l met her. Her father
thought it too soon, but l told him l
WAS so lonesome that / couldn't stand
it any longer. So we got spliced. and
Cora came to live with me at the light.
One night in a fog a vessel came
right in to within half a mile of the
light. I was in the yawl at the time.
and, as the fog stood n few feet above
the water, I could see her. though she
couldn't see me or the lighthouse. /
pulled out to her, shouting as I pulled,
and succeeded in heading her off.
When directly under her bows her cap
tain hailed me, and l told him he was
within n few hundred yards of the
rocks. He gave an order to bac off,
but before leaving asked me my name,
etc. | told him | was B~ranegan, the
lighthouse keeper.
4 few days later two men came to
the lighthouse and asked for Branegan.
1 told them l was Branegan. and they
clapped Il pair of handouts on me. 1
was taken into the city and charged
with murder, but when my accusers
came to see me they declared l was
not Branegan. 1 was obliged to con-
fess how | came by my position, and l
was returned under guard to the light
house. \ man was left with me to see
that | did not communicate with Bran
egan.
OF course this was a great shock to
my wife. She remembered that she
had married me without knowing any
thing about me, and | was obliged to
confess that appearances were much
against me. but before 1 was taken
away L told her the true story, and she
believed me.
Since my marriage l was used to
meeting B~ranegan half a mile up the
beach on pay day. and next pay day 1
concluded to go to him as usual. l
couldn't ave him if 1 would. OF
course L was followed and Branegan
was arrested.
The lighthouse governors heard OF
my arrest as Branegan, but the mat
ter was explained. and when 1 went
after my release it was with au-
thority to act temporarily as keeper.
The truth is they had no one else just
then to put in my place and knew that
I had been acting as keeper for months.
Nothing was lone until after the ar
rest of Branegan himself. when l re-
a call from a member Of the
lighthouse board. He informed me
that the captain of the ship l had saved
going on the rocks had reported
fact to the board and had sen a
check for $1,000 for me. This he gave
with my appointment as keeper,
with an advance of $500 a ear salary
From the moment of my arrest my
parents had lost confidence in me
and begged her to come back to them.
but she stuck to her post, though my
conduct looked very suspicious. When
[ received the check and my appoint