Bridlington and Quay Gazette. — 1897-06-04 (Bridlington, Humberside, England)

SAILOR'S REMARKABLE LETTER. On Saturday afternoon Mr. Carttar held an inquest at Charlton Assembly Rooms on the body of Alfred Spooner, ship's carpenter, lately arrived from New Zealand, where his wife died six months ago. At the time of his death he was on a visit to his sister. in-law, Mrs. Radford, of No. 1, John's Place, Lanadowne Road, Charlton. He was very depressed, and, under the delusion his wife was continually beckoning him to come to her, he drank some aconite, clenching his teeth against an antidote. After his death, the following letter, addressed to Mrs. Radford, was found in his desk: "I have made a good many long voyages. I have now signed articles for the longest voyage of all, and one that we shall all have to snake; but, although I know my port of departure, I have not the least ides of the port of destination. It may be a very short distance, or it may take millions of years. But I cannot believe one of the self-constituted pilots, though they all tell us they have been appointed by the High Admiral. There aro millions of them scattered over this molehill of ours,and they all di fferas to the °ours°, and say, 'Jf you don't obey my instructions you will be lost.' But as I find that not one of them out of 100,000 act up to the orders they give to others, I have made up my mind not to depend upon any of them, but to follow my own course. So I have sailed as straight a course as I could. Still, lam afraid that if a chart could be matte of the one I have followed these last sixty-four years it would be found to be rather crooked, as I have had to beat against head winds pretty often. Still, it is better to study the chart and use your own judgment than depend upon those frauds of pilots whci are, one and all, craving and working for the same thing, viz., lucre. Now I must give you my reason for sailing so suddenly. As you know, my mate left me just six mouths ago, since which time I have done nothing but go to leeward. All the time that mate was with me, which was fifty-eight out ' of the sixty-four years, we always managed to work to windward, and to whom must be given the whole of the credit, for if it had not been for her I should often have gone a few points off the course, and very likely have got stranded. But she was always at her post, and never grumbled at me when she found me a point or two off. As to character, she was as near perfection as it is possible to be —loving, kind, industrious truthful, and patient. She was respected and industrious, by every person that ever knew her in every part of this world. Yet, for all this, one of them pilots (pirates) had the audacity, and only within four hours after she had left, to say he was certain she was lost, because she did not follow the course he was laying down. The consequence OMR that he found himself lying down in the glitter quicker than lie expected, and I standing over -him advising him to look after his own vessel and not interfere with others. And now this long voyage that I have mentioned is a voyage of discovery. 1 have told you several times that this good mate of mine has appeared to me a number of times, and each time has signalled me to come, and as I have always been accustomed to obey orders, I am going to try and meet her."  The jury retnrned a verdict that the dvo-ased nommi tted suicide by R wisllowing noo u ite, whilil labouring under mental delusions.  udg Mr. Charles Frohmann will produce L America Mr. Edward Rose's dramatisation of Mr. Anthony Hope's " Heart of Princess Osra." "The Queen's Proctor," at the Strand Theatre, is sufficiently nuocessful to have encouraged Mr. Bertram to postpone the production of "The Lay Figure" until after the Whitsun holidays. The season of Madame Rejane at the Lynn will begin on June 26, with "Madame Bans-Gene," It will last three weeks, and will, it is expected, include performances of "La Doulouretuee,""L' Amoureuse." and "Lolette."