Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-28
IN A STOLEN SKIFF.
A Prepossessing Young Woman Has
a Night Ride on the Ohio.
FOUND ASLEEP WHILE FLOATING.
Narrow Escape From Being Swamped by
Two Passing Steamers.
HER IDENTITY WRAPPED IN MYSTERY

There is something decidedly mysterious
about the night voyage of a woman in the
Ohio river, rather weird, also. On Tuesday
evening j. W. Brown, of Neville Island,
missed his skiff which he had left moored to
his float at Glenfeld, opposite his home.
He made inquiry on both sides of the river,
but could learn nothing On Thursday Mr..
Brown got another skiff and hoated leisurely
down the Ohio, making inquiries as he
went. At Sewickley he was informed that
the Shousetown ferrymaD was in possession
of skiff labeled "Brown," and that the
owner by proving property and paying 81
could have the craft.
Mr.. Brown investigated and found
sure enough that the skiff was his
and then set himself to look for
the thief He found the men who had found
the skif, two young residents of Shouse-
town, who had occasion to cross the river in
the gray dawn of the morning. They dis
cerned skiff floating apparently without
any cargo, either animate or inanimsse, but
on investigation they stirred up an irate
female who fought them off like the river
piratess she seems to have been. They, how
ever, being semi-water dogs, relatives of the
ferryman, easily got away with her and took
her to Shousetown.
Found Sleeping in theSkiff.
The woman was sound asleep when found,
and somewhat difficult to awaken. The oars
were in custody just as Mr.. Brown had left
them, which made it seem probable that the
woman had simply showed her craft into the
stream, lain down, and went away floating
like Moses in the bullrushes.
The skiff secured, Mr. Brown set out to
find the thief, but in this he only succeeded
far enough to get her description. She was
reported to be rather prepossessing in ap-
pearance, with dark brown hair, tolerably
well dressed, with the exception that she
had no bonnet, having probably lost it dur
ing her trip. She wore eyeglasses, was
heavy set, and somewhere between 10 and
q years of age.
The young men who captured her thought
she was demented, but they could neither
learn her name nor her history. She said
she wanted to take trip down the river,
and thought this a pleasant way of accom-
plishing it. The fact of having taken skif
without leave she evidently regarded as a
small matter, scarce worth speaking about.
She said she had been sojourning in Glen
field, and got tired of the place.
several hours, complaining that she had
been robbed by her captors, but finally she
bought ticket and left for this city on the
Pittsburg and Lake Erie Railway, since
which time trace of her has been lost.
Perilous Night Voyage.
her trip through the night was a rather
perilous one, considering the fact that two
steamboats, had met her somewhere on the
way, and the Ohio, GLORIOUS though it be
in beauty" is somewhat treacherous and
liable to shipwreck people who are not in
full possession of their craft and senses at
the same time.
Mr. Brown was fortunate enough to des-
cry a towboat coming up the river, and be-
ing an ex-mariner himself, had no trouble
to get the crew to load himself and skif
and bring him back home. He then pros
ecuted his inquiries for the missing woman,
but found no one who could give him any
pointers. 1t was suggested that she might
have escaped from Dixmont, but the author
tiles there say no one has been missed
lately. 1t appears that the woman deported
herself with propriety on the train and con-
sequently attracted no attention.