The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-17
PRESENCE OF MIND.

IEAfMING,
Committee.
Nov, 16, 1854.

Bill Nye's Unlimited Stock of Goodness in
Great Emergencies.
"Bill Nyc," in the Courer-Journal.
Presence of mind is a very rare quality indeed.
How few of those we meet, though apparently
cool and perfectly self possessed know just
what to do in an emergency. 1t is good thing
to have active mind, well stored with useful
knowledge, but sometimes it is better to have
less expansive style Of mind and have it calm
and unrufled at a time when it is needed
A friend of mine once put large red poker
chip in the church plate by mistake. Few
people would have known what do; but
he just went to the pastor after the services
We're over and said that he had the money
with which to redeem that chip. He told
the ministersthat the chip was worth So up town,
and he would cash it Mt that price. The preacher
took the 30, and said he always knew that these
little red souvenirs came high, hut he didn't
know they were so expensive as that.
Another friend of mine who had no presence
of mind whatever, went to picnic and by mis-
take sat down on a baby that was asleep under
a shawl in the shade of outrageous tree.
breaking its nose-the child's nose, l mean. He
was candidate for the Legislature, and did not
wish to offend the mother or lose the vote of the
father, so he tried to turn the thing off as joke
by saying he didn't nose it was there.
He was terribly showed under at the polls, and
he deserved it, too
| am rather cool in a great emergency. Some
years ago there was shooting ARRAY in front of
my Office which terminated fatally and no doubt
1t would have been still more so if il had not
been for my cool selfpossession and undaunted
courage.
The city editor Mr. Barrow was Just read
ing me column puff in type of a new bank, and
was carefully revising his grammar with a
large mallet and chisel, when we heard u shot i'll
front of the Office.
l said, Barrow, that's shot" He said he
guessed not, and went on reading the puff
Pretty soon some ore said "bang7 again.
In loud tone of voice and about forty-four
- r
printers and all L saw that l couldno get down
the stairs in time to get shot, l rushed out on
the balcony and found myself directly over the
shootists. Windy Smith was underneath and
had no weapon, while a gambler was on top,
armed with beautiful pearl-handled, self-cock
ing Smith & Wesson baritone soloist worth
about $23, including freight.
There was a crowd of perhaps hundred men
standing around near by. Not too near but
just near enough. No one seemed to know what
it was best to do. Everyone saw at once
that it wasn't right for those men
to be shooting at each other and per-
haps giving needless pain, but no seemed
to have any presence of mind That was the
state of things when 1 'ame proudly forth upon
the balcony. l saw whaL must be done.
Gentlemen" said |, in tones that rang out
like bugle call, take that mans gun away.
Can't you see that if you don't dlsarm the gam
bier he is going to kill some onel
Then there was a slight pause. during which
everybody seemed to be perfectly willing that
the gambler should be dsarmed. Finally, see
ing that each man seemed TO be waiting for the
other / called to tall, slim man who stood
right under me, and told him to take away the
gamblers revolver; but he said mo-" he was
only stranger in town, and the gambler was
total stranger to him. He wasn't acquainted
with any one, and he didn't want to seem
ofieious
But didn't lose my selfcontrol l kept call
ing on different ones to disarm the gambler until
finally Baswell, the sheriff, came along, and he
did as | suggested
Ofcourse Smith died of his wounds, but re-
member the thousands of other lives in the town
that were saved by this cool, brave act And
still would do it right over again if the cir
cumstances were the same.
Some of my friends say that though brave, I
am little rash. One dear friend who knows
me best and who is very closely related to me
by marriage, says that l am 50 rash that l would
rush in where angels fear to tread" L wonder
if she means anything personal by that.
HUDSON, Wis, Nov BILL NYE