To most visitors to Block Island, the paddle shaped island offers much interest for summer activities. But, as with any land mass barely 10 square miles, it is easy for year round residents to enjoy the respite from armies of tourists.
Historically, it was named for Adrean Bloc, a Dutch settler. Before European settlers arrived, Block Island was inhabited by the Niantic people. In order to settle Block Island, history tells that the Niantics killed Colonial traders to stave off invasions of settlers.
Perhaps that's where Malcolm's tale begins.
Malcolm was also a trader. Albeit of a less than orthodox sort. His particular infamy was inspired by the shipwreck in 1831 of the "Warrior" a two masted schooner.
It was not unusual for locals to head down to the beach and scavenge for whatever wreckage they found useful or of value.
One of the valuables found on the beach caught Malcolm's eye, a large tiger eye ring about 5 carats.
His father, Jedidiah, dabbled in antiques in a tiny shoppe on Tourist Row, the avenue where tourists converged to buy seafaring knick knacks and old whaling scrimshaw and other bric-a-brac as souvenoirs.
Then, strangely, the ring was sold.
Naturally, when a tourist walked into the shoppe Malcolm inherited from his father and the tourist asked if he was interested in buying an unsual ring, Malcolm demurred believing it was one more piece of scrimshaw.
Until he saw the huge tiger eye gem. He was sure it was the ring he'd found on the beach.
"Does this ring belong to you?" Malcolm asked.
"Yes. And I assure you, it isn't stolen. It has quite a history. Would you like to hear it?"
"Certainly. Historical jewelry is always of value to a buyer," Malcolm responded.
"My grandfather was a seaman on a two masted schooner in his younger days. He survived a nasty Atlantic storm and a shipwreck. Earlier in his travels, he found the ring in New Orleans and was told it was good fortune for sailors. He always believed it was the ring that made it possible for him to survive that shipwreck."
"Then why would he want to sell it?"
"He believed the good fortune only applied to the sea and that his troubles, losses and woes now are due to his possession of this ring."
"I do not hold to superstitions and the stone in this ring is quite large. Any woman would love to own such a gem," Malcolm replied.
The stranger sold the ring at such a desirable price that Malcolm was dubious about its earlier history. He needn't have been. The stranger disappearred as if he never existed, even as Malcolm tried in vain to locate him.
Still, Malcolm had no wish to be accused of buying stolen goods. He decided to find out the true origin of the ring. He scoured every possible shop and jewelry emporium in New Orleans. No one seemed to know anything about the ring. That made Malcolm suspicious that the gemstone was a fake. So he had it appraised by Jonathan Lempert, a well known jewelry appraiser in New York City.
When Lempert saw the ring, he gasped!
"Where did you find this ring?" he asked.
"I didn't find it as you say. I bought it from a tourist who walked into my shoppe on Block Island," Malcolm said.
"Do you know his name?"
"No. I never ask tourists names because there are thousands who visit the island every year."
"When did this stranger sell it to you?"
"Several months ago, in July."
"This ring belonged to a very, rich and very prominent woman. Her husband gave it to her for their 2nd anniversary. A few months later he died during that outbreak of influenza." She never wore the ring again and believed it was cursed."
"That's strange. The man who sold it to me never said he was selling it because it was cursed," Malcolm said.
"It wasn't just because her husband died she believed it was cursed. She was with child and miscarried. She herself died quite tragically after she donated the ring to a charity. It was believed that the horse startled and flung her into a large oak tree as she was heading back to their mansion."
"Where was the ring after she donated it to that charity?" Malcolm asked.
"The charity was through a church. St. Boniface, located in New Orleans. No one knew what happened to the ring after the fire."
"Fire?"
"Yes. The charity store and church were completely destroyed by fire. But, the ring was gone as if it never existed...until you walked into my office."
"Is this ring stolen?" Malcolm asked.
"Since no one knew what happened to this ring after the fire, it could have been sold to raise funds for the charity. But you say the stranger's father claimed he found it after a shipwreck?"
"Yes. There was a shipwreck for certain. That much I know."
"You might want to see if you can find the passenger list for that shipwreck. It might be a clue to the name of the stranger and the passenger who had the ring while aboard ship."
