St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-05-26
A NARROW ESCAPE.
~ Thrilling Adventure with Z
Dangerous Maniac.


the river were very like those which
may be seen when the moon is full and
low in ihc heavens. The Ohio was
the color of dull steel for the most
part and the little specks of darker
gray upon its breast were slabs Of
lce slowly sailing with the current.
The shadow of the low hills frinSed
with trees. between whose trunks and
laced boughs the last faint food of
daylight strcam,d from the west. fell
hard and black upon III, farther shore
OF the river. Only tho reflections OF
the trees upon the hill-lops made the
nearest limit of the shadow . little
blurred
Up the river you could see the
orange glow of the gas flambeaux and
the ruddicr bl:ze Of the forges begin
ming to paint the sky. Down the
river a great mist sad-colorcd, like a
Quakcrs coat. swallowed up the river
AMI made its margins faint and
war. There was hardly dash OF
checrfulness in the whole landscape.
The few houses in sight had their eyes
shut; through their windows came no
wclcom, streams of yellow light.
It was all sad and gray. and very
STILL The crunching of small ice foes
with their stationary fellows caught in
the shadows and held tight by the
shore ice was the only sound.
As 1 stood watching the evening
wrap the valley and blot out all tina:
was good 10 look at in the view over
land and water. and after had made
about seven hundred and seventy
seven comparative calculations on the
time Of day and the time according 10
the Fort Wayne railroads edict. and
being tolerably nervous and irritable
as was was surprised 10 hear a
voice of unusual depth and hollowness
exclaim. almost in my ear: "Why. the
mans crazy!'
Qaite an astonishing occurrence. if
you will be pleased to remember that
was standing on a decidedly lonely
way station between this city and
Sewicklcy.
turned around and found myself
lace 10 face with = thick. sturdy fell
low. whose scrubby. black beard at
once impressed me rs the most re-
markable part of his make un He had
pair of bright restless eyes and
were his hat SO far tilted back on his
head that could make out he had a
square forehead and plenty Of dark.
curly hair.
''Were you speaking to me?" said l.
Yes" he answered. 'look at that
boat out there; if he's aiming at cut
ting new channel for himself he's
all right; but that man'll be aground
in a couple of shakes of alamb's tail !"
And then l noticed for the first time
that n tow-boat had just rounded the
bend. the outline of which was now
nearly lost in the darkness. and was
coming down closely hugging the
south shore. She had tow evidently.
for the red and green lights fickered
far ahead of her bows; nav. looking
more steadily you could sec a man
form picked boldly out in silhouette
against the boats furnace. He was
standing. it appeared. i'm the air one
hundred feet ahead Of the boat; but
of course he really stood upon the gun
vale Of one Of the barges Still the
black profile of the boatman was un-
pleasantly spectral
lobserved that it was getting very
dark. Before. hal merely hoped in
mild sort Of way that the train
which was to take me to town would not
be abnormally late. Now suddenly
made up my mind that had to be at
the Office as quickly rs possibly. As
said before. the darkness was getting
palrablc. the landscape spectral. and
the strange man with the short scrub
by beard and the bright. ever-moving
eyes was talking on at a prodigious
rate about the crazincss of the pilot on
that tow.
To put it mildly. l was slightly
scared.
l moved away from the sturdy
stranger not quickly but by degrees
He was stlll talking. and TIM sorry to
say that his language was not choice.
1t was forciblc and fiery. and if tha,
pilot in his little castle on the hurri-
cane deck. which looked SO warm and
luxurious. could have heard what this
odd creature was saying about his
family and his way of bringing up he
would have taken chances. l believe,
and s'eered ashore. just 10 wipe TIE
ear;h with his traducer.
But the boat went calmly down The
stream, , tFssted liae Of light proceed