The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-06-09

as there had at first boon In uneartnlnp
1t. The fourth viotim-aud his death
was real misfortune--wus u man who
had been long searched for by tho po-
lice, and who could have givene very
valuable information In most impor-
tant criminal case, had he not killed
himself just ut the wrong moment. So
even the suicides from London bridge
go 10 swell the chorus Of Sir Arthur
Sullfvnn's song, that "a Policeman's
Life LIS Not a Happy One"
There arc great mnny suicides from
the other Thames bridges in the course
OF each year. In all, the Thames yields
up SO many doad bodies that it's nights
seem to be lined with tragedy. One
water policeman who found one dead
man after another every night Tor u
week was weak enough to go mad
from the horror OF it, um told. A
city which has thirty thousand unem-
ployed should train it's officers better
than that.
The most dramatic suicide of late
years apparently gave a hint to the
man who devised the ballet at the En-.
pire music hall, whore tho scene, which
must have occurred before the two
victims jumped into the water, is
nightly acted in pantomime, although
on tho stage of the music hall the
episode has happy ending. A wife,
driven TO desperation by her husbands
gambline>-he daily robbed her of her
smnu earnings SO that he might spend
them ut the card table-wrappcd her
seven-year-old daughter TO her breast
with her thin, old shawl and jumped
into the Thames, thus shutting out not
only her own unhappy life, but also
that of tho child whom she loved, but
whose wants her unnatural husbands
craze for gaming would not permit her
to satisfy. Tic doctors said that the
little one would soon have died Of star
vation, anyhow.
But suicide Is not the only crime
which the Thames ripplingly laughs at
day by dag and slowly, heavily APP
proves with its long, black swclls at
night. Despite tho metropolitan police
and the progrossions of the county
council, there arc still thieves bold
enough to hide along its banks by day
and prey upon its shipping in the dark
ness. An Instance of that turned up not
very long ago, The Thames barees are
~ along between bridges at high tide,
with nlasts which can be lowered when
II becomes necessary TO pass beneath
the low arches that SO frequently span
the Thames, and with great Hat bot
toms which permit them to lie comfort
ably and without harm on the mud bed
of the river when The tide Is out. The
life of the barge is lazy one. They
arc frequently without any especial
homo, going from place TO place as bust
ness calls them, and Offering n snug
refuge for their owner and his family
wherever they are 1t is their privilege
to lie anywhere In the river a any time
so long as they do not interrupt the
navigation Of their follows, and when
one needs repairs it is simply stcered up
where low tide viii leave il high and
dry on shelving mud bed, and permit
ted to remain there until the lcisurcly
woi'iS'ncn have completed the Job of
fixing it.
One OF these old bnrges lay all winter
about mile above where Westminster
Abboy's big gray towers overlooked
tho Thames, aud its generally dilapi-
dated and deserted appearance attract
cd no especial attention. But one day
the police thought it had lain there
long enough, and rowcd up TO see what
the number of its license was 4 mo-
ment's investigation showed that it
was at that tire being used for pur-
pose which no waterman's license COW
cred-that it was the resort Of gang
of thieves. Quickly the officers made