The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-12-25
HE SAVED HER LIFE.
Exciting Fight Between an O1d-time Pilot
and Murderous Marine.

and Murderous Marine.
From the Nashville American.
"Steamboatin' amt what it used ter
be-" remarked the venerable pilot.
"And mighty few passengers nowadays,
since railroads are shortenin' every
where"
Ihave ventured to relieve the mo-
notony of the river voyage by breaking
therules in entering the pilot house,
and the above remark was in reply to
an interrogation about business on
| the lower Alabama river.
We had Just passed the ancient town
of Cahaba and were steaming up the
river toward Selma.
The grim old man was muging in
retrospection, his hand mechanically
grasping the wheel and his eyes look
ing ahead from force of habit.
"Yes," he continued presently, "the
trips are mighty tame to me now.
When I was young fellow like you
and had jest TUX charge of the wheel
on the Susie, whar I had dubbed it TN
der old Capt. Weir, things was movin'
briskly, tell ye."
"By the way, Mr.. Peterson" said l.,
"what caused that scar on your
| head?"
ssIt nd take a long time to tell ye all
about it, he replied, "but if you're a.
mind to set there an listen when !
amt busy, why the yarns yourn.''
"I warn't morn thirty then. I was
bringin' up a new boat full O. passen-
gers. We were still in sight O. Mobile
when curly-headed, bright-eyed child
kun tin1idly to the door O. the pilot
house and smiled at me. I saw she
wanted ter come in, so Iup an invited
her in, takin' powerful to her from the
fust. As soon as she told ma her
name knowed at wunst all about
her. Her father had been dead only
little bit before Security debts TUX
about all they had and she and her
mother was goin' up on the boat to
her grandpa's plantation. Well, sir,
you'd a. loved that child the mint
your eyes sot ON her, she were that un-
common interestin' like. She I'D play
down on the deck with her dolls an
3ook up at me an smile as sweet.
Jest worshipped that child, an never
TUX my eyes off her, 'ceptin' I had a
shoal or snag to keep away from "
Here the cid mans eyes grew misty
1 and the sweep of his shirt-sleeve failed
4 to intercept a tear that trickled slow
! ly down his furrowed cheek as he re
| sumed:
Fright back here below Cahaba,
when I come ON watch, saw fust
thing that innocent child-woman a.
playin' Jest below me with her dolls.
Now, we war a-carryin' a crazy fellet
chained down on the lower deck up to
Selma, and he nd be quiet part O. the
1 time, then again he I'D take a power
i full fit, and we war kind O. uneasy like
Il all the time for fear he nd hurt some
Il body. Well, sir, had just lit my pipe
i and war Hooking twicet at the little
Il girl to wunst at the river, when all d
i suddint Z heard terrible fuss dowr
Il below, and afore I knowed it that
Il crazy feller he'd come artarin' up the
j hurricane deck and right to thai,
child, rushin' to her with his right
hand raised to hit her with piece o
tschain still hangin' from it. Great Je
yelled, and lit out O. the
Egoilot house and down to the deck, and
I Eyellin' to the child to run, grabbed
This arm in time to save her the death
blow. I thought 1 was stout, but that
demon handled me like a straw. He
had me down an a beatin' me with
that awful chain, the first lick knock
in the sense out O. me. By the time the
deck hands had keeled him over with a
club Twas done up so bad l didn t come
to for a week and was not well for a
month. The lick he got hardly faxed
him long enough ter be chained agin.
About the girl, you say? Oh, yes; she
1 grew up to be the belle o. the country
and is now the wife of a Congressman
of a distant State. She sends me every
Christmas a present, by way O. re,
minding me that saved her life.''