Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-10-30
HE SAVED HER LIFE b
Exciting Fight Between an Old-time Pilst
~ and . Murderous Marine. 3i

Exciting Fight Between an Old-time Pilst
and = Murderous Marine. IT.
From the Nashville American. .a5
"steamboatin' amt what it usedter
be-" remarked the venerable pilot.
"And mighty few passengers nowadays,
since railroads are shortenin' every-
where" E,%# t.. ...r Z. y +: G5 .y
! have ventured to relieve the mo-
notony OF the river voyageby breaking
the rules in entering the pilot house,
and the above remark was in reply to
an interrogation about business on
the lower Alabama river. 5s,1l
We had lust passed the ancient town
OF Cahaba and were steaming up the
river toward Selma. JIG = - E.s55 -.
The grim old man was mussing 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 | was a young fellow like you
and had jest TUX charge of the wheel
on the Susie, whar ] had dubbed it I'M
der old Capt. Weir, things was movin'
briskly, I tell ye.'' =
by the way, Mr.. Peterson" said I,
what caused that. scar on your
head?"
"It I'D 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."
II warn't MORN thirty then. was
brlngln' 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'Fthe pilot
house and smiled at me. /, saw she
wanted ter come in, solup an invited
her in, takin' powerful to her from the
fust. AS soon as she told, me her
name I knowed at wiunst 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 thatun-
common interestin' like. She nd play
down on the deck with her dolls, an
look up at me an smile as sweet. I
jest worshipped that child, an never
TUX my eyes off her, 'ceptin' I had a
shoal or q 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
~ down his furrowed cheek as he re-
sumed: ~ -
Fright back here below Cahaba,
when come on watch, I saw 2fust
thing that innocent child-woman a.
playin' jest below me with her dolls.
Now, we war a-carryln' a crazy fellar.
chained down on the lower. deck up I'd
Selma, and he I'D be quiet part o the
time, then again he I'D take q power
full fit, and we war kind O. uneasy like
all the time for fear he I'D hurt some
body. Well, sir, I had just lit my pipe
and war looking twicet at the little
girl to wunst at the river, when all of
a suddint heard terrible fuss down
below, and afore [ knowed it that
crazy teller he'd come artarin' up the
hurricane deck and right to that
child, rushin' to her with his right
hand raised to hit her with a piece O.
chain still hangin' from it.. Great Je-
hosephat!' ] yelled land lit out o. tho
pilot house and doWnto 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'' mo 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 q
club Twas done up so bad I didn't come
to for week and was not well for q
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 a Congressman
OF a distant 6sate. She sends me every
Christmas a present, by way 9, re-
minding me that Isaved her life ss rs