Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-02-19
A Danbury Fact.

If the following accident were an in
ventiOn ii would be remarkable because
Of its fertility but being an actual fact it
is simply extraordinary; we don't pretend
to explain why the hero pursued The
course he did, but that the whole is simply
a fact several excellent persons can attest.
1t illustrates one thing III particular, and
that is that there are more ludicrous events
happen daily than the most sanguine
journalist can invent Mr. A. Robinson,
a halter, whom our DanDury people know
to be a good-sized man in spectacles, was
in New York recently on business. Al
though he went down on the cars in the
morning, he concluded to come up to Nor
walk by the boat and for that purpose re
paired to the pier on time. He had with
him IA large and heavy bundle and an
equally heavy valise-one in each hand
On arriving on the boat it suddenly oC-
CURED to his mind that the boat at the
next pier might be the Norwalk boat. 1t
might have occurred to another party that
the surest way to find out would be to ask
one of the deCk-hands. However, the
idea did not strike Mr.. Robinson. He de
termined to board the other boat at once,
and leaving the bundle, which now APP
peared to weigh a ton, he retained the
valise and visited the other boat. Here
again he was uncertain he was right, and
here again another might have inter
viewed one Of the officials. Much puZ-
zled by the similarity of the vessels, Mr
Robinson set down his valise on the sec
Ond boat with some veXation, and going
ashore he proceeded to do what, viewed
in the most charitable light, appeared 10
be very extraordinary performance,
He climbed up on pile Of lumber. This
pile of lumber lay between the two
boats, and from its summit Mr.. Robinson
eApected-So he says-tO take Il general
view of both vessels, and SO determine
which was the most entitled to his conf
dence. Climbing a lumber-pile in ones
best suit of clothes and IN q strange
neighborhood is no tritling undertaking
So Mr.. Robinson speedily discovered,
Despite his utmost caution, Mr.. Robinson
several times scraped his shinS, and once
narrowly escaped splitting his nose open
but he persisted in his efforts and in due
time made his appearance at the top, very
red in the face and very short for breath.
Adjusting his spectacles ne brought them
to bear on the boats, and as he did so
thrill of horror shot through his brain
Both boats had cast off their tastenings
and were moving away from the piers
Mr. Robinson stared at them with all his
might as if he was in a horrid dream.
But it was no dream, Just as plain as
The sun above his head was the
fact that one vessel was moving away
with his bundle and the other starting
ont with his valise. He took off his hal
and swung it, and stamped up and down
on the boards, and shook his fist at ran
dom, and shouted and cried and screamed
and sobbed, but it was no use Steam
boats are not turned aside by fat men in
spectacles dancing on top Of lumber
piles. Mr.. Robinson fumed and pranced
around until the boats were out of sight
and an immense crowd of people had
gathered about, and were ewing his dis
tress with the most lively interest Then
he got down from the pile, ard, smashing
his hat down on his head, modify stalked
to the depot.-DdR6lJy NecS.