Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-07-09
The Story Of
Captain Graham
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1915. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate

bulp Il dTtMtIl anu WERE I'VE udyS out
from the island when the adventure oc
Cured by which we lost the captain
and laid the foundation for this story.
He was swept overheard in the course
Of heavy storm.
Almost before he realized his posi-
ton the ship was a mile away. and he
felt sure that no boat would be lowered
to make search for him. Having
found spar and dashed himself to 1t,
he drifted away to the west and even.
ing came on. Night passed and anoth-
er day came. and toward the close of
that day Captain Graham lost con;
seriousness. He may have drifted
day after that-perhaps two days.
When he came to his senses again he
was lying on sandy beach with his
feet in the water. He had been cast
ashore ON an island.
Along the beach were oysters and
shellfish a-plenty. What struck him
curiously was the entire absence of
life on the island He had been on
the island a week or 80 and had twice
walked clear around 1t, when one day,
as be was gathering fruit in an open
spot, he was suddenly and fiercely at
tackled by naked man. The surprise
was great and the captain had not yet
recovered his strength; but. shaking
the man off. he seized club and laid
about him so vigorously that his as
sailant ran away.
In breaking away from the captain
he ran for the beach The latter fol-
lowed at his heels, shouting for him to
stop. but the unknown ran to the wa
ter. plunged in and swan straight out
to sea, looking back now and then and
seeming to be in a terrible fright. He
held to his course until he could no
longer be seen. and there was no doubt
lie went to his death. as he did not re-
turn. In a dense thicket the captain
found a. rude shelter which the main
had used, and among the dried grass
forming his bed were few fragments
Of CLOTH. which had once been a pea
packet There were also a sailors pipe
and an empty tobacco box. ift
The center of the island was con,
siderably higher than elsewhere. and
exactly In the middle was a single tree,
surrounded by a thicket, which the
captain had never yet penetrated In
carrying out his explorations lie en-
tered this copse. finding a hard beaten
path. evidently made by the crazy man
Piled up. at the roots of the tree the
captain found great stock of small
iron bound boxes. and it needed but
one glance to satisfy him that they
were treasure boxes There was the
cavity where they had once been bur-
led. and the boxes were weather beat
en-. as If long exposed Two or three
large shells lay about. which had
doubtless been used to dig ont the
dirt. and Que Of the boxes had been
opened. .... ....-
The captain shouldered this box and
carried it down to the spot he called
home" and there inspected its con-
tents. 1t contained about $4,000 in
gold. In the pile at the foot of the tree
were fifteen other boxes of the same
size.
Well, there was a big fortune there.
and 1t belonged to the finder. but 1t
might have been so much sand for
all the good 1t could do him. Days and
weeks and months passed away. and
one day the casta way counted up the
pebbles he had laid in rows along the
beach to mark the time and found be
had been eleven months on the island
On that day there came furious gale
from the east and very high tide,
and from some wreck at sea the waves
brought in u vast quantity Of stuff
There was nothing to eat or wear
among the wreckage, but there were
planks and spars and carpenters tool
chest. and as soon as the storm had
abated the castaway went to work to
build him raft He had determined
to leave the island at any hazard, and
after four or five days work he had
his raft completed. 1t was rude but
blOut du ali. " III NClC tuhCH
for provisions. and fresh water was
carried in wine keg which had come
ashore with the wreckage. From one
of the boxes the captain took $500 In
wind was from the west he launched
his raft and drifted off before It, BY
his reckoning. which wis probably COZ.
rect, 1t was seven days before he was
picked up by the John } Speed. an
American merchant vessel homeward
bound
Captain Graham at once set about
finding a ship 10 bring the treasure off
A brig was finally chartered and sa led
with him aboard. but after cruise of
months she failed 10 find the island
In the space of two years he made
ihree different voyages in search OF
the island and when the story leaked
out three or four other expeditions
were fitted out. but in all the sailing
to and fro no human eye could find the
looked for spot. If II had been raised
from the sea by volcanic disturbance.
had second disturbance caused the
sea to swallow il up? There are many
reasons to believe that this was the
fate which overlook It, About ten
years after the captains last voyage
q volcanic island. which was simply a
barren rock about mile in circumfer-
ence. was pushed above water where
his island was supposed to be, and II
is there today with fringe of trees
all around the outer edge 1t has been
searched inch by inch for treasure, but
not single gold piece has Il yield
ed up