The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-02-20
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HOAS 1T
SECOND SIGHT? !

Iecteu DN lnUueuceS we uOu see.
Some people calls em spirits; others
calls 'em TRANSMISSION, or something like
that, OF thought. don't know what
they are. But one thing do know,
and that is something n good many
people that know n lot more than l do
poohpooh. | know these things that
influences us are there. Can't nobody
fool me on that point, and why know
1t is this.
The biggest thing ever was let into
was the hurricane that swept Calves
ton In 1898. | happened TO be In Chi
cagO during the great fire Of 1871 as
was there running a tug on the river
and lake, but It was nothing but stage
spectacle show compared with the Gal.
weston food. I'm not going to tell
about that, only an incident that oc-
CURED In connection with Il which has
made me dead sure ever since that
something or other we don't see often
steps In and gives us pointer.
We were some time getting our
bearings after the storm was over, and
II was a week before we began to rec
onnoiter the gulf to find out what
wreckage from the harbor might be
floating around there. / was part own
er OF a trim little steamer that wasn't
wrecked, and | decided to go out to
see what l could find. There was
good chance for salvage, though II one
On M
left to pay us for doing II. Anyway.
wanted to see what was out there.
The water was full Of driftwood and
wreckage, but there was nothing Of
any value, for most everything had
been split into kindling wood Most of
the stuff we saw was wreckage from
cabins that had lined the shore. Pret-
ty soon one of the men sighted q gov
ernment buoy over to the southwest.
1t was out In deep water and had evi-
dently broken loose from lts moor.
ings The man who discovered II, and
the others, for that matter, thought we
might turn an honest penny by going
for 1t and towing It In.
Now, they were right about It. We
might go farther and fare worse.
There wasn't any sense In letting go
Of haul that was sure pay to hunt
for something that probably wouldn't
pay at all. The government was the
only owner that could be counted on.
Nevertheless l refused to go for the
buoy. Keep her straight ahead" |
said, and why | said It don't know
AS | have remarked, the thing to have
done was the other thing.
1t wasn't long before we saw among
the wreckage dead ahead something
that looked like n raft. | brought
glass to bear on II, and after examin-
ing It awhile concluded It was the
wrecked. But what startled me was
boy on It. He was sitting with his
head hanging down on his breast
clutching the planks with his hands.
ran up to within sixty yards OF the
raft. The boy didn't change his posi-.
ton, and | didn't know whether he
was dead or asleep till l rang the bell
to stop her. Then he Strengthened up
and stared at us with his hollow, hun
CRY eyes. He had on no clothing but a
shirt, indicating that he was in bed
when the storm swept down on him,
and was either alone or the others with
him had been lost He sat there without
change OF position, staring at us while
we lowered a boat and pulled for him.
When we reached him he had strength
enough to climb into the boat, but be-
fore we could get him into the ship he
tainted.
Not having a morsel of food aboard,
/ headed for land. On the way we
hailed a fruiter and got some brandy
and can OF condensed milk. A few
spoonfuls Of the milk had very
strengthening effect on the boy. This
sufficed till we reached quarantine,
where l turned him over to the doc
tor. In week he was all right again. |
Then, his people having been dlscOv-
cred and notified, an uncle came for
him and took him away.
He was the son of an oysterman
who lived on Grand isle and when the
storm came was alone I'm his fathers
cabin. II tore the hut to pieces, but
left the boy on the flOor unhurt. Then
came the waters and fioated him on
his raft. But how or when he drifted !
away is a mystery He could not
have been In the turbulent waves dur
ing the storm or he never could have
kept his place. But think Of the little |
fellow drifting for seven days without |
food or water at the mercy of the sea- |
There are more things to be explain
ed I'm this case than any have ever
met with. How did the boy come to
be left on the floor of a cabin wrecked |
over his head by hurricane? How |
did he escape the hightful waves that |
hurricane stirred up? How did he
survive so long without food or water,
shelter or, surviving, have the
strength to hold on while danced
about on the gulf? You may search
accounts OF either land or sea disaster,
and I'm neither will you find 50 remark
able an escape as this which purtains
to both land and water The explana.
tion is that truth Is stranger than fic.
ton The incident was an actual oc-
currence.
No one can make me believe that