The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-07-18
From the N. Y. Times.]
The Dayton Affair.

Is it an outrage to attempt to save
young lady's life? This is the question
which is now troubling Mr.. Jas. r. Buck
ley, of Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Buckley loved
ayoung lady; he attempted to save her
from terrible death, and that migrate
full young person thereupon became ex-
cessively angry with him, and constantly
denounces him as a meddlesome idiot.
1t must not be supposed that Mr. Buck
ley was ever an accepted lover. He was
very attentive and painfully affectionate,
but the object of his alteration merely
tolerated him. She was a pretty girl,
with fondness for all innocent amuse-
ments, and he was a solemn young man,
who took the most serious view of every
thing. He knew very well that his suit
did not promise to be very successful,
but he would not abandon it, and had
vaguely hoped that in time his persever-
ance would be rewarded.
On Saturday afternoon last Mr.. Buck
ley called at the house of his beloved,
and was greatly disappointed to fnd.that
she had gone to spend the afternoon with
one of her most intimate friends. Itwas
about o'clock, and as he could not re-
peat his call until evening, he had
lonely and dismal afternoon before him.
In these circumstances he resolved to
take a solitary walk. There was grove
at no great distance, through which ran
quiet shady river, and which was little
freuuented by the people of the town.
To this grove he directed his steps, in
tending to commune with nature and to
read a pamphlet on the use of hyperphos-
pilates.
The day was excessively hot, and the
walk across the field was trying one
When Mr.. Buckley reached the grove he
felt that he must make an effort to solid
ify himself, and remembering deep pool
in the river, resolved to dip himself in 1t,
and thus partially coagulate his surface.
AS he neared the pool he was startled at
noticing a heap-or rather two heaps-of
what appeared to be miscellaneous dry
goods lying on the ground. Naturally,
he investigated them. and after much
meditation decided that they were the
clothes of two distinct ladies' OF course,
there were many things in the two heaps,
the nature of which he could not under
stand, but that four stockings predicated
two girls was a proposition too self evil
dent to be doubted.
Suddenly it flashed across his mind
that the owners of these garments had
drowned themselves. He grew pale in
spite of the heat as he felt that he was
on the brink of an awful tragedy. The
two girls must have rashly shaken off
their mortal clothes and thrown them
selves into the river. Anxious to gain
some clue as to their identity he hastily
examined one garment after another, and
was finally rewarded by finding the name
of his beloved object. He waited no
longer, but fed, at the top of his speed,
for help He thought it possible that the
girls might yet be resuscitated, and that,
at all events, their bodies should be re-
covered as soon as possible. In order to
make sure that his story should be cred
tied, he thoughtfully carried with him
the two heaps Of clothing and, with the
exception of the shoes and few small
articles which dropped from his arms as
he ran, he reached the piazza of the chief
hotel with his picturesque burden. Loud
ly crying that the two young ladies, whose
names he mentioned, had just been
drowned in the river, and calling upon
everybody to 60 and find their bodies, he
sank exhausted into chair, and became
in a moment the centre of throng OF
excited citizens.
The clerk in the drug store-the new
one at the lower part of the street-hap
pened to be present, and being remark,
able energetic young man, he at once
proceeded to action. You fellows" ex
claimed this born leader of men, "get
hot whisky and barrel to roll the gals
on, and I'll have the bodies by the time
YOU get there" He said, and straight
with dustdevouring feet. fled toward the
river. The rest of the male citizens OF
DAYTON followed him at slower pace,
and reached the grove fully five minutes
after him. AS they reached the outer
row of trees they were astonished by the
energetic drug clerk, who emerged from
the grove and bade them halt on peril of
IT, md Gil 70
neous questions, "Be they alive yet p
and "Have you got the bodies p he
deigned no immediate answer, but de-
manded to know "where that sulphuret-
ted idiot had left them clothes ?" Learn
ing that the clothes in question were
still at the hotel, he ordered that every
one should instantly return, and that the
clothes should be brought back to the
grove by some woman. "The gals" he
explained, "are all right, and it's my
opinion that the man that stole their
clothes, and left them soaking in the
creek while he went to set the whole viii
lage on them, deserves lynching.
OF course, it was unfortunate that Mr..
Buckley mistook case of unconvention-
al bathing for suicide but no one can
DENY that he meant we'll. How was he
to suspect the true nature of the affair ?
1t had never occurred to him that with
the thermometer at 970 two suffering G
young ladies might venture upon the
experiment of bathing in a sequestered
pool Even if the thought had come
into his mind, he would have died rather
than have investigated the matter. Be-
leving that the girls had committed sui
eide, he took the only course open to a
humane and bashful young man, and he
expressly says that had not the hasty
drug clerk disconnected his plans, he
would have sent none but ladies to search
for the bodies. Nevertheless, the two
young ladies have solemnly sworn never
to speak to him to their dying day, and
the one whom he SO devotedly loved
openly asserted that. had she had a
brother, that cowardly Buckley would
never have dared to insult her clothes.
1t is generally thought that she will
marry the energetic drug clerk, and that
Mr. Buckley will never again try to save
any woman, whether young or old, from
awatery grave.
A countryman seated himself at table
in Fulton Market, the other morning,
and took up the bill of fare. The first
1I..I a4,,,ol- auo uos ubo;lol