The Point Pleasant register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, W. Va.) 1909-1939, 1909-04-28
ooooooopoeooooooe eoooeoeo,
Miss Jonah.
ooooeoooooooooooooooooooos


book. said Captain Torle, "that some
people thinks Is uothin' but big yarns
nowadays. but some Of 'em are true
today as they was rhcn. Take the
Jonah business. There are plenty of
Jonahs to-day. lad one of 'em on the
North Star on trip from Philadelphia
to the Mediterranean. only in this case
Jonah was a woman. Ny supcrcarso
he came TO me fus, day GU; and said
TO me: 'cap'n. thar's woman a5oar9
as IS soin' to bring US bad luck. her
fust names Johanna
"You don't mean TO tell me- says /.
that you're roIn' TO start supersti.
ton Ike that on this shlpr
"It's starred already says be. One
of the men heard the womrn THAT'S
with her call her Johanna. and he tod
every man IN the focastle.'
I've hadn't been oct day before
the young woman had bewitched the
frst and secord mate. and II hadn't
held on TO myself mighty tight she'd
a got away with me. AS for the men.
they had deadly fear of her. 1t was
beautiful. balmy day we sailed. bu,
by night our sails was fiappin' in fog
as thick rs puddln'. Miss Mcddercroft
that was Johanna's other namc-she
cone up on deck half an hour before
the midwatch come on. laushin' and
5oSin' 8 II there was so:nepin funny
Il the situation. News had come Jus,
before We sailed that the Arctic had
been struck by vessel in n fog on her
way from Liverpool to New York and
that nearly everybody aboard had
been lost. see the watch scowlin' Mt
Johanna and ordered her below. She
only giggled. couldn't force her he
low. and she stayed as long as she
wanted.
That fog never lifted for three
days: then II come on to blow great
guns out OF the no'east. list when
was most anxious the ships doctor
come TO me. and be said under his
breath. 'car'n.' says he. I'm afraid we
got case OF poisonin' aboard Great
Gunsr says l. Whose pcisoncdT The
woman th&:s travclia' along 80 80. : :s!:s,
Hiss Meddcrcroft.' Don't tatler re
now while we're drIvin' later this
gale says L How do You know It's
ro!sonT I took the stuff out with
stomach pump says he. It's arsenic.
Well. cit away from re White I've got
all can do TO sail the ship Is she
gcia' 10 cie:' She's dead says he
Git away from here says. and he
went below.
Tie men found out a woman hid
dlcd aboard and that she was with
Miss MCddercroft. or Miss jonah. rs
they had got TO calm her. Wc tipped
( the corpse over as soon as possible
without ceremony-on account OF the
weather. give out-aud told one OF
the men that now It was overheard
we'd have better luck. SO s he'd spread
It. lie did. but IT didn't do any good.
Miss Jonah come up on deck lools!n'
kind Of wild out OF her eyes and turn
In up her face and putin out her
hand. Why. IT'S snowin'.' she said.
ard. sure enough. looliin' on the deck.
We saw n few Gne sPecks. In ten min
utes there Was the wo'St snowstorn
ever seen. You Couldn't make man
In the fo'castle believe but Miss Jonah
had drawed that snowStorm down on
us. Tho terpcraturGSwcnt away down.
and the wind was howlIn' at gait OF
fifty to seventy knots an hour. Then
what do you suppose happened? The
fo'mRst give way. ard we swung
around into the trough Of the sea.
81 thought we'd roll over sure. Int
we didn't. We got her before the wind
and cut away the mast. When the
wind went down sone'at we put her
back IN her course.
list Us soon rs We got the ship
riGhtCd the Een come Mt IN body
and told the they was goin' 10 pitch
Miss Ionaa over. said we was only
two days from the Azores. where W"
was Goin' to touch. and I'd put her or
there. They Srunbled. but agreed to
wait
THE night before we reached the
Islands It was black as Ink. was on
deck. th!nkIn' abou; ccttln' rid OF our
Jonah. hop!n' therc'd be no more
poISon!n'. fors. Snowstorms or howl!n'
gales. vixen felt n shock. The ship
slowed L? Tor moment. then went
on. leaned over the gunwale and
saw black mass s!Ipp!n' by.
knowcd # was dere!ict. called Up
al hands and went below to look for
hole. found one. but not go big
but we eog!G get sail over It. and In
this fashion we kept on into FayaL
What was my surprise to find Miss
Jonah already packed and ready to go
ashore was mighty glad OF IT. as
I'd expected hard time putin her
OF The doctor took her ashore, and
she went. snIl!n' md wavin' her
handkerchief at US.
The doctor never come back. We
waited and waited. and. hcariu' moth