The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-02-25
Miss Jonah.


ciationl
There's lots of things in the good
book" said Captain Tottle "that some
people thinks is nothin' but big yarns
nowadays. but some OF 'em are true
today as they was then. Take the
Jonah business. There are plenty of
Jonahs today. had one of 'em on the
North Star on a trip from Philadelphia
to the Mediterranean, only in this case
Jonah was woman. My supercargo
he came to me fust day out and said
TO me: 'Cap'n. thar's woman aboard
as is goin' to bring us bad luck. Her
fust names Johanna
you don't mean to tell me- says |.
that you're goin' to start supersti.
tion like that on this shipT
ats started already says he. One
of the men heard the woman that's
with her call her Johanna, and he told
every man in the fo'castle.'
eve hadn't been out q day before
the young woman had bewltched the
fust and second mate, and If | hadn't
held on to myself mighty tight she'd
"a got away with me. As for the men,
they had a deadly fear OF her. II was
beautiful, balmy day we sailed. but
by night our sails was flappin' I'm fog
as thick as puddin' Miss Meddercroft
that was Johanna's other name--she
come up on deck half an hour before
IA ty,lI oh fyf 40
jollin' g If there was somepin funny
in the situation. News had come Just
before we sailed that the Arctic had
been struck by a vessel In fog on her
way from Liverpool TO New York and
that nearly everybody aboard had
been lost. / see the watch scowlin' at
Johanna and ordered her below. She
only giggled. / couldn't force her be-
low. and she stayed as long as she
wanted.
"That fog never lifted for three
days; then It come on to blow great
guns out of the no'east. Jist when l
was most anxious the ships doctor
come to me. and he said under his
breath, 'Cap'n.' says he, I'm afraid we
got case of poisonin' aboard Great
gunsr says l. Whose poisonedT The
woman that's traveln' along with that
Miss Meddercroft.' Don't bother me
now while we're drivin' inter this
gale, says /. How do you know it's
poisonT 4 took the stuff out with a
stomach pump says he. It's arsenic
We'll, git away from me while I've got
all can do to sail the ship. Is she
goin' to dieT She's dead says he.
Git away from here I says. and he
went below.
died aboard and that she was with
Miss Meddercroft. or Miss Jonah, as
they had got to calm her. We tipped
the corpse over as soon as possible
without ceremony-on account of the
weather, / give out-and told one OF
the men that now 1t was overheard
we'd have better luck. so IS he'd spread
It. He did, but 1t didn't do any good.
Miss Jonah come up on deck lookin'
kind of wild out of her eyes and turn
in up her face and putin out her
hand. why, it's snowin',' she said,
and, sure enough, lookin' on the deck,
we saw few fine specks, In ten min.
utes there was the wo'st snowstorm
ever seen. You couldn't make man
In the fo'castle believe but Miss Jonah
had drawed that snowstorm down on
us. The temperature went away down.
and the wind was howlln' at gait Of
fifty to seventy knots an hour. Then
what do you suppose happened2 The
fo'mast give way. and we swung
around into the trough of the sea.
"I thought we'd roll over sure. but
we didn't. We got her before the wind
and cut away the mast. When the
wind went down some'at we put her
back in her course.
"Jlst as soon as we got the ship
rIghted the men come aft in body
and told me they was goin' to pitch
Miss Jonah over. said we was only
| two days from the Azores, where we
was goln' to touch, and I'd put her OF
there. They grumbled, but agreed to
wait.
"The night before we reached the
islands It was black as ink. | was on
deck. thinkin' about gettin' rid of our
Jonah, hopin' there'd be no more
poisonin', fogs, snowstorms or howlln'
gales, when felt shock. The ship
slowed up for moment then went
on. leaned over the gunwale and
saw a black mass slippin' by. l
knowed II was derelict. called up
all hands and went below to look for
a hole. ! found one, but not 30 big
but we could get sail over It, and In
this fashion we kept on into gayaL
"What was my surprise to find Miss
Jonah already packed and ready to go
ashore. l was mighty glad Of 1t, as
I'd expected a hard time putin her
or. The doctor took her ashore, and
she went, smilin' and wavin' her
handkerchief at us.
'The doctor never come back. We
waited and waited, and, hearin' moth
4 - - hts,. annnl.AaA IN laaua hfrsa