Coast Guard On High Alert Following Rescue Of Missing Man

Reports from the scene of a dramatic rescue at sea indicate that one of the four missing men lost in the Gulf since Sat. night has been safely transported to a Tampa hospital. Initial interviews with the man are sketchy at best, but interviewers are troubled by his story that they were boarded by armed men, who demanded all their valuables and any "wenches" on board.

When the intruders found little of value on the boat, they became incensed and were calmed only when the men introduced themselves as professional football players. The survivor, Nick Schuyler, claimed that the raiders took the other three men and left him to collect ransom money for their safe return.

To bolster his claim, Schuyler had in his possession a handwritten note on what appeared to be a piece of parchment paper that read:

BE THEY ALIVE OR BE THEY DEAD,
THEIR LIVES NOW REST UPON YOUR HEAD;
PAY US WITH SILVER OR PAY US WITH GOLD,
FOR IF YE DON'T, THEIR FATES BEEN TOLD.
IF THEY BE BUCCANEERS AND RAIDERS LIKE THEY SAY,
THEY'RE SURE TO HAVE TREASURE ENOUGH TO PAY.

The note was signed simply, "Jack."