The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-03-20

+, ly was disappointed If did not ind
one or more every week. As for valu-
ables on the bodies, you don't get much
nowadays. A man generally waits
until his money is all gone before COM
hitting suicide. If he falls overheard
and is drowned, he is nearly always
full and the land sharks leave
very little in the pockets of a
drunken man whose footsteps wander
around to the docks and the streets that
lead to them. To be sure, have found
money on a corpse, but not very often,
and unless the relatives are discovered
get nothing, as the money goes to the
city / recall one case, Jerseyman
who, after drinking more than was good
for him. walked off the Desbrosses
Street dock and was drowned before
assistance could reach him. / picked
up the body over by the Hoboken dock
and towed it across the river. The
police searched the body and found five
hundred dollars in the pockets and a
gold watch and chain. / was called to
the inquest and wasted two days on the
case. The relatives of the dead man
questioned me pretty hard and wound
up by giving me five dollars as re-
ward for my honesty as they called
it. They did not seem to think de-
served anything for finding the body
and towing it in. On another occasion
| was rowing along past the Spring
Street dock when 'longshoreman,
pointing TO something in the river,
asked me what it was. / told him 1
thought it was dead horse, and after
he had gone back to his work pulled
out to the object and found it, as sup
posed, body made one hundred
dollars by that days work.
Eyes, have often heard the state
ment made that the body of male
floats face up and female the reverse,
but il is not true. have found bodies
in every position, but the strangest case
| ever came across was that of man
who could not sink and yet was
drowned. He fell from the Canal Street
dock and some people saw him go over.
When he struck the water he lay there
face down for some seconds and then
was seen to try to turn himself over on
his back, but could not do it. i was a
little way up the river and a tugboat
Captain told me of the accident, and I
pulled as hard as could for the spot.
Some people showed me the direction
the body had taken and started in pur-
suit. overlook it little farther down
the stream and was surprised to find the
back of his coat perfectly dry. His
face was under water and in that way
he had drowned without being able to
help himself. / was never able to ac-
count for that case. Usually, when l
find body in curious position, work
out theory as to how it came so, but
that one was away beyond me. l have
given up looking for 'fioaters, as / sfn
becoming old and am not as active as l
was few years ago. Still, if run
against one l pick it up, for nobody
knows who may be watching for the
poor victims return to the home he will
see no more. Anumber of the bodies I
have picked up are venturesome swim
mers who, having gone beyond their
depth, lost their presence Of mind and
their knowledge of swimming at the
same time. The city authorities pay
small reward to the finder of bodies,
but ] never claimed it.
81 devote my entire time now to pick
ing up old rope and all kinds of junk.
l get five cents a pound for the rope,
and that is about the most profitable
find can have. Still business is pretty
good and l don't complain. have to
watch my boat carefully, for the river
rats steal any boat they find lying
around. / had one taken few years
ago. They sent it to the West Indies
and sold it there. never saw but one
suicide, and that was enough for life
time for one man. 1t was rather late
and was returning in my boat from a
profitable trip up the river and was
feeling pretty good. / lay on my oars
to let ferryboat go by. As she passed
] thought l heard scream but did not
pay much attention to it. From long
habit l keep my eyes on the water, and
on this occasion was looking at the
wake of the ferryboat when, without
warning, / saw white, frightened face
rise up right at my side. Twas startled
for moment, but long familiarity with
'fioaters' had made me callous, and
] swung the boat around and seized
the body, pulling it partly out of the
water. 1t was young girl, with the
saddest face have ever seen. She was
still alive and seemed determined to
drown herself, for as / attempted to
lift her into the boat she wriggled out
of my grasp and disappeared. lpulled
around allnight, nearly, looking for the
body and was at it again early in the
morning and toward noon found it up
opposite Fort Lee. The face of that
dead girl will come back to me as long
as memory lasts. / never found out
who she was, and the body was buried
IN Potter's Field along with the other
unknown dead.
/ 81 never work on Sunday, but al
ways go down to the docks and sit
around talking to any chance acquaint-
ance. l think you may learn some
thing from every man you meet, be he
OF high or low estate. The tramp can
sometimes teach the rich man how to