Jasper Weekly Courier, Volume 48, Number 18, Jasper, Dubois County, 12 January 1906 — Page 3

STRANGE ADVENTURE OF A

FEMALE ROBINSON CRUSOE

found on the bea. h Turins her our I gas felt that she ist keep busy is

around the inland aw-i every bit of tbi i go mad. ao. after lb first six nioUhe,

dragged up it' ! h beyond the' ahe began to build herself a hum of

Girl Lives on Desert Island in the Indian Ocean for Fifteen Months.

IS SHIPWRECKED BY A TERRIBLE TYPHOON

Pet

Is Li!

Lion Her Solo Living Companion Forced to Kill ArvimAl to Save Own

Last Rescued by a Passing W - 1 and Returned to Pan nts.

Finally At

a h of the waves thai were null break

ing high H'-r first work a - to plant a niece of

piling them one upon the other.

, and.

andl

driftwood M the highest point of ihe ' across the top ahe placed the board 'hat

bad been he t-.dea f,f M t "if"1 "ose ana she thatched It all ov r w ith leav- fruni the traes and with graaaca. She searched the Island over an1 planted little vine and flowers. Nur the end of the first year, as ahe ounted time, using stories in small piles ona ston? t each day. she bad a fright No rain hsd fallen for weeks and the Itttl pond began to go dry. Day aDrCay she watched It dwindle away. Finally, it was a liny pool of muddy, unpalatabla water, an ; :. r w ed that night in despair, and durtcg the nihl rain poured) and filled the pond again. Tiie fruit from the palm trees, a sjecies of edible root, some delicate seawel that she found, oyaters. a species of shrimp an I fish constituted her main diet, although

iiand and float a distrta signal from It TSte, selecting a spot in the windtwisted uruve of palm trees near the edge of the pond, she started to build a shelter. She bad no tools, and for days she labored, using a piece of board for a afcOVI : and her hands, and eventually he managed to erect a sort of hut by planting the pieces of driftwood i r. ck upright and piling iand anil stones against the outside. Over this she stretched the largest piece of sail, and she and Moris had a home. There she carried everything that drifted ashore. For days she was on the verge of despair. Alone In the middle of a great

ocean, practic ter. L r only -

THE FAD FOR

FENCING

Br AUtRET NEWTON

d or shel n cub. the

; of Robinson Crus.)- and h n arkablt adventures Is familiar . . rry man, woman and child. a the old saying that truth is It r than fiction this interesting . n enacted by a handsome f Freu, h girl. 0'l if anything her I , were more remarkable, i . away on an almost desert island ; middle of the Indian ocean. :i her own resources, Liela i let .a pretty young trapeze pernow about 18 years of age, ! j months before she was ID by a passing vessel and al back to ber borne in

i : .1 .

D she arrived at M i! I reunited with her father and , who for nearly two years she j ,, dead, and w ho believed she I , . ;shed when the little PrtMfe i i Lilly sank on December 18, 1903. n id parted when the little vessel. 1 brave fight with the typhoon, 1 I and sank. They had seen her an a wave, with a life-pn s- r r 1 : at)ont her. and they had fought . -aiiors in the boat for a chanco rtielr datighter. She had caught I nipse of them as she was buried - ft huge roller, and the boat was above her. and then they pared. r)y four days later the boat had ! one of the Iklep islands off N i' üedonla. and after a day or two (' - and preparation had crossed to U irgcr Island and reached safety. An Acrobatic Family. . he ponquet family father, mother I I aughter were acrobats and anlI ners, and Ponquet. the father, ban ' I many years been the leader of a mis. sometimes with a doien or i:.cn In his employ, sometimes v. ualy the members of his family to assist Mm in giving performances His ' on. a promising acrobat, had r !.! at a fair In France by lall-

The j went to New Zealand, and. trav eling along the coast from Palm r.-,ton through Phristchureh, Tiniaru. Nelson, over to Wellington, on the North Island, tl.i'y added to ihc menagerie. Shipwrecked by Typhoon. Bgrly In Dtcestbtf they were ready They loaded the tents, and the animals, and all, aboard the Lilly and started for Melbourne The typnoon struck on December 15 in the morning, and for over three days the little vessel, under ban poles, fled before It. The men, exhausted and worn from working the pumps, fell fainting. Three times they tr.- I to t'irn and ride in the face of the storm.