As Lempert suggested, Malcolm went back to a Block Island Historical Society to see if there was a record of a shipwreck. Malcolm had to estimate the date of the shipwreck was early 1800s. He made for the clerk's desk.
"Can I help you sir?" she asked.
Malcolm noted the clerk's unusual name from the nameplate on her desk, "Araminty Nelesco."
"Yes, I'm looking for history on a shipwreck. I believe it was early 1800s. I believe it might have been around 1831. The Warrior, a two masted schooner is the vessel information I'm looking for."
"You've come to the right place, Mr....?"
"Malcolm Oldham, I'm a trader and I've come across a very interesting item I need to know more about."
"And what item is that, if I may be so bold?"
"A tiger eye ring supposedly a remnant of the shipwreck. The seller brought it to me and I had it appraised. It's 5 carats and apparently an antique of some kind."
"May I see it?"
"Oh no. Sorry. But it is locked in my safe at my shoppe."
"Well, any information on such an item may be over on that shelf at the rear of the building."
Malcolm noted the abrupt change in the clerk's tone. He headed for the section of ships' logs and found the log that referenced "The Warrior" shipwreck. There was a short list of passengers, far less than he expected. There was also a drawing of the vessel and a sketch of the lighthouse at Sandy Point where the shipwreck occurred.
He scanned the passenger list. He found it odd that the crew of the vessel was listed with the names of passengers. One name stood out above the rest, "Matthew Oldham."
"Strange, my father never mentioned any family member named Matthew," he muttered to himself.
Next to each name was the word "dead."
That tourist stranger claimed there was a survivor who found the ring. Was the list of passengers incorrect?
Malcolm started for the door. Araminty Nelesco called to him.
"Sir, did you find what you were looking for?"
"All of the passengers on that list...all are dead?"
"Yes sir. You can visit the cemetery across town and you'll see there are 35 passengers and the crew are all buried there."
"How many of the 35 were crew?" Malcolm asked.
"I believe 10 crew members also perished with the 25 passengers."
"Well thank you for your assistance," Malcolm said.
Next, he located the old cemetery. There was a large sign in ironwork with the name "Isle of Angels Cemetery" at the large black gate with a fence around the perimeter of the area.
The gate wasn't locked.
Still Malcolm felt like a thief in the night entering and surreptitiously looked around to see if anyone was watching. He felt silly when the thought occurred to him that the only ones who could be watching were those buried inside the gate.
Cemeteries always did make me feel eerie, he thought.
He set about searching and counting the number of graves of those who perished aboard the "Warrior."
He mused that the name of the cemetery should have been "Shipwreck Warriors" since the only graves were those who went down with the vessel.
He mentally counted the number of graves all marked with the words Warrior Passenger.
To his surprise, there were 2 children among those who perished. When he reached the last row of graves, he saw no headstone for someone named "Matthew Oldham."
There was nothing in the log at the historical society to indicate if Matthew Oldham was an adult or a child. None of the passengers ages were contained in that log. Malcolm assumed that was because the agent who booked the passengers aboard never recorded their ages given they were all Block Islanders.
Malcolm realized he had to know if Matthew Oldham was a member of his family. His mother, Sarah Hixon Oldham died when Malcolm was a child, His father said she died giving birth, a fact Malcolm never questioned since he had no siblings and men in his father's day never discussed details of "women's troubles."
Now Malcolm realized how lttle he knew about his parents. He remembered the family Bible his mother had always kept on the mantle above the fireplace in their living space above the shoppe.
After his father died, Malcolm took comfort leavng the living space as it had always been.
Malcolm made only one change and that was to move his parents' bed and other effects into his bedroom so he could occupy his parents' room which was larger and less cramped.
The parlor was toward the front of the building and kitchen toward the back. The privy was located outside orginally but Malcolm had remodeled the third bedroom into an indoor privy, complete with a sink and shower and tub.
All else he didn't need or want he sold at auction or stored in the crawl space in the attic.
Malcolm's curiosity got the better of him. First, he searched for the Family Bible. He knew having no siblngs meant there would not be much family history there. He thought perhaps the vicar at St. Boniface Chapel might have some other information.
