The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-03-19
FoREwoRD.

In submitting Captain Carriers
strange manuscript to You in book
form, I believe that few words rela-
tive to this remarkable personality
will be of interests
Ny first recollection Of Captain Car
ter is Of the few months he spent at
my fathers home In Virginia. just
prior to the opening of the Civil war.
I was then a child of but five years,
ret / well remember the tall. dark,
smooth-faced, athletic man whom ]
called Uncle Jack.
He seemed always to be laughing;
and he entered into the sports OF the
children with the same hearty good
fellowship he displayed toward those
pastimes In which the men and wom-
en- Of his own age INDUCED; or he
would sit for an hour at a time enter
tanning nv old grandmother with
stories of his strange, wild life IN all
parts Of the world. We all loved him,
and our slaves fairly worshiped the
ground he trOd.
He was a splendid specimen OF man.
hood, standing good two inches over
six feet. broad Of shoulder and mar
row of hip with the carriage OF the
trained fighting man. His features
were regular and clear cut, his hair
black and closely cropped. while his
eyes were of steel gray. rejecting a
strong and loyal character, filled with
dre and initiative.
When the war broke out he left US,
nor did I see. him again for some nj
teen or sixteen years. When he re-
turned 1 have seen him sit for hours
gazing of into space, his face set IN
look Of wistful longing and hopeless
misery; and mt night he would sit thus
looking up into the heavens, at what
I did not know until read his manu-
script years afterward.
He remained with rs for about
year and then went to New York,
where he purchased q little place on
the Hudson, where visited him.
He told me at this time that II any
thing should happen to him he wished
me to take charge Of his estate, and
he gave me q key to compartment
IN the safe which stood in his study,
telling me would find his WIN there
and some personal instructions which
be had me pledge myself to carry ont
With absolute fidelity. 8
After had retired for the night I
have seen him from my window stand
ting In the moonlight on the brink OF
the bluff overlooking the Hudson with
his arms stretched out to the heavens
- though In appeal.
Several months after had returned
home from my last visit, the first Of
March. 1885. / think. I received a tele-
gram from him asking me to come to
him at once.
/ arrived at the little station. about
1 mile from his grounds, and the
livery man told me he had some very
bad news fN' me; the Captain had
been found dead shortly after day
hight that very morning BY the watch
man attached to an adjoining prep
erty.
For some reason this news did not
surprise me. but hurried out to his
place 40 quickly AZ possible.
The Waterman who had discovered
him related the few details connected
with the finding Of the body. It lay.
be said, stretched full length In the
snow with the arms outstretched
ebovs the head toward the edge Of the
blum. ana when he showed me the
mot Il flashed upon me that It was
The Identical one where had seen
him on those other nights, with his
arms raised ID supplicatfo6 to the
Gkies.
Len alone 10 the study. opened
the safe and withdrew the contents Of
che drawer IN which he had told me ]
would md my instructions. He direct
"a that remove his body to Virginia
without ernbalming and that - -
laid III IN open coffin within tout
which NJ preytously had hnd 60
structed and which, a. lafr Iesrned.
was ven ventiIatel HI1 further ~
srr,ttions related to this manuscript
which I WINS to retain sealed and m
rad. lust AZ found 4. Ter eleven
years: nor wae ] to dfvulee IT. CON
tents untll twenty-one years after his
death. ~ g
4 strange texture about The tomb.
.vh~,,~ ma hof1v still lIeS. 81 that ne
massive door u equipped with 4
ensls. hinge soad-plated spring ieck