Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1914-11-05
The Santa Maria
Derelict
BY M QUAD
Copyright. 1914. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

~ few TO equal what took place aboarc
.o,,a Of the Spanish merchantmen. tn'
santa Maria. in the year 1862 u wac
uublished In the papers at the time
but only a pertial account ana as W.
had war and excitement at nome ths
smcideut was soon forgotten.
S1ns Of the Oldest business houses 70
MEXICO up TO the date above nameo
~. that OF the Spanish house OF Ca
H.ra a Co, founded seventy-nve years
uteyiously. The business OF the mouse
as banking. mining. merchandising
AID cattle raising. II had dozen
I,Tnnches in Mexico. and It had deal
1rer with half dozen countries. IN
= financial sense II was stronger tnan
q government. and its yearly prons
Footed up an enormous sum. son
Of the founder had succeeded TO tine
,,,anaeement. and when old age came
~ ,urued over the active work 10
.,onsin named Alvarez The new man
aser was a young man OF twenty-five
ASrn in Spain of q 6ne family ana mao
s,oen educated for the priesthood. he
-. n man without vice. Such was
an probity that he was called HOY
Alvarez even In his youth. Al an
enormous salary and with autocratic
nowers young Alvarez took over the
ma naeement Of affairs in Mexico. ana
almost an soon as he stepped foot on
Naorth American soil change TOOK
mace in his character. he began 10
dunk. gamble and play fast ana loose
: ~ course there was gossip about the
..w manager. and there were those
mo predicted that his extravagances
would ultimately bring ruin to the oiu
hnuse. but there were no oficlal com.
nlainta. He knew little or nothing OF
business. but he did know now 70
uoend money royalty, and In a year
be had people guessing now mucn
hanger It would take him to bankrupt
Tg.e house. II was after the balance
sheets had proved to him that be was
spending more than the profits OF the
a'onse and was a debtor to an enoE'
snous amount that he Get about prepar'
ing a grand coup. The Spanish mer
chantman was loaded with consign'
waent OF gold, silver. copper. furs and
dyestufHs for Spain and the cargo IN
unred to the last cent Alvarez TOOK
anto hls confidence young man named
.Prado. and when the Santa Maria SAT-
- hia confederate went with her 40
eupercarg0. !.
a The ship was manned by a crew OF
4nurteen men. all Spaniards. Thirty
<ays after her sailing to the southwark
ga American bark Homeward left the
pDrt Of Valparaiso homeward bound
.sVge had been out three days when we
|. I'm into dead calm. with the weather
~ terribly hot that the deck planks
msnoked In the sun. As we lay heavlng
- the ground swell q small boat drift
n into view. II seemed to be empty
ma II had been In sight for two hours
nd was not over half a mile away
when the captain decided 70 pick It up
y boat was sent Oh. and when she re-
anrned with the stranger we had a sac
mpectacle under our eyes. There was q
AGsAd man lying at full length under the
'Hhwarts.
II EAbout two days later we came up
with derelict from which the man In
,<she boat had no doubt escaped ON
6oari horrible sight met us--the bod
man or fourteen dead men.
The derelict was great hnd to rs.
Her manifest showed cargo valued at
aver 100000, and the ship was all
right above deck.
g As the man got away alone ana nau
provisioned the boat It must have been
after the others were dead. He 1t was.
<hen. who had brought about the
Wholesale death Of the crew. and he
Srnust have had a strong motive. That
nDUtiye was discovered when some Of
me boxes OF treasure were hoisted out
81 the lazaret and broken open. Aside
from one or two boxes. the whole
arpasure business was fake. Lead
had been substituted for silver and
@Old. The flirs were q cheat ana 9
fraud, and the value Of the dyestuff'
vas not one quarter Of the sum they
swere insured for A second and closel
search Of the staterOOm evidently DC
coupled by the supercargo gave " thu
hey to unlock the whole mystery H'
aad left behind q letter of instruction
elgned by Alvarez at the City OF Mexi
-. and In that We learned that tn
1name OF the dead man was Prado.
with the auger hole plugged and 1
yRart Of our crew on hoard the SAINT
Maria. We laid our course for the por
af vaIdivia. and In due time boil
graft arrived there In good shape. Th
Aead had heen given burial. Of course
But there was no lack Of other proofs
= ..4...v, - &hA Mint UgO0 nnrn vnlni