St. Boniface Chapel was not so much a vicaraege as an extension of the St. Boniface graveyard. Malcolm found it curious that he had lived so long on Block Island and knew so little about its history beyond what he'd learned in school.
There was only one school on the island when he was a child and it was an old white clapboard building built by sailors for sailors children back in the late 1700s.
Malcolm's education was largely sporadic since it was difficult to retain teachers who would live year round on an island that could be storm tossed and deadly cold in winter.
His father insisted he attend church services but the minute his father was busy in the antique shoppe during the height of tourist season or when his father went on trips hunting more antiques young Malsolm beat a hasty retreat.
Malcolm walked up the flagstone steps to the church. It looked abandoned. He opened the white doors with the black trim and called out, "Is anyone here?"
The inside of the church was as he remembered it. A small lectern near the center altar, seating under a row of stained glass windows for the choir and pews for church patrons.
He called out again.
This time a male voice answered. "Is someone calling?"
"Yes sir, it's I, Malcom Oldham."
"Oldham?" Now there's a family name I haven't heard in a very long time. How can I help you, Matthew Oldham?"
The voice belonged to a man of the cloth who was quite old and walked with a slight limp.
Malcolm struggled to recall the face but drew a blank. He surmised he should have been able to remember a small man of the cloth with a limp.
"You remember the Oldham family name?" Malcolm asked.
"Why yes. I should. My sister married an Oldham many years ago, Sarah Hixon."
"Sarah Hixon? That was my mother's name. But that would make you my uncle?"
"Yes it would make me your Uncle Charles Hixon. Your mother died in childbirth. Your father Jedidiah and I never spoke again after her death. That's why you never met me. I was in seminary school when you were born and sent off to a vicarage in Pennsylvania. St. George Vicarage located in Havertown. When the vicar here on block Island died, do you recall Vicar Lymon Eaton?"
"Yes. I do But I wasn't a regular attendant at services. I only remember he scolded me for my lack of attendance and disobedience to my father."
"I'm surrised your father had any religious interest."
"Why is that?"
"Because you see, he and my sister eloped against her parents' wishes"
This was infomation Malcolm never heard before. So his father and mother eloped. He wondered what else he didn't know about his parents.
"Did they have to marry/" Malcolm asked coyly questioning his legitimacy.
"Yes. But, it was actually your father who insisted on marrriage. My sister was not so enthusiastic about marriage though she had many eligible suitors who would have her hand in marriage."
"My mother was a femme fatale?"
"Not as much as that. Your mother was not what most males would call a ravishing beauty."\\ "Then why...""
"Our father Elizar Hixon was a very important man in government. He practically ruled the shipping, tourist and land development."
"So he had a lot of money?"
"Well, I wouldn't say a lot. But more than most who live on an island."
"So my man, what brings you to the vicarage today?"
"I'm looking for some information about a shipwreck, The Warrior."
Suddenly the vicar's face changed to a more dour expression.
"Did you check at the library?" Charles hixon asked.
"Yes. but I didn't find what I was looking for."
"And what precisely was that?"
"A man named Matthew Oldham. My father never mentioned him."
"I'm confused. Why do you want to know about Matthew Oldham?"
Malcolm reiterated the story about the tourist, the tiger eye ring and the supposed curse it had brought so many who had it in their possession.
"You know where that ring is?"
"Yes, it's in my safe over at my shoppe."
"You must get rid of it. It will bring you no good fortune. Throw it in the sea if you must. Just get rid of it."
Malcolm Oldham had no intentions of throwing such a valuable bauble into the sea. He was not a superstitious man and had no fear of curses.
"Did you know Matthew Oldham?" Malcolm asked.
"Yes. He was Jedidiah's twin brother believed to have been aboard The Warrior when it sank."
"What?????" "My father's twin?
"Yes. But he is dead. It was that ring that brought him and the Warrior down."
"How can that be?" Mlacolm asked.
"Matthew Oldham and your father both had been sailors. Your father became ill with influenza and remained ashore where he set up that antique business. When he met your mother and was smitten by her, he knew she came from a well off family. His brother Matthew remained at sea amassing quite a small fortune by making trades of valuable items he'd "gotten "access to" on his many trips.
