The extraordinary story of Robert Jeffrey who was press-ganged into the Royal Navy in 1808 at the age of 18. On his first voyage on board the Recruit under the strict Captain Lake, Jeffrey gave in to temptation and stole a sip of rum. For this he was clapped in irons for two days and then given two dozen lashes. A few days later however, he drank two quarts of spruce beer belonging to the midshipmen. For this repeat misdemeanor, Captain Lake ordered him to be put ashore on a barren rock on the outskirts of the Leeward Islands. The story of Jeffrey's experience and subsequent escape from the island is one of the most fascinating true adventure stories of the 19th century.
The 'Mary Russell' was a trading boat that set sail from the harbour of Cobh in County Cork on 8 February 1828, carrying a cargo of mules bound for Barbados. When it returned to Cobh on 25 June 1828, the horrified people of Cork found a cabin awash with blood and the bound and battered corpses of the ship's crew. Two mutilated survivors and a group of young boys who were unharmed were able to testify to the bizarre events of the voyage, during which the ship's captain, William Stewart, had become increasingly paranoid about an imagined mutiny on board and felt himself compelled to murder his shipmates.
The 'Mary Celeste' (or Marie Celeste as it is wrongly referred to by several writers) was a British merchant brigantine. The ship is best known for having been discovered on 5 December 1872 in the Atlantic Ocean, unmanned and apparently abandoned, although the weather was fine, the ship intact and her crew experienced and capable seamen.
The 'Mary Celeste' was in sound and seaworthy condition and was under full sail heading for the Strait of Gibraltar. She had been at sea for a month and had more than six months' worth of food and water on board. Her cargo was untouched and the crew's possessions including valuables were still in place. None of those on board were ever seen or heard from again and their disappearance remains one of the greatest maritime mysteries of all time.J. G. Lockhart examines minutely the details of the mystery of the 'Mary Celeste', evaluates the various explanations and theories which could solve the mystery... and then proposes a new solution of his own.
J. G. Lockhart (1794-1854) was a Scottish writer and editor, with a particular passion for investigating famous mysteries. In this analysis, he investigates the legend of the Flying Dutchman, the ghostly mariner, cursed by God, who is condemned to roam the high seas causing disaster to ships and sailors until the day of judgement, when his soul will be delivered to Satan.
Lockhart's analysis looks at various incarnations of the tale and whether the myth could in fact have its roots in a real event.
A riveting collection of true stories which are so strange as to be almost unbelievable.The Terrible Story of the “Mary Russell”The Murder of the Countess GörlitzThe Great Bank ForgeryMoonlight SonataGretna Green MarriagesCount BorulawskiJen Grenier, the French WerewolfI will Pay you all TomorrowThe Telephone at the OratoryThe Ghostly PassengerThe DiverThe Bloody HandThe Story of Kaspar HauserAcross the Australian Desert
The 'Mary Russell' was a trading boat that set sail from the harbour of Cobh in County Cork on 8 February 1828, carrying a cargo of mules bound for Barbados. When it returned to Cobh on 25 June 1828, the horrified people of Cork found a cabin awash with blood and the bound and battered corpses of the ship's crew. Two mutilated survivors and a group of young boys who were unharmed were able to testify to the bizarre events of the voyage, during which the ship's captain, William Stewart, had become increasingly paranoid about an imagined mutiny on board and felt himself compelled to murder his shipmates.