1 but could not. They were driven north

ward, aiwajs northward lott, hopeless sad dying. And during It all Liela helped the men. and when they fell from exhaustion hhe worked at the pumps, strong.

vigorous, tireless, her athletic training b inding her in good stead. On the 18th hope was abandoned. The storm waa abating a little, but the vessel was floundering heavily and had lost its buoyancy. At ten o'clock sea after sea pounded upon the decks, and still the vessel staggered on. The tired vessel, worn out by the bat tie with the sea, gave up about noon. The steering gear broke. The little barkentine turned broadside, wallowed a few moments and sank. The Ponquet fortunes were swept away, and the family separated. In an instant. The father and mother reached the boat, but Liela. with seve others, was swept overboard. Alone on Desert It land. Then began the strange career of the girl She remembers struggling In the waters; then she lost consciousness. Hew long she was in the water she does not know ; It could not have been long. She was aroused by being hurled upon sand. She felt the wave that had cast her up drag her back into the 6ea. and

Sfit 1,1 w fx ih Jm

' i 1

Dear Stan: There's aot a word of truth in it as I telegraphed you. and . t rad the papers If you could see the headlines; "What the New Woman s Fad for Fencing Is Leading To." and the fencers dragged into it. and my picture in fencing clothes oh. don t look at a sjgle paper until I tell you! To begin with, why did you leave me? Why did you leave me in the care of your "dear little chum?'' F-ariy Tuesday morning be sent over fi mu the hospital with a note asking me vo go with Jbim to see "bherlock Holmes" Well, we went There's lots of high lights and ks of inky darkness in that piay. and it's a play w he-re you want to watch the stae enry minute; but right In front of us eat Amy Wilmot. You re mem ber sLs was the girl who fenced with me in the tournament last spring, the one who was so angry with the fencers for something Cravford said tu. ut c foul thrust. Sbe'k gone on

the stage, and U to lead in a new r I company. She wore a black hat with three enormous plumes, so that neither Her- ( bert nor I could see at sll and we

couldn't change our seats, and she refused to take it off. Finally Herbert wrote on he margin of bis programme: "How much longer are we going to stand it" And I w ro'e back: "If 1 had a pan of scis- , sors I'd cut them off." Well, just then the lights were turned down in the house and on the stage, and I felt Herbert lay something heavy and cold in my hand a

girl gave

I fraei a high wire, and the other boy. ill and sickly, never would lo for an tr, so he was sent to school and Otsj the priesthood, and he was itao i f his mother's heart. Bui 1 iela. from her earliest childhood. took to the ropes and the rings and the t Sri as If by second nature, and before lie was 12 years old her feats of daring and strmgth and agility won her apI t4 caused her father tobelleva b. r she most wonderful acrobat In all the world. She was strong, healthy. I itiful beautiful, as more than one I iing man thought who saw her at tho little country fslrs in Ureton. But the Ponquets were poor. They made but little rroney at the fairs, and they talked often of America or of Australia, so at the end of one season they decided to cast their fortunes in a new world There was a sad leave taking with the son. who soon wss to become a priest, and they sailed away to Australia. That year Liela was 13 years old Her bt'auty. her grace and daring attracted attention to the grimy. sordid little traveling circus, and prosperity came to the family Ponquet began to think that tV.t fortune was made. He had dreams of being the proprietor of a great circus, with hundreds of men and woman with great glided wagons. At Melr.M i ,e at Sydney, at Clarendon. New Qtotli Urisbsne eve rywhere It waa the ft-oia, and the gold rolled la.

by

after a short, despairing tnggl reached land and threw herself, exhaust c 1. upon the sand. WhM she awakened it wa dark. She felt something warm upon her tMt, and

.loriiho on in alarm, found Möns h r P'r

net lion lickina hSVfnon. The lion had

been cast ashore, and. although one

his legs was badly hurt, he was still alive, and tflfttfMT the exhausted girl and the erlBPsf I lion lay down and slept.

That was the first night of 5i3 that th pet

young girl and the lion lived on the speck of lane" In the center of the vast ocean. Liela did aot know then, or until she SSM rescued, where she as. but ths llt-

herself over to a fit of hopeBut after a week of living on

the drowned fowls and sea biscuit Liela suddenly aroused herself and determined to live. Young, strong, athletic full of life, she rallied from the shock and the despair and set to work. Heg first care was for food, and she began to set snares for turtles, and from the cordage that had come ashore she began to knot together a seine with which to catch fish in the lagoon between the island and the reef. Also from her scant supply of pins and hairpins she fashioned Uttls books that she set to catch gulls.

