THE GREATEST MYSTERY OF T1IE SEA. 
55 
Boyce and his mate beheld the sailors' clothes 
hanging on a line over the forecastle. In the 
mate’s room lay a paper containing an un- 
finished sum in addition. When the mate 
was summoned to leave the ship was he 
eating breakfast or was he doing this sum ? 
Fifth, while the binnacle and compasses of 
the vessel were found, the chronometer was 
missing. Absolutely not another thing — so 
far as the two men could see — was missing 
from the brig except, possibly, the ship’s 
papers. The sailors had not even stopped 
to take their pipes or tobacco. 
Sixth, and strongest of all, the boat 
belonging to the Celeste was in its place. How, 
then, could the crew of thirteen have left the 
ship except by boats from another vessel ? 
Seventh : “ What I want to know,” said 
the skipper, as he towed his prize to 
Gibraltar. “ is how is it a mother and child 
would leave a good ship in mid-ocean with- 
out taking even the child’s nighties ? ” 
For the rest, the official data hearing on 
the mystery are very meagre. In the archives 
of the Department of State are the 
following : — 
CREW AND PASSENGERS VANISH. 
Document 136, from U.S. Consul Johnson, dated 
Gibraltar, January 7th, 1S73, “ Result of analysis 
adverse to blood existing on sword and woodwork 
belonging to the brig Marie Celeste 
Document 137, from the same, dated January 20th, 
1873, u Principal owner of brig Marie Celeste arrived 
from New York to claim brig from Admiralty Court. 
Nothing heard of missing crew. Chronometer and 
ship’s papers not to be found on board the brig.” 
Document 138, “ Brig Marie Celeste restored to her 
original owner February 12th, 1873.” 
Document 139, “Brig Marie Celeste cleared for 
Naples under command of Captain John Hutchins, 
sent out by owner from New York for the purpose. 
Forwarded to Mrs. Bilson, of New York, effects of 
Henry Bilson, missing male of brig Marie Celeste. 
The brig’s last voyage.” 
And, meantime, though the representatives 
of the United States in all the ports of the 
world had been instructed to watch for the 
missing crew, not a single vessel anywhere 
reported picking up the Celeste's thirteen. 
To-day the mystery of that ill-fated craft 
is as dark as ever, for forty years have 
passed without a word as to why or how 
the thirteen, headed by Captain Griggs, 
abandoned a perfectly sound vessel. 
With these facts as a foundation, Sir 
Arthur Conan Doyle published a story in one 
of the magazines entitled, “ J. Habakkuk 
JephsorTs Statements.” It was supposed to 
be the narrative of the sole survivor of the 
Marie Celeste's tragic voyage of 1872. So 
successful was he in giving an air of truth to 
his story that the account was reprinted in 
the Boston Herald in 1885 as the actual 
explanation of the mystery. The main 
features of the yarn are worth repeating as 
an example of what might have happened. 
J. Habakkuk Jephson, according to l he varri, was 
a doctor in bad health who took passage in the Marie 
Celeste for the sake of the sea trip. There were two 
other passengers, John llarton, a representative of 
the owners, and Septimus Goring, a quadroon from 
New Orleans. Goring, it seems, was anything but 
an attractive companion, but: no one had anythin: 
definite to charge him with. Two of the crew had 
disappeared at the filial moment, and their places 
had been taken bv two negroes. With these men 
Coring appeared to have much to do. About ten davs 
out . from New York, the Captain's wife and child 
vanished. The next day the captain was found dead, 
and as there was a pistol by his hand. Goring declared 
lie had committed suicide from grief. About two 
weeks after this, Jephson showed to Goring, in the 
course of a conversation, a stone shaped like a human 
ear which an old negro woman had bequeathed to 
him, saving that she had no other friend to whom to 
give it and that he had always been kind to her. *1*0 
her, at any rate, it always appeared to be of great 
value. This was also the opinion of the negro at the 
wheel when he chanced to see it, for lie almost wor- 
shipped it. Jephson was much surprised at all this 
fuss about a stone, but he was still more astonished 
when they sighted land and found ft to. be not. Portugal 
but the coast of Africa. The mate, who had been in 
charge of the vessel since the captain’s death, was 
intensely mortified at the reflection upon his seaman- 
ship. He insisted that his instruments had been 
tampered with, but he was not permitted - to learn 
whether they had been or not. That: night a gang 
of negroes put out from the shore, overcame«the whites 
on the brig, and murdered all but Jephson ; him they 
saved because he had the ear-shaped stone. They 
all went ashore in their native canoes, and this accounts 
for all the Marie Celeste's boats being found intact in 
their places — one of the most mysterious features 
in the whole mysterious case. Once on land, Jephson 
went through some strange adventures which have 
nothing to do with the Marie Celeste, and was finally 
aided by Goring to escape. Goring had devoted 
himself to private warfare on the white race. He had 
planned the wholesale murder of the ship’s company, 
shot the captain, and pushed the woman and child 
overboard— all this principally for the fun of it. By 
skilful tinkering with the nautical instruments, he 
had succeeded in sailing the brig to a point off the 
coast of Africa, where he was met by a tribe of natives, 
over whom he planned to rule. Gn fortunately, the 
natives possessed a large idol, the car of which had 
been broken off. This was the stone that had been 
given to Jephson, and through its possession the 
natives regarded him as their ruler. In order, there- 
fore, to get rid of his rival, the one white man whom 
he dared not kill, Goring gave him a boat and told 
him to make for Gibraltar. This Jephson did, and 
lived to tell the story of the capture and the fate of 
the* crew of the American brig Marie Celeste. But, 
as he himself admitted, he could find no one to believe 
him. 
The following are some of the solutions 
with which other eminent novelists have 
been good enough to favour us. Whether 
our readers think that any of them completely 
solve the mystery., or whether they themselves 
