AN ISLAND TALE

Evening Star, Issue 19787, 10 February 1928, Page 11

AN ISLAND TALE

JUA NN A B KITE R-TH AN -N OTHIN G

There is a curious tale fold of the “lost woman” ot Han Nicolas Island, a, little piece of land poking up out of the sea about a hundred miles off tho coast of Southern California, states tho ‘ New York Times.’ Known only by the name Juamia-Better-Tban-Notliing, sho spent twenty years alone on San Nicolas, in true Robinson Crusoe fashion. There arc several versions of tho story, but this is probably the most correct: —

In 1830, nr before, the Mexican Government, at the request of the Spanish mission lathers, sent a boat to remoyc the few remaining Indians from this island to tho mainland, so that they might be afforded hotter _ protection against the Russians, then in the habit of making periodic raids down the coast. . When the Mexican boat arrived, n was foiihd that there remained only a handful ot Indians. They were put aboard and the boat started back. Suddenly one of them, a young woman, cried out that she had forgotten her baby. The boat could not put back on account of the surf. But the young woman jumped overboard, swam to the island, and was left there. She remained for (lie next twenty years, supposedly in utter solitude. At the end of that period the mission fathers of Santa Barbara, having hoard the story, which was supported by the tale of a fisherman, sent a boat, the ctter-Than-Nothing. to San Nicolas. The woman was thus rescued, although nothing was ever board of the baby she bad jumped overboard to join.