The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-05-25
OVHRYAKBN.
]. IL, coSNELLY.

burgh to Cincinnati couple OF years be
fore the war, had hardly thrown hel
gangplank out to the Wheeling levee
when gentleman who seemed to have
been awaiting her rlyalhuried aboard
accompanied by heavily yelled lady
and a little girl, apparently some o or q
years old, whom he carried. He was
recognized by some Of the persons on
the cabin deck guards as Colonel
Archibald Lee, well known river
gambler, and was presumably accom-
panied by his family,
After supper the woman retired to her
room, while he got into game Of poker
in the forward cabin aud played pretty
late for high stakes, winning q consider
able sum. About 2 o'clock the game
broke up, and he retired,
At daybreak the next morning, in q
thick fog, the Ohio Belle grounded hard
fast on a bar, somewhere between the
mouths Of Kanawha and Big Sandy. 1t
was an annoying fact, certainly, but up.
parently more so to Col. Lee than any
body else. lie was too nervous to avail
himself OF the lucky chance for Fleeing
his fellow passengers,
The Bellies fuel supply had been pref.
ty exhausted in her efforts to work of
the bar and her captain deemed it ad.
Ylsable To replenisll at wood yard near
the mouth OF the SCioto river, which
was reached late in the evening. "Wood.
up" made u very animated aud piCtur-
esque spectacle, which all the cabin pas.
sengers OF course, went out OH the
guards to admire. BY the ruddy light
OF the two great fires Of bituminous coal,
burning in iron baskets at the bow OF
the boat, they saw an endless chain OF
singing darkeys carrying the wood on
their shoulders from the bank to the
boat. There was no confusion, but
everywhere anxious haste, for the Belle
was already seventeen hours behind her
schedule time.
In all that excitement nobody noticed
that among the last darkies to run up
the gang plank with a load OF wood was
a stalwart white man, who did not be-
long among them, and who quickly dis.
appeared somewhere on the boiler deck,
as soon as he got aboard. Had not his
face been well shaded by his SLOUGH hat,
somebody would have been certain To
recognize him US Ransom barley, well
known along the Ohio river as "The
Giant Flat Boatman."
Darleynext appeared on the guards In
front OF the cabin, where, after peering
inside for few minutes, he caught q
passing cabin boy, whispered some words
to him and put money in his hand. Then
he went below to the boiler deck again
without attracting any attention.
Col. Lee, seated at the card table, and
in excellent spirits, now that the voyage
was resumed, had Gust passed OUT on
that particular deal, when the cabin boy,
leaning over the back OF his chair, whis-
pered something to him.
wants TO see mel" exclaimed the
Colonel, in surprise but speaking low.
eyes, sab. On the boiler deck, sab.
Port side, sab"
"What kind Of a looking MANI"
Dunno, sub. Mighty dark out dere
whah he spoke TO me. Couldn't reilly
see him, sah."
Tho Colonel, rising, excused himself
to the other participants in the game in
the cabin. Outside, before descending
the stairs To the desk below, he trans.
ferred a revolver from bis hip pocket to
the right outside pocket Of his coat,
where II laid in his hand, ready for use.
He had reached the boiler deck and
gone one.third Of the way along 1t, aft,
when suddenly, from behind a pile Of
freight "the Giant Flat boatmann step.
ped out and confronted him. The gam
bier, without waiting for word or q
hostile motion, threw up his pistol aud
fired at the big man. Before no could
fire a second shot the weapon was torn
from his grasp and he was felled to the
deck.
The pistol shot attracted attention ant
score OF men came running from al
directions, but only one disinterestet
person, the second engineer, had seen |
fired and knew that whatever might up
pear from the present position OF tn
parties, the one on the deck had beef
the aggressor. Nevertheless, nobod,
seemed DESTROYS Of interfering In tn
affair. Darley's hat had fallen of an,
several recognized nlm'
Looking down upon the gambler q
his feet barley demanded;
Archibald Lee, where 10 my wife an
I child?"
Z The man addressed maintained a sui
! len silence.
"What have you done with the fool
ish woman and my innocent little child
Where arc they2" persisted the giant.
~ don't know anything about 'em,
Snarled the gambler.
, archibald Lee, you lie. ! hold 20,
responsible for them" Raising hiseye
and looking upon the crowd now sur
rounding them, the big fiat boatmai
said with q voice that seemed 10 hay
tears In II: "Men, ] had q little bah,
girl that was 0eafof than all the worlI
10 me, aud awiie, O foolish woman, Blu
l loved her. That fellow came to N,
house when / was away and got th
woman 10 run of with him and 10 tax
J my child with her. He was seen bring
ing them aboard this boat at Wheelln
I yesterday. I followed and got aboart
. al the woodward tonight, and here "
4 caught him, Some Of you know Rams
|: barley, guess, and those who do, kno,
! that ! don't llo. Those arc the fact
. Now, what would you do with him
you were In my placer"
"look ontl" shouted half a deSo
voices At once, AID In the same instau
another pistol shot was lred by the 70
low lying on the deck az the man h
had wronged, The rascal had managet
unobserved, 10 draw "derfingetn itol
) his vcat pocket and 10 use II before II
could be seized. But hO had not bee
able 10 take effective aim and the BhI
did no harm 10 barley, II settled h
fate, however.
Tho now Infatuated giant seized Mi
: by one ankle, twlrled him over the edI
oil the deck, whiCh-As the boat wi
= deep laden--was not moro than "
feet from the water, and thore suspendt
"A him with bis head In the river drowi
d ing him a. one might dog. For a mil