The Nevada journal., 1856-03-14
A Mississippi Scene.

A mississippi Scene.
LOVE ON SrEAMBoAT-Srn,-cr,or
MARRIAGE-BoArMEN' JUsrIcE.-The St
Louis Herald tells this story
A week or two ago, the good steamer
Helen Marrow ice-bound at Rattlesnake
landing, twenty miles below this city-wa.
the scene of one of those little romance.
which will sometimes occur in spite O
llfe's dull realities. We state the facts a.
related to US by passenger
The Helen Mar was bound down th,
Ohio for this city. At Paducah, young
man from Tennessee came aboard, and
took passage in the cabin He was from
the country, and, being away from home
with pocket full Of rocks" he was not
long IN making the acquaintance of all on
board, from the tiremen to the captain
Among the passengers was young girl OF
seventeen, to whom the Tennesseean paid
marked attentions, and it was evident. that
she was not Indifferent to his blandish-
! fnents.
lhe ice was running thick in the river.
as the Helen Mar turned her bow I'D the
Mississippi, and her progress was slow
The young Tennesseean would frequently
Join the circle gathered around the stove.
but presently paid all his attentions to the
young lady. Presently, she seldom ap-
peared in the ladies cabin, and her step.
recently as light as an antelope's was heavy
and slow; her check was pale, and her
eyes dim and swollen. Tears were seen
to steal from under her fringed eyelids.
and it was whispered that sobsEdeep.
heart-broken sobs of anguish and despair
were heard from her state-room in the
silence of night, when others slept.
1he boatman began to suspect that some
thing was wrong; they canvassed the mat
ter among themselves, and resolved upon
an investigation. The Trailer vessel being
leaky, they determined to overhaul her and
discover the cause. With that delicacy
characteristic of Western boatmen. thew
said nothing to the girl herself, but called
upon some of the lady passengers to inter
rogate her.
The girl was young and artless. With
tears and sobs she had yielded to the
young mans opportunities, and had fallen
from virtue. She blamed him not. how.
ever, but took all the blame upon herself.
1t was about 10 o'clock at night when
this fact was communicated to the crew
and passengers composing the 'court of
inquiry" They were not long in making
up their verdict. Their decision was. that
the two crafts should be lashed together.
The Tennesseean was arraigned before
the imperative tribunal, and made acquain-
ted with the sentence. He had to take the
girl or be left high and dry on sand-bar,
where he would freeze to death in less
than hour. He "caved in" at once--said
he was willing to do what was right, and
would make the wronged lady mistress Of
his plantation in Tennessee. The girls
consent was also obtained, and the next
step was to find "blacksmith" to do the
welding. There was no one on board au,
thorised to otficiate on such interesting oc-
casions, and about midnight the boat was
landed at Chester, on the Illinois shore.
and messenger despatched to procure a
parson or Justice of the Peace. A JUS
tiee was found, jerked out of bed, and
marched down to the boat, rather against
his will, and the marriage ceremony in the
Sucker State being exceedingly brief, the
deed was done in less than two minutes.
Having piloted the two crafts safely in
to port, and tied them up snugly together,
the jovial boatmen resolved to shave a
night of it." After drinking the health Of
the bewildered justice, they sent him ashore
and re-organized the court as a board OF
commissioners to assess damages. The
The proceedings on this occasion were Of
the most mirth-provoking character. Our
informant says they were indescribably
amusing. Many proposals were made to
lnfiict some ludicrous sort of penalty upon
the bridegroom, and the speeches deliver
ed were highly honorable to the bar of the
steamboat. 1t was finally agreed that the
young man should pay fine, census-ta-
ker was appointed to count noses, and a
clerk to figure up the costs. The sentence
was, that the happy fellow should pay FOUR
DOLLARS AND HALF, in legal Illinois cur
rency-coon skins excluded-to be expen-
ded in spiritual comforts for the benefit OF
the honorable court. The finding of the
court was announced with a preliminary
30 yes! through the key-hole of his state
room door, and he was ordered, under
threats of divers pains and penalties, to
''shell OUT
The last we heard of the newly married
couple, they were snugly domiciled in ele-
giant apartments at Barnum's st. Louis
Hotel-having made the trip by land from
the point where the Helen Mar was fro
zen in.