The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-04-02
The Story Of
Captain Graham
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1915. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.
BY M. QUAD

! y
he He was swept overheard in the cours
re Of heavy storm.
Y Almost before he realized his posi-
. ton the ship was mile away. and b,
v felt sure that no boat would be lowered
L to make a search for him. Having
II found spar and dashed himself to it
" he drifted away to the west and even
Il ing came on. Night passed and anoth
y er day came, and toward the close OF
: that day Captain Graham lost con
seriousness. He may have drifted a
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 week or so and had twice
walked clear around it. when one day,
as he was gathering fruit in an open
spot, he was suddenly and 6ercely at
tackled by a naked man. The surprise
was great. and the captain had not yet
recovered his strength: but. shaking
the man OF. 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
I or httt thn 70 ha
ter, plunged in and swan straight out
TO sea, looking bnck 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
| he went to his death as he did not re-
turn. In a dense thicket the captain
found rude shelter which the man
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.
The center OF the island was con-
siderably higher than elsewhere. and |
exactly in the middle was a single tree.
surrounded by thicket which the |
captain had never yet penetrated. In |
carrying out his explorations he en-
tered this copse. finding hard beaten t
path. evidently made by the crazy man.
Piled up at the roots Of the tree the
captain found a great stock OF small
iron bound boxes. and II 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 II long exposed. Two or three
large shells lay about which had
doubtless been used TO dig ont the
dirt and one OF the boxes had been
opened.
The captain shouldered this box and
carried IL down TO the spot he called
home" and there inspected its con
tents IL contained about $4,000 In
gold. In the pile at the foot OF the tree A..
were fifteen other boxes OF the same !
size.
Well. there was a big fortune there. /
and II belonged 20 the finder. but II I
might have been so much sand for a
all the good II could do him. Days and :
weeks and months passed away. aud =
one day the castaway counted up the o
pebbles be had laid In rows along the j
beach TO mark the time and found he G
had been eleven months on the island. -
On that day there came furious gale s
from the east and a very high tide :,
md from some wreck AT sea the waves
brought in a vast quantity of stuff.
There was nothing TO eat or wear
among the wreckage. but there Were 6
blanks and spars and a carpenters tool
hest. and rs soon as the storm had
Ibated the castaway went TO work TO
,uild him a raft. lie had determined :.
o leave the island at any hazard. and "
fter four or Eve days work be had
is raft completed. IL was a rude but y
tout affair Wild fruits were taken =
or provisions. and fresh water was -
arried ia a wine key which had come
shore with the wreckaee. From one
Z the boxes the captain took $500 in
old pieces. and one morning when the
lind was from the west he launched
Is raft and drifted OF before H. By
Is reckoning. which was probably cor.
ct. Il was seven days before he was
icked up by the John J. Speed. an
merican merchant vessel homeward
ound
Captain Graham NJ once set about
1ding q ship 10 bring the treasure OF.
brig was finally chartered and sailed
ith him aboard. bot after = cruise Of
onths she failed 20 fnd the island
In the space Of two years be made =
rec different voyages In search %
p island. and when the story leaked ~
u three or -four other expeditions -
ere fitted out. bot IN al the sailing pis
and fro no human ere could Ind fhe =
Sked for spot ~ Il hed been raised anl
ym the SEES By 4 voicnnic disturbances. -
q q second disturbance caused THE str
4 30 swallow IL up' There ere many -
ssons 20 hellere that this was the rfs
ts which OVERLOOK a. About ten
ars after the capthin's last voyage i
volcanic island. With was simply a
rren rock shout = mile IN circumfer- n
ce. uas pushed Shove wnter where n
J ISLAND was SUPPOSED 20 -. and Y
there tedsy with = fringe ~ trsaes
around the oufer edre Il has bs.en
Irched incb ~ inch fer treasure. bit
single ruld Tiece has q Fieid-
M r.