Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-12-23
Good resolutions. He joined them again.

good resolutions. He joined them again
resumiug his former couse of life, and
when the annual saturnaliu came round
he found himself, glass in hand, at the
table; when the President arising to
make the accustomed speech, began
with saying.
Gentleman, this being leap year, it Is
a year and a day since our last anniver-
sary, SO. The words struck upon the
young mans ear like a knell, but asha-
med to expose his weakness to the jeer
of his companions, he out the feast,ply-
ing himself with wine, and even more
Literally than usual, in order to drown
his intrusive thought, till in the gloom
of a winters morning, he mounted his
horse to ride home. Some hours after
wards, the horse was found with his sad
die and bride on, grazing by the T .ad
side, about half way between the city
and Mr.. BIS house; whilst a few yards
off lay tina corpse of his master.
Now, as / have said in introducing
this story is no fiction, the circumstances
happened as here related. An account
of it was published at the time, but the
copies vera bought up by the family.
Two or three, however, wers preserved
and the narrative has been reprinted.
TEACH Your CHILDREN TO SWIM
Levi Buck, a boy not IL years of age,
was one of the passengers in the burn
ing steamer Austria and saved his life
by swimming nearly an hour. The brave
little fellow is the son of Mr. s. Buck,
Of Washington, D. G. The narrative of
this child appears in the Washington
Star, aud is as Ineligible and interest
ing as the narratives of the adult sur
~vivors. He says:
1 was under the charge of my aunt,
who is about twenty-four years of age.
At the time the fire broke out we were
on deck; and the Captain was asleep,
. I'd they walked him up, when he rush
ed upon deck and exclaimed, Children
we are all lost "a The Captain then
stripped off his coat and jumped over
board. There was great excitement
among the passengers, and they tried to
get the fire buckets, but they. could not
as the buckets were all fastened and
could not be got loose.
The life boats were filed with the
passengers while they were still hang
ing at the ships side, and the ropes
which held them were cut, which plung-
ed boats and all into the sea. So great
was the rush that my aunt and I were
separated, and a man by the name OF
Pollock was hanging to the chains OF
to him. I then tried to reach him, and
I was hurried over the heads and shout
ders of the throng, who were uncertain
which way to go. I slipped down the
chains and clinched upon Mr.. Pollock's
neck; and then I held fast for about an
hour, when my shirt caught fire. / was
all the time holding by Mr.. Pollock'z
hair. When my shirt was on fire Mr..
Pollock said, "my boy, we must Co.
as he plunged into the sea with me
| elinging to him. As we struck the wa
ter I lost my hold of him, and swan
about for nearly an hour, when I was
taken up by the boat of the Maurice,
| and about an hour and a half afterwards
Mr.. Pollock was picked up by n of
the boats of the Maurice. When I was
cliDging to Mr.. Pollock's neck the mag
azine exploded with a terrible noise, and
I saw many persons flying in the air.