Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-11-28
A RIVER MANS YARNS.
Incidents Along the Mississippps
Banks Recalled by an Eye Witness.

Incidents Along the Mississippi's
Banks Recalled by an Eye Witness.
81 suppose you have many strange ex-
periences on the river, captain?'
This remark was made to Captain Joyce,
of the steamer City of Vevay, the other
evening by an Enquirer man. The boat was
steaming down the river, following the
channel of the weakened stream with tire
some pertinacity, and the party of which
the captain and his questiOner made two
were seated on the hurricane deck, wishing
the moon would rise. The captain was OF
jovial turn and inclined to make matters as
pleasant as possible for those in his charge.
He used to be member of the Cincinnati
Fire Department way back in the SOS, but
forsook it for the water and during that
time has kept both eyes and ears open..
'Yes, we do" he said, in long deferred
answer. ''Now you gentlemen were speak
ing of 'fioaters' awhile ago. We find lots of
them and i'm all sorts of places. I'll never
forget, though. little thing that put the
laugh on ne here few years ago. We
were pushing along pretty lively and l was
standing out here forward. All at once /
saw something further over in the channel
that made me sing out to the pilot to stop
and back her i'm hurry. The men asked
what the matter was and said "a fiOater.'
Well, sir, we got alongside and what do you
think il was? Nothing but acOnfOunded old
aAnother time" he continued, after the
laugh had subsidized, Il remember l had
turned in early. Some days before a man
had been lost and $500 reward was offered
for the recovery of the body. You can bet
there was pretty tall looking out for the
door, and when asked who was there my
mate sang out: Cit up cap, for here comes
| that $780, got into my pants in hurry
and went out on deck. One Of the deck
hands had seen the thing floating along. We
drew alongside and then YOU ought to have
seen us get out of there, The 'foater' was
great big dead steer, and, phew! how it did
smell! We never saw the 5000.
| "Yes it's a pretty tough thing to get over
| board" he replied, in answer to another
| query. "You see, if anyone falls over we
are away down the river before the fact is
made known. Then it takes fully minute
| to stop her and a still longer time to back
M. so they've generally gone by the time
| we get there. OF course, we throw over the
Iife-preservers that we have here, as pre-
scribed by law; but it doesn't often do muct
good. I'll never fOrgeta case that happened
fully four years ago. A fine looking man
with full black beard, and handsome
90 to Cincinnati. | did not know it then
but learned afterward that he was takins
her there to have an abortion procured. i
wasn't but few weeks until they were OF
the boat again going home. The man
whom would like to throttle now, neve
L 49, ~ oil hut NJ !,
the forward end of the cabin, near the office
The ladies' cabin is place that / never g
myself, except once i'm a while, when Their
are no gentlemen, go back and dine wit
them for cOmpany's sake. Well, had NJ
ticed the lady sitting back there Lonesome
. like, and l have been sorry ever since that
didn't go and speak to her. We were we
on the down trip, when an old colored We
man came running to me: oh! capr
cap'p. fore God stop de boat, stop de boa
: Dat Young missus done jump overheard
, called out 10 the pilot, the same one that
. up there now, to check. stop and back he
, and then ian back. could see the wema
on ton of the water, but by the time we &c
there of course she was gone. had forgo
! ten all about the man until the clerk mel
, toned the matter to me. Then, sir, WEI
down Into the cabin. The fellow was sittin
, lust in front of the Office. Said l.: Are 20
with that lady@ What LADY, said n
L
Won paw her fare" Yes; amt she all right
: All iightr said !. why she's jumped owe
board
, well. he never said a word, and belieN
,, he was glad of it. IL l had known then VIII
knew afterward he would have seen som
trouble" and the captains face locke
(. ominOus.
He got off at MARYLAND and the girl
brothers threatened to kill him. The ola
that she jumped overheard was Tuesda
The next Tuesday, just one week from thu
time, as we drew uptO MARYLAND, she can
. floating along. Wasn't that queer? yclle
g at the fellow on the wharf boat to get
skiff. He said he couldn't, as they were
n locked up. Then jumped off and, takiI
. an oar, broke the staple off that holds Il
painter i'm the bow and we rowed out an
got her. All this time, her brother, your
4 man, was sitting on the bank, and when
e called out that she was there he just covert
a his face with his hands and never locke
. up. We laid her body out on the bank al
went on down the stream"
do you remember the name of the mi
Z, who was on the boat with her at the time
s mo. don't; but would know him an
d where saw him." Cincinnati Enquirer.