Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-03-14
Abandoned.

as we'll. Many will be the romances,
the dangers, the escapes and deaths it
will leave in the memory of the people
who live along the banks Of the Ohio.
One story of sorrow mas already come to
light, and is worth laying before the
readers of the Comier-Jour"at. The tale,
as told the reporter, is as follows:
A few miles from the town of Win
chester, Ohio, lived a fine-looking girl,
named Belle Guthridge. Her mother
and father are both living. About two
or three months ago she became enam-
ored of young adventurer, named
Charles Small, and by some kind of
promise she was induced to fly from
her home with him.
Together they went to Gallipolis,
Ohio, where he was furnished with va
rious articles of trade by the Hall
Brush and Broom Manufacturing Com
pany; with these articles he stocked O
small coasting boat, and proposed to
the poor girl to take sail down the
winding Ohio. A young fellow named
Frank Brown was hired by Small at the
rate of So day to accompany them on
their expedition, and help manage the
fishing boat" The young couple
expected to have gay time of it, and
for time their expectations were real
lied. They put up first at one town
and then at another. They had the
beautiful scenery and the moonlight
nights to assist in realizing the roman
tic. But Small was not all that the
lady's fancy pictured him to be. If
her story be true, and there is little
reason to doubt it, he was most de-
signing villain, and when the cold
winds blew and the storm ragged, he
was unable to " stand the racket" The
cold winds did blow and the storm did
rage when the party arrived ut Towhead
Island and anchored close to shore.
Here they remained for some time and
their condition became very pitiable.
Small saw that the bottom would soon
be knocked out of the romance of the
thing, and having more regard for the
safety of his own person than that of
the girl, he left the boat and his victim
few days ago in the dead hour of
night.
Yesterday, in order to make her con-
dition worse, Frank Brown left her
short time before daybreak. She was
in terrible condition as regards cloth.
ing and victuals. Early yesterday
morning John Stelsly and Jerry Ed
wards, Of this city. thought it would be
a good day to go hunting. They accord
ingly got their traps" together and
went down to the river Immediately
opposite Towhead Island. The ice
here was solid from the shore to the
island, and the two men crossed over
upon it. They had just begun to hunt
when they heard female voice scream
ing:
"Help! helpi save me-" It was
some time before they could find out
whence the voice proceeded. Eveptu-
ally they discovered that it came from
the direction of the coasting boat
moored at the head of the island. They
ran down to the river and saw young
woman standing upon the boat in her
stocking feet, apparently frightened to
death. The boat had been cut loose by
the masses of ice which had crashed
against it, and there was every posi-
bility of its being crushed into splint-
ers and of the girl being crushed to
death.
The gorge at that point was forty feet
high and the chunks of ice were grind
ing and cutting each other. Trees
along the banks were cut through as
easily as if circular saw were en-
ployed. The men hardly liked to ven
ture upon such perilous ground, as
there was a prospect of their being
killed in the seething ice. The girl
was pretty, however, and was menaced
by death. When did manliuess ever
refuse succor to beauty in distress?
They jumped out upon the gorge and
walked almost up to the edge. On the
other side of the boat they saw large
mass of ice bearing directly upon it.
Their hearts almost ceased to beat at
the sight of it. Instead, however, of
smashing the boat to pieces, it bore it
gently toward the shore and landed it
high and dry upon the land. A more
appalling sight than the ice presented,
Mr.. Stelsly says he never saw. Large
sheets of it, twelve feet thick, could
be seen rising perpendicularly and
turning over, after flashing their white
ness in the air.
The girl was found almost frozen and
nearly starved. Stelsly and Edwards
were greeted by a large crowd when
they took the girl to the shore. They
secured her lodgings in the house Of q
respectable family, where she will be
kindly cared for. She declares that
this will be a lesson which she will
never forget as long as she lives. When
rescued by the gallant hunters, she
was weeping bitter tears at the thought
of her pitiable condition and the par
ents who were mourning for her alb
sence. She said that they had not the
least idea in the world whittier she had
strayed.
Mr.. Stelsly will apply to Mayor Bax-
ter for pass to Winchester to-day, and
it is to be hoped that he will be able to
secure it for the unfortunate girl. A
lot of curry combs, brooms, etc., were
found on the little boat, and these will,
in all probability, be sold for the girls
benefit. Messrs. Stelsly and Edwards
deserve warm praise for mourning I'M
hesitatingly such a danger as they did.
They saw that death was impending as
long as they walked over the gorge,