Die digitale Landesbibliothek Oberösterreich

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The artist had engaged passage for himself, 
wife, two sisters and a servant. His wife was, 
indeed, as she had been represented, a most lovely, 
and most accomplished woman. On the morning 
of the fourteenth of June (the day in which I first 
visited the ship), the lady suddenly sickened and 
ied. 
The young husband was frantic. with grief—but 
circumstances imperatively forbade the deferring 
his voyage to New York. It was necessary to take 
to her mother the corpse of his adored wife, and, 
on the other hand, the universal prejudice which 
would prevent his doing so openly was well known. 
Nine tenths of the passengers would have 
abandoned the ship rather than take passage with 
a dead body. 
In this dilemma, Captain Hardy arranged .that 
the corpse, being “first partially embalmed, and 
packed, with a large quantity of salt, in a box of 
suitable dimensions, should be conveyed on board 
as merchandise.” Nothing was to be said of the 
lady’s decease; and, as it was well understood that 
Mr. Wyatt had engaged passage for his wife, it 
became necessary that some person should person- 
ate her during the voyage. 
This the deceased’s lady’s-maid was easily prevailed 
on to do. The extra state-room, originally engaged 
for this girl, during her mistress’ life, was now 
merely retained. In this state-room the pseudo- 
wife slept, of course, every night. | 
In the daytime she performed, to the best of her 
ability, the part of her mistress—whose person, 
it had been carefully ascertained, was unknown 
to any of the passengers on board.