Burns Seaweed r. Signal. For nt ariy three weeks she lived without firs Again and again she tried to make fire by rubbing sticks together, j as she had heard of savages doing, but tailed, and the was in despair. Eatii g raw fish and chewing on the roots of unknown plants that she found began to pall upon her. and she determined to have fire at any cost. She hunted the Island over for stones that would make sparks when she struck them together, abd finally on the beach she found two large pieces of flint. It took two days for her to set tire to a little bunch of dried, cottonlike pulp from a weed she found, and then she blew end fanned M Into a flame and te 1 it constantly. The evening that she got fire she was happy, and she declares tha: she believed her battle won. Wood was scarce. ' but she resorted to dragging seaweed from the lagoon and leaving It to dry on the beach, and over the burning sea I weed she piled wet seaweed and kept I a great smudge burning at the highest 1 point of the island.

Mors the lion k- , ' ber Ifoni ue coming desperate from loneliness, but after a month he became iai serous. The diet of raw fish and oysters and pieces of sea gull did not suit him. And then followed the wiluoi sdeLture of all. Liela w as sleeping. It was r ear morning for the stars were fctgll nirgtogrow dim and the roseate light was showing in the east when the girl ess awakened

a strange, suffocating riae oi uu-

In au instant she wa oi ner iceu

liova lielore Sil.' um ini"

nf stick for use in defending herself, and. urUii into the itmer

grasping mis. of her frail hut. ready to strike. A moment later she recognized her

and called him An angry gestn

answered her. end the beast nsspa. The girl realized at once that the savage instincts of the brute hsd been sroused. and thftl he had turned upon hr in kill i.nd devour her. Like a fla-h

no mere, iouc on

at rare intervals she caught a gull, and once she csught a smal". green parrot. Hope still lived. She believed that some day she would be saved Her oniy hardship was loneliceas, and she talked, or sang to herself to keep her mind busy, and she climbed to the top of the tree and sat there gazing out across the sea. She was in a tree top on the afternoon

she was rescued. She was sitticg gasing southward toward the familiar speck, day dreaming of her beaui.ful France, and wondennR whether she tv r would see it again. She had been there for hours, when suddenly she gasped and almost fell out of th tree top. She heard "voices. A moment later, with a cry that startled the sailors, she slid and jumped down the tree, acd rushing towards them across the snd laughed and crie 1 and laughed again, legging them to speak :o her. One of the sailors sr'ke

Freneh. He told her they werp from the tra tine schooner Cyprus, and would

take her aboard. Then the strange, sun-browre ! grassgarl e.l beauty fell, still laugh rg. r II fainting upon the sand, and before she recovered she and her little store of tools she had ma le, were safe on board the vessel, bound for Noumea. New Caledonia, and. eventually. France where the tape? family was reunited.

r II

HE WORK A BLACK HAT WITH THKKK tXORMOl S I'H MES

COFFIN SUIT FATAL TO TEN Men Who Engage in Fight Over Property Given to Undertsker Struck Down Mysteriously.

St i l

. . .. ., i.i. h 1 1,. , v . j .i,a swuna t ne ciuu,

tic specK in ine sea ui u , --- - , lf ml, iron

1 I 17 dl".

been cast was one of the minute islinds

northward of tho Rellona reefr. towards the Chs?erfield Islands, and frcm the south aide of their little island home the girl could see palin tree oo another Islsnd outhward. Builds Home for Herself. Like Crusoe, the girl made the ex.m instlon the day after she was cast ashore and in less than an hour hat learned the worst. She still hoped that the boat would find her. for she thought perhaps it had been cast swny also, possibly on the speck of land to the southward Some driftwood, a few bit of rigging from the lost vessel, a chicken coop tilled with dead fowls, a few tattered bits of sails and two large tins of sea biscuit were al! that the girl

Galveston. Tex. Death frm a strange malady which physicians say the hare nevtr before seen or heard of uas overtaken ten men wh were

connectel with the

of property given to an undertaker b a widow In payment for h"r hu bands coffin. The belief is wide spread in tht vicinity that th- dovhsre a judgment from heaven. So terrifying have been the manifestations of what is believed to be divine wratt that tree the county off! ials refus to have anything more to do with the case wütet probably never will bt adjudicated, at least in the pres-nt generation. Th" case Is that of George E. Smith

again -t John Dailey. Both men d ed

BMW nfter suit was brought or the stranrre disease which specialists were unable to diagnose or treat. Theo Tho.nas Brick, the district clerk whe filed ihe suit, fell a victim to the same mysterious BVWM 1 1 Tltfwd lawyers participated in ths "widow s coffin s ilt " as it is called (" sg Stewart. Forester Rse ami William T Austin Within a f w days all three tiecame ill and died of tbe per iliar disease for which no remedy eoul I be found Then Judge Williim II Stewurt. who tried the cae an 1 whj but l fe-v days befrre had rend r- d a decision in 'be cast, and granted a new trial, tell a victim, and in a sLor: tims expire 1 Alexander Hartllngrocfc and C A.

