New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-10-28
HE SAVED HER LIFE.
Exciting Fight Between an Old-ti Pilot
and Murderous Marine.

AAI SAA LII
Exciting Fight Between an Old-time Pilot
and a 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 ofthe 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 lust passed the ancient town
OF Cahaba and were steaming up the
river toward Selma
The grim old man was musing in
retrospection, his hand mechanically
grasping the wheel and his eyes look
ing ahead from force of habit.
EYES," he continued presently, ''the
trips are mighty tame to me now.
When | was a young fellow like you
and had jest TUX charge of the wheel
on the Susie, whar had dubbed itun-
der old Capt. Weir, things was movin''
briskly, tell ye.'
"By the way, Mr.. Peterson" said T,
''what caused that scar on your
head?"
"It I'D take a long time to tell We all
about it, he replied, "but if you're a.
mind to set there an listen when j.
amt busy, why the yarns yourn."
81 warn't morn thirty then. | was
bringin' up new boat full O. passen.
gers. We were still in sight O. Mobile
when a curly-headed, bright-eyed child.
kun timidly 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' powerfulto her from the
fust. AS soon as she told me her
name knowed at wunst all about
her. Her father had been dead only
a 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 nd play
down on the deck with her dolls an
look up at me an smile as sweet.
jest worshipped that child, an never
TUX my eyes off her, 'ceptin' | had a
shoal or a snag to keep away FROM
Here the old mans eyes grew misty
and the sweep of his shirt-sleeve failed
to intercept tear that trickled slow
| ly down his furrowed cheek as he re,
sumed:
1 Fright back here below Cahaba,
when l come on watch, l saw, fust
thing that innocent childwoman a.
playin' jest below me with her dolls.
Now, we war a-carryin' a crazy Teller
chained down on the lower deck up to
Selma, and he nd be quiet part o. the
time, then again he I'D take power
| full fit, and we war kind O. uneasy like
all the time for fear he I'D hurt some.
body. Well, sir, l had just lit my pipe
and war looking twicet at the little
| girl to wunst at the river, when all OIL
a suddint heard a terrible fuss down
below, and afore | knowed it that
crazy Teller he'd come a-tarin' up the
hurricane deck and right to that
child, rushin' to her with his right
hand raised to hit her with piece o.,
chain still hangin' from it. Great Je-
hosephat!' l yelled, and lit out o. the,
pilot house and down to the deck, and,
yellin' to the child to run, l grabbed
his arm in time to save her the death
blow. | thought | was stout, but that
demon handled me like straw. He.
had me down an 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 didn' come
to for week and was not we'll for a,
month. The lick he got hardly faxed
him long enough ter be chained agin..
About the girl, you say? Oh, yes: She
grew up to be the belle o. the country
and is now the wife of Congressman
OF distant State. Shesends me every
Christmas a present, by way O. re-
mlnding me that saved her life"