One year Matthew came home from sea and saw my sister Sarah. The two fell instantly in love. But Jedidiah had already proposed marriage to her. In those days a woman who accepted a marriage proposal was bound to it or become a public disgrace. Matthew offered Jedidiah that tiger eye ring if he would release Sarah from her promise.
Matthew knew the ring was quite valuable. Jedidiah took the ring and sold it almost instantly but refused to release Sarah from her promise.
To make sure Matthew couldn't ever have Sarah, Jedidiah whisked her off and they eloped. My father was horrified but it was too late. Sarah was now the wife of a penniless antique dealer instead of the twin brother she loved so dearly.
Matthew Oldham cursed that ring and anyone who had it in their possession. When Sarah died as you were born, Jedidiah was sure it was the ring that caused her death.
"But you say he sold the ring."
"Yes he did. But when it caused so many deaths, buyers would return it terrified of its power. Now you say a tourist walked into your shoppe and wanted you to buy it?"
"Yes"
"What did this man look like?"
"It was hard to see his face. He wore a trench coat buckled at the front with an ivory buckle and a grey Fedora hat he kept pulled down over his eyes. He reminded me of an old photograph I saw in my mother's old photograph album."
"That man was Matthew Oldham. That's why he wanted you to have that ring. It was the only way he and my sister Sarah could marry. Matthew Oldham must have survived that shipwreck."
"But how can it be Matthew Oldham"
"It's why you found no gravestone out there in the graveyard. His death was always an assumption; but, there was no one who could certify it."
"So my father forced my mother into marriage by making her in a family way?"
"No."
"No???? Then what are you saying?"
"It was always suspected that the shipwreck wasn't just a result of a storm at sea but sabotage. There are ghosts you inherited that would be best not revealed, Malcolm Oldham."
"I have a right to know who these ghosts are."
"Are you sure you want to know?"
"Yes."
"Here on the island the old story of the shipwreck was that Jedidiah feared Sarah's child wasn't his but Matthew's. So when the shipwreck occurred it was naturally blamed on the storm. Not on a vengeance to stop two people who loved each other from marriage. That tiger eye ring was more than just a release of your mother's freedom, it was to keep Matthew from knowing he had a son."
"Me? I am that son? Then why try to sell me that ring?"
"He wasn't selling you that ring. As you said, he seemed desperate for you to buy and offered it at a very low price."
"I always wondered why my father and I were always so distant to each other. I thought perhaps he blamed me for my mother's death."
"The real curse of that ring was on your father. Now that it has surfaced again, Jedidiah can no longer keep its secret."
"I thought I recognized it when the tourist brought it into the shoppe. But I'd found it so long ago I wasn't sure it was the same ring."
"You didn't just "find" it. You were meant to find it."
"It was Matthew Oldham's only way of reminding your father of what he wanted to forget."
"Then who was that tourist?"
"Perhaps just a wandering ghost who needed to finish unfinished business."
Malcolm Realized he had only two choices: Dispose of the tiger eye ring as the Vicar suggested or disclose a wrong that jad been kept hidden for over a half century.
As he left the vicarage, he felt a sense nof foreboding. He would return to his shop and see if someone would buy the ring.
On the afternoon of his return, a storm was brewing. He hurried to buy a few things he thought he would need if the storm worsened.
It did. In fact, the wind howled like an evil demon hungry for destruction. Malcolm battened down the hatches and secured the shop. He knew the power would go out because it always did when a storm of this magnitude visited the Island.
He made certain he had a full supply of candles, dry firewood for the small fireplace in the anteroom behind the shop and enough canned goods and fresh water.
He settled down after a warm meal of salt cod and biscuits and a cup of hot cider. The sound of the howling wind created a hypnotic effect.
He removed the small velvet box with the ring inside it and tucked it in his sweater pocket. he patted it as if he wanted to make sure it was safe.
The next morning, Malcom's shoppe was gone. The raging sea had carried it and Malcolm out into the grasping waves. It disappeared aq sif it never exited.
Some say they see Malcolm's ghost searching for something on the beach.
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