IflBaa were eniidovrd to Si rvey th

Isnd In preparation for the new rial. i Scarcely had th completed thell task J hrn they feil ill and die'

h itlatrict clerk

-I .-. Ba llminM' I I I IIIIMKUI.'U ' wnmwm - -

aiour. - . ka . . . n, ,u .,liw.r-!l.

then with sharp stones sne sain nea inc laugneu m no "

nH rooked tart of it for er nous, an l ma--..- fhh

new trial. A lev aays later as um

huge pair of csrtllage scissors, that he had in his pocket when he left the hospital, 1 suppose. "Dare you." he whispered. Nu comes the horrible part Stanley, you know 1 never coulJ take a dre. I didn't mean to rut off her feather I wouldn't do such a thing. 1 only meant to pretend. 1 lifted the scissors In the dark, you know and opened them close to the feathers and the deadly things must have been ra.ors. Before 1 knew it Stan. I'd have given my life to put those feathers back. But there they were, light and long and curling, in my band. Nobody saw it done. Amy pjt her hand to her hat as if she felt it had been jostled, but she did not feel that the feathers were goue. Well, Herbert was enchanted, and the play went on. We saw very well after that. But I fell h. has Herbert written to you He insists on treating it all as a joke. Finally the play came to an end. Every be dy rose to leave the theater, and 1 touched Amy Wilmot on the arm. "I am very sorry." I said, "put but 1 cut these off accidentally "

and I hanJed her the feathers before Herbert could stop me. She just stared a moment, and then her hand went up to her üat I could bear Herbert catrh his breath. I caa see her face, the bewilderment changins Into indignation, the oh. the

suit over a pie. e I everythiiig-tne peop.e

past us, dropping tneir putting on tn.-ir wraps, criticising the play. Then Herbert put his

all pouring programmes, .i n aa :

oar

. . . a f .1 .m1

friends, the two tnai nai o-u for.ght a duel to the death. Battle with Pet Lion. Again and sgain the maddened beast leaped for the white throat of his mistress and each time was driven back b- a blow, and finally, as her strength was deserting her. Liela swung the club ,1th an effort born of despair and Isld the half grown cub senseless, and. before It -ould recover, she killed iL snd then san down sobbing beside its body. Her last friend was gone, as she was

So she sobbed until dayllgnt. an i

b SJR

breakfast.

In and

started to tal.e all the blame, but she turned squarely away from him and said to me in a voice choking with rase: "You shall pay dearly for this little joke. I demand r.n apology." With all my heart." I said. "I feci worse about this than you do." "You know very well that 1 am not peaking about the hat." she exclaimed. "1 want you to make your

fencers friend you remember wnom retract what you got him to say

inst my fencing In the tournament

to retract it In print."

Then 1 waa angry. Stanley. I drew myself up snd ssld: "I had nothing to do with the judging. Miss Wilmot. but tha has nothing to do with this, for which 1 am horribly sorry, and I'm ready to do anything to prove it." yiaa Wilmot did not lift her head

but she raised her eyes so thst they set mine squsrely. "Are you prepsred." she asked, "to try that ooun-ter-th.ust over sgain without the buttons on the swords?" "Hold on." said Herbert; but 1 put him aside and said: Whenever you choose. " lhn come here to the thea'er tomorrow morning at 10:30. 1 have a rehearsal at 11. and a Utile practice be.'orehaal will do me good. We shall Sirs the stag' to o r si " "Th s Is all nonsense." Herbert Interna ted. "Mlas Whiteside will do no weh 'hing.'

