The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-08-16
THE CORPsE-vIs11ER.
BY WILLIAM CoMsTocK.

Its SIZE and population, since there
was q man seen about the streets of
the city who wds known by the omi-
nous title of tho Corpse. Finder
He followed the business of fishing
up the corpses of drowaed persons,
and was often observed saunterin:e
about the wharves, patiently waiting
for some person to fall into the water,
that he might turn an honest penny
by fishing him out after he was dead.
The relatives Of the defunct would
sometimes offer :. considerable sum for
the recovcry of the body, and our
hero drove a thriving business against
one or two rivals, whose skill and
whose apparatus for searching the
bottom Of the river were f:ar inferior
to his.
The corpse-fn,ler was a man below
themedium size, of meagre, crooked
person, and his natural dcformities
were rendered absolutely hideous by
the loss of his nose during childhood.
This unfortunate feature he lost when
about three years of age, by falling
into the fire. His dress correspondcd
with his natural ugilness; but his in
strunent for taking up bodies was
quite an ingenious continuance. 1t
consisted of a number of sharp hooks,
with heavy sinkers, all Of which were
attached to u long, slender chain. by
which it was lowered into the water.
When any person was drowned, lie.
seemed to know it instinctively, and
generally arrived first at the spot.
Sometimes his rivals would get there
as soon as he did. Then they waited
until some interested individual came
up. who would perhaps say:
Ten dollars for the body! Cash
down to the first man who grapples
;t!''
Then such scrabbling as there
would be to get their apparatus az
ranged and sink it into the waterl
The little man would start at the word
dollars ,as if IL shot had struck him,
and over went his grapplcs 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 us if he
could bite their heads off. He es-
teemed them as no better than anna
.teurs at the business-he was the only
regular workman.
Ii the body was there, our hero
would be certain to find it. Some
times he would hook an old rope OF
other rubbish that lay on the bottom,
and draw it carefully to the surface;
but, on discovering his mistake, he
hastened to remove it from the hook,
and get his instrument into the water
again, with d nervous eagerness that
was fairly distressing to the Observer,
his eyes flying; about in their sock
cts, rs he fixed them first on one Of
his rivals and then on another, fearing
they would get the prize before he
could come again to the search. Again
ne would draw up his chain-slowly-
carefully lly-and become more and more
anxious as the burden approached the
surface. He discovers it under water
1t is a large object. He trembles
with hope; it is now nearly up. 1t is
yes, it is the swollen carcass of d
human being-a fellow-mortal! His
hooks have seized upon the clothing
they have secured the prize most
beautifully-the money is his! What
transport glows in his blood-shot eyes!
Will triumph, ana SlanceS
scor9tuiy at his rivals. He looks
quickly to see If the man who offered
a reward is present. He is on the
spot. He turns up his weasaned face
at bis patron, and the two holes where
his nose should be expanded, and
looks more hideous than eve1. He
then looks down at the bloated BODY.
How brightly he regards the corpse!
1t is bis trophy-the visible evidence
Of his prowess. The money is paid
him. He looks around upon the by-
standers, as he puts it into his pocket,
as much as to say, (Which of you
shall [ have the pleasure of hooking
up neXt?" He buttons up his tattered
jacket, and without deigning to bestow
glance upon his discounted rivals,
gathers mp ms apparatus, goes strut