Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-08-01
EVENING STAR,
THE RPsE-FIsHER.
BY WILLIAM cONSrOcK


oInnouS title of the :. Corpse FiIderun
Ile followed the business of fishing up the
| corpses of drowned persons, and was often OBJ
served sauntering about tic whaves. patient
ly waiting for some person to fall into the
water, that he might turn an honest penny by
hShlnS him out alter he was dead.
The relatives OF the derucct would some
times offer a considerable SUN for the recovery
OF the body, and our hero drove a thriving
business against ore or two rivals. whose skill
and whose apparatus for searching the bottom
OF the river were far inferior IL his
Inc ccrpse-hnder WIS man below the me
dunn size, Of "A mea"re. crooked person, and
MS natural defOrmities We're rendered absO-
iuteiy hideous by the los Of his nose during
, chiidhood. This unfortunate feature be lost
Wnen about three years of age. by falling into
| the fire. HIS dress corrcsponded with his nat
ural ugllness; but his Instrument for taking
up bodies was quite an Ingenious co.trivance.
IL consisted OF Il number Of sharp hooks, Will
heavy sinkerS, ali of which were attached TO a
long, slender chain, by which Ii was lowered
,n,o the water. When any persen was drowned
he seemed to know it instinctly, aud gener-
lily arrived first at the spot Sometimes his
ri'~iS would get there rs soon as be did. Then
they waited until some interested individual
camp up, who would perhaps say
, Ten dollars for the body cash down to
the first man who grapplcs it -
linen such scrabbllng as there would be to
get their apparatus arranged and sink it into
the water, The little man would start at the
word ''dollars" as if a shot had struek him
and over went his grappes. Down they went
TO the bottom. Then he would draw his chain
| backwards and forwards, looking all the time
at the other candidates for the prize as if he
! could bite their heads off. He esteemed them
as 10 better than amateurs at the business-hc
was the only regular workman.
Ii the body was there our here would be
certain to lind 1t. Sometimes he would hook
an old rope or rubbish that lay on the bottom.
AMI draw 1t carefully to the surface; but on
discovering his mistake, he hastened to remove
II from the hook, and get his instrument into
the water again, with nervous eagerness that
wea fairly distressing to the observer-his eyes
lying about In their sockets, as he fixed them
hrst ON one of his rivals and then on another
fearing they would get the prize before he
could come again to the search Again he
would draw up his chain-slowly-carefu
and become more and more anxious as the
burden approached the surface. He discovers
| IT under watcr-it is a large object He trem-
bles with hope it is now nearly up. 1t is
yes, II Is the swollen carcass of q human be-
ing-a fellow mortal His hooks have seized
upon the cIothing-they have secured the
prize most beautifully I-tl.s money i ms,
lat transport 8l0ws In mis- bIood-shot eyes,
lie smiles with triumph, an1 glances scornfully
ct has - ais He looks quickly to SEQ if tie
man who "lerCd = reward il present He Is
on the SPOT. Hc turns up his ,asand face
Mt hls patron, ana the two holes whore his
nose should be expanded, and look more Ia
eou> than ever. He thea looks down at the
oioated body, How brightly Ia regards the
corpse II l. his trUphy-the visible evidence
Of his proves. The money is paid him He
looks around upon ,he bystanders and puts
II into his pocket, As much "a to say. :. Which
OF you shali l have the pleasure Of hooking
| up next - He buttons up his catered Jacket,
and without deiguiIg to bestow a glance upon
his discounted rivals, gathers up his appara-
tus, goes struttlng up the wharf with an air Of
conscious dignity, like n man VINO stands at
the head of his profession.
Ugly as this man was, and disgusting as his
trade must have appeared to every one but
himself, 1t was reported that he had a very
beautiful daughter-a girl of eighteen years
| endowed with lively scnsibilities, taste. and
talents. The wonder is not SO much that he
had beautiful daughter. as that be was ever
able TO procure u wife of any description. The
only recommendation that this iatoIera6ls
| creature could have brought TO the court of
Hymen was the fact that his wife would never
| endure the humiliation of hearing il said that
her husband had his nose RULED
1t was cool day in the latter part of Octo-
| bsr. Several cases of yellow fever had &C.
Sone had LETT the city. They were now return
ing; and among the friends whom greeted
on their arrival, was very fine young fellow
by the name OF Thompson. He entered my
office suddenly at about II o'clock, and threw
himself into the FIRST seat that offered.
Well, runaway" said L merTily, " wei
co;Ge back to Gothum. IkoTo your health
paused tor 3! observed that my friend Was
vely pale, and that he trem5ied violently [
looked at him Tor an explanation.
On B, said he, this world has lost
every attraction. L am fit for nothing-for 10
business And he burst into tears
Thompson. my dear fellow" cried /,
taking hlS hand, compose yourself. Surely
nothing mas occurred tE-t can warrant sucu
gloomy iorebodings IN one Oh Your brilliant
prospects.
II wish wa il my grave" " said he; and,
covering MS face with his hand. be wept out
right
L scarcely knew what to say. had know
Thompson fron cany boyhg He was not
Il m.u to give way to clIidi,.. grief and lis
Iears affected Inc deeply. Pephnp5 itwas well
L suffered too much To speak; for, Ifter he had
oivem way awhile To his pent-up dow IF soy
low, nc became more than his former {, f.
81 had become .scqupinled with a most
lovely and interesting young lady in Stlm-
ford, said he, - where / have spent he last
four weeks. We were even engaged 10 be
married, IL her father would yield bis consent,
OF which she did not entertain any doubt W
sailed together from Stamford in packet
we came in at Peck Slip-and this lovely gir!,
buOyant with joy at reaching the city once
more, sprang lightly from the dc'k To the
wharf. But, oh-God she just touched Tie
landing with the toe Of her beautifu. foot
and-and-fell backward into the dock W.
hastened to save her, but she sank-and, on
cursed fate that l should be here alive to
tell it,
lie told this sad tale in broken accents; and
when it was finished, wept again as if soul
and body would take their leave of each
other.
- If L could see her but once mOre-if
could but look upon her beautiful feature
again, though married by death-if could
but see her in a Christian grave-that might
visit the spot
Leave that to me, my dear friend, cried
L, as the cOrpse-fsher came up my TecOllec-
ton. :" / know of one who cannot fail to find
the body of the unfortunate girl 1t will all