-Mlas Wh I' ee.de is here to speak fm fcafSttlf." I said, angrily. ' I will come gt 1):30 to-morrow morning with the greatest pleaaur. I think I can demonstrate that parry to your entire aatiafaction." "You understand." she said, smiling lor the flrst tlm . 1 that 1 am tot given to little jokes. 1 have a pair of excellent sords, but If you prefer to s le t your own ' "1 shall be quite satisfied," I said; "but about the feathers?" -The gentleman with the scissors may keep them as a souvenir." And she swept down the aisle and went in at the stage-door, beh.nd the pnacenium boxes. I be'ie.e I've taken up this letter a ( :i times. There s the most awful coming ana going In this house. The door-bed does ncth.ng but r.ng. and wblls mamma has lefuscd to see anybody, nd the lepo.teiH .ant eet beyond Lu lwl.-. th. ro are ond '. ra like Mrs. Sprague Winter, and the flowers (it's worse than a funeral) that we can't turn away, and I'm aitting up hete in my room in disgrace that is a thousand times worse than death. 1 wish I could hear from you. It ! was last evening that 1 telegraphed. I don't suppose there is anything you ' could telegraph except that you love me. and 1 don't suppose It would OC 1 cur to you to do that. Crawford of the fencers has Just written to me. He is such a trump. He aays it's a burning shame it has 1 made such a stir in the papers, but ths

v lub is proud of me. But 1 have not told you about ths duel. At a little before the time appointed, I met Herbert juat hurrying to the theater. He led the way into the stage entrance how dreary it island the doorkeeper told us that Miss Wilmot and Mr. Ditmore had not come, but if she was expecting us we might go in and wait with the othere. What others?" asked Herbert, auspiciously. The others Miss Wilmot was expecting." the doorkeeper said. "1 don't like the look of this." said Herbert. "1 guess you had better wait until 1 go in and see what sort of a recepaon Miss Wilmot is giving." "But I can't wait out here." I said "im sure I'm invited." So we both went in. Stan, they were all reporters! Then Miss Wilmot and Mr Ditmors came. He was carrying the swords and a suit case, and Herbert nad the case in which I had brought my things from the fencers. We all bowed. I felt horribly foolish. Then Miss Wilmot went to her dressing room, and I had one assigned to me. 1 began to

feel guilty. I wasn t atraia oi Amy Wilmot but of what my family would aay if they ever found out. It didn't take me any time to dress, and yet Miss Wilmot was ready before me. Herbert and Mr. Ditmore were measuring the distance and testing the : . a:. 1 al .a: Mr I ..t more banded them to me to choose from. I took one at random, and he offered the other to Miss Wilmot It aeemed that he was to conduct the duel, of which I was very glad, for he knows all about the etiquette of such things, and I'm pretty certain that Herbert doesn't "Ready?" said Mr. Ditmore. holding the points of our swords. He looked from one to the other of us. "Ready,', we said Then he released owr sword tips and stepped back. From that moment every thought of nervousness left me. I felt perfectly at home. The back of the stage waa filling with people, and I realised that it must be time for rehearsal. It came to roe vaguely that this crowd waa just what ahe had been waiting for. 1 did not see them, and yet it was a sudden fancy of a resemblance to you among them that caught my attention for the fraction of a moment She took the opportunity to make a "coup lourre." which I parried just In ' time by drooping my hand and chasing her point. Then I placed my point at her heart. I did it so easily and coolly that I drew It back a little, so that she would not run on It But there it was. for an Instant, for all to see. 1 had not so much as scratched her velvet Jacket and she must have bMMi that I wouldn't dream of hurt

ing her; but however that

o.v one err that will ring in my

to my dying day. and dropped to the leaf, her sword ringing as it feU beside her. if it was meant to call attention to

herself from my own victory.

done with a quickness or

hows that she will be a great actress. If it was real fear, it played her a

... . I : U M I K ner up. and a half dozen others with me. and when we lifted her she was as whlta as my handkerchief; but she smiled at me and put out her hand, and said, with a perfect show of self-possession: "I see you are bound to have your little joke." That's all. Stan. Herbert and I got

anil the rehearsal took place

,r nnthine had happened, except

a m t wilmot is now a heroine.

appears that we are both In danger of n,nrinnd. Do you see the

iw.u - .... aa blurred places all over this letter . It ian't the blotter. Stan. It s tears. Now I've told you the whole truth, and If you d'sapprove of my part In it you are frei to consider our engagement at an end.

Tome in. What is It? I won t

. i. ...v I won t! Oh! Oh

r. v-yrsM j - sua -dear-It It really ou?"

she

ar-:

it

rit

I ag that

as

Han

and It

Royalty En Tour. The prince of Wales has sent strict or-d-rs to Indls regarding the careful observance of Sunday during the royal tour When the prince and prlneers are trarellng on that day their tialn will ba

sto -pe-l i.ritg the time at dtilnei

lea