The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-08-18
A Magdalen's Death.
\ THRILLING SCENE on \ FAIL RIVER
STEAMER.
lsOLA WORTH.


''Fisks is the Fall River line, is it
not?n
ayes; and the way he tries to beat
everybody else and make his the only
line TO Boston is astonishing. Why, Pll
tell YOU something about Fisk. One
day Just rs we were starting from New
York, a trim little girl stepped aboard
and took Il state-roOm, saying she was
going through to Boston. She wasn't
dressed loud, but mighty neat and rich,
wearing Il Turkish hat, velvet sack
trimmed with lace, a dress with lot of
scallOps and trimming around il, and
about the most bewildering foot ! ever
saw on human. She was pretty, sassy,
and called me 'Old father at supper, and
carried on in way that soon showed
what she was, though she deceived me
at first with her baby face and girIish
manners.
''She was standing on deck about !
O'Clock, after having Mortified the ladies
and amused the gentlemen by her
rOllicking manner, and became quiet for
a few minutes, while she looked far out
at sea. She turned round TO the captain,
and putting up her small white hands
and taking him by the whiskers on each
side of his face, she looked up to him,
and says she, very solemnly, Did you
ever want to die, Captain" We'll,
says he, Il don't think ever did, And
if YOU did, said she, what would YOU
do" We'll, in that case said the Cap
tain, loosing her hands and turning
away, Il think as I have plenty of op-
portunity, should jump into the Sound
and drown myself
'rhe words were hardly out of his
mouth before she turned round like n
flash, and putting one hand on the rail-
ing, leaped overheard. She was gone
before Il person could stir to catch her.
and a terrible scream arose from the
passengers who saw it.
al was standing aft when heard the
shouts, and looked out and saw her come
to the surface. She had taken off her
hat, and her splendid brown hair, which
she wore loose down her back, flOated in
. a mass on the water. / fancied she
looked straight at me with her girlish
face as she came up, and there was
nothing wild or struggling about her,
but she seemed to smile in the same
jaunty way that she did when she was
plaguing me half an hour before. In
another moment she was swept rapidly
astern and disappeared. We put about
and lowered the boats, but we never
found her.
at is strange how the women who
had been so shocked ut her conduct
before, now pitied and even wept for
the little girl when they found what n
load there must have been in the foolish
child's heart while she was laughing the
I lOudest.
''She had left a small reticule in the
cabin, and when we opened it we found
some verses, written in little cramped
hand, on a folded sheet of note paper.
They ran about this way, and were
headed:
"'A MAGDALES's DEATH
| 81 can no longer endure this pOlluting,
i This fostering breath:
Gladly / fly To the refuge that's left me
Merciful death:
Not sadly, tearfully,
But gladly, chcerfully,
60 To my death.
priests may refuse TO grant sanctified burial
There unto me.
Father, thank Thee! "a blessing is always held
over the sea.
Ave, in its widest foam,
Aye, in its thickeSt gloom,
Blessed Is the sea
Welcome, oh, sea, with thy breakings and
daShings
That never shall cease;
Down IN thy angriest, stOrmicst waters,
ON, hide me in peace,
say to the weary face,
Come 10 thy resting place,
Slumber in peace"