The weekly echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1868-1876, 1876-03-23
THOMASSEY.
Personal ReeoIlootions Of he Dynamite
Fiend by Don Pidtt

As time wears on that curious menta
process called memory, left to ITSELF re
calls many events connected with oui
pleasant roommate, the dynamite fiend
Thomassen. There was one singular fac
connected with the affair that we would
wish 10 have explained. We remember
on leaving Liverpool, being somewhat
discontented at finding ourself in the
same state-room with another passenger!
while two or three state-rooms were va
cant. Making our trouble known to the
purser. he Gained us by saying that after
! leaving Queenstown we would have the
room to ourself. Why he should say
this we never learned; but the day after
our stop at Queenstown the purser gave
us the choice of room yet vacant, and
we left Thomassen to the enjoyment OF
the premises alone.
In slowing away our luggage we were
struck with the quantity Of parcels our
roommate had to arrange, and among
the Others, if memory serves us, we're two
queer-looking boxes that would not go
under the berths, and were noticed be-
cause so much in the way. These, we
have since learned, disappeared shortly
after leaving Queenstown, and doubtless
one was the deadly clock, wound uPand
adjusted for the ships destruction, had
our roommate succeeded in securing The
insurance he sought in Liverpool.
We were putting our part Of the room
in order the chill, dull, rainy afternoon
we sailed from Liverpool, when Thorn
assen entered. Mr.. Colchester, the agent
at Liverpool, had informed us that our
roommate was a very agreeable gentle
man, and we found him man six feet
in height, powerfully built, well dressed,
and face from which hair and whiskers
were brushed back, clearly shaver, that
showed as pleasant a CountenanCe as one
cared to meet. He greeted us kindly,
pleasure at having us as a
roommate, and taking from his valise
box of not the choicest cigars even from
not only invited us to smoke,
but said the box would be found open
upon the shelf for our use so lOLg as the
cigars lasted. We told him that sea-
sickness put stop to that comfort on
our part; whereupon he informed us
that he had crossed so frequently and
been at sea so much that he did not know
any difference in feeling between land |
and water
1T must be very rough" he said,
'when l cannot shave myself every |
He retired early and, near as we could |
observe, slept the sleep of peace and in
nOcence. AS we were given another room,
we next saw our companion, to notice
lim, upon deck laboring under some ex-
element. He told us that the captain
lad insulted him in the grossest manner,
md when the vessel reached New York,
where they would be on an equal footing,
le intended having it out with him. 1t
GEMS that Thomassen had BEEN smoking
lpon deck and spat upon the painfully
lean planks. The captain, a very pre-
Use and somewhat dyspeptic officer, APP
,roached and said:
"What do you do that for, sir, when
he ocean makes the largest sort of
pittOon all around you? Ladies walk
his deck, sir"
ThOmassen made no reply to this
Ough demand, but his face indicated an
gly future for the captain. They
oemed to have made it up, however
Or afterwards we saw the two in close
pacing the deck together.
During the passage q mock trial was
nd in tho smoking-room, and while we
resided as judge, Thomassen acted as
brennan of the jury. The case was
breach of promise, brought by a colored
laiden against Hebrew, and we had the
IN incident to such affairs on shipboard.
We do not remember the verdict brought
by ThOmassen, but it was greeted with
laughter.
While amiable and pleasant in his
ianner, there was a certain reserve that :
'pelled intimacy. We observed that he 3
as much given to walking the decks
one, and one night, when blowing