Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-09-09

couraged by other short sentences in his
native language, which were in the same
way painted in huge letters and held up
to him
The afternoon slowly wore ont long,
hot, listless summer afternoon there al
Niagara, usually devoted to idling over
iced drinks in the shade Of the hotel
porches or parlors, but now cheerfully
given up to the assistance Of. err sympathy
tor, a fellow being. There were hundreds
in that crowd who, prompted bv that spirit
OF American chiyalry which is never
wanting among us, would have cheerful
ly plunged in to his rescue, could the act
have been any other than useless fOOlhard-
mess; and there were wealthy men there,
who went through the crowd under the
deepest sense OF emotion, Offering large
rewards to whoever would rescue him.
The telegraph had by this time, carried the
news far and wide the afternoon papers
in New York on this day cout3inedit, and
the afternoon trains from Buffalo and
Rochester came freighted with hundreds
more to view the peril Of tie poor Ger.
man for themselves.
The building of the second raft
progressed; but, although everything
was done to hasten it, darkness found
it unfinished, and the crowd unwil-
lingly dispersed for the night The ON
niscient alone can tell bow that Door, for
lorn soul passed the dark, droarv hours
that interviewed before morning -sleepless
from necessity-weary, lonely, with the
waters raging like unclaimed beasts all
around him, and the great abyss of terror
yawning almost at his feet. Some sweet
hope must have sustained him in That try
ing time, or the morning would have
found him dead there upon the rock OF
his dreadful exile.
Daylight came, and with it the eager
crowds fastening back TO their points OF
sight The incoming trains al, that day
brought more and more spectators, and
before noon the bridge was literally crowd
ed with them, leaving but small spacein
the centre for the worlmen with the raft;
and on either side the bank was lined
nay, packed-with spectators, There We're
thousands upon thousands present, all
eager, curious and yet sympathetic. Avery
! appeared as on the day before, still hope
llili CdtlI1 anu ulluhlll9 " ALNH lN SCllI
down 20 him, notioning with his hands
and arms, and watching all that was done
on the bridge and the shore.
The crisis of the excitement arrived
wnen, about the middle Of the second day,
| the second raft was launched from the
bridge upon the hurrying food. Strong
and willing hands held the ropes, and it
was cautiously lowered until il almost
! touched the spot where the CastaWly stood.
With bound he placed himself erect on
| the raft; and then arose such shout Of
rejoicing from the lips of that multitude
! that it was heard even above the roaring
| of the waters.
1t was short-lved Joy The ropes were
manned by all the hands that could find
place, and the raft struggled up a little
| way in the teeth of the rapids, and then
| furious volume of water broke over and
upon it, washing it from end to end, and
/ hurting Avery bodily into the rapids One
faint, desperate hope remained 60 him as
the irresistible current hurried MIN down
he might, by stout swimming, make the
! shore of Chapin's Island some rods below,
and to the west of him. Il was furious,
terrible struggle for life; and while the
| nulllluuc Hclu lllcll uitdtA dAu Lpphtt ollJ
| it seemed at first as though the man might
still save himself He almost reached the
shore of the little island but he never
gained it, Some said that the bush upon
which he laid his hand broke in his grasp,
others thought that his strength left him
| when few more strokes would have saved
him. He yielded himself to the fury of
! the rapids and an instant later his body
was hurled over the fatal abyss, amid the
shudoers and groans Of the heart-sick
/ spectators.
Those who were nearest the spot where
he went over were certain tia. his dying
/ shrek, full of the horror of despair, articu-
lated the name, Nary-Pacbard's Monthly.