The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-10

after reaching the log and the man had
| crawled upon 1t, could be steadily drawn
to a small island between the man and
| Goat Island, from which small island his
| rescue would be easy Some food and a
glass of brandy were hoated on the raft,
with rope and written instructions to the
man as to what was TO be done and what
he must do. The raft moved down and
reached the tree trunk.in safety.
| =" AS the man dropped from his peTilous
| perch upon the raft, dashed himself to IL
| with the rope according TO instructions.
and then eagerly siezed the brandy and
| food, such a shout as went up from the
| thousands of people who had watched the
| proceedings with bated breath was never
| heard before. 1t could be heard above the
angry roar of Niagara. The raft was
| slowly pulled toward the small island. Ev-
| erything seemed working 10 a charm. The
| tension on the feelings of the spectators
was so great that many tainted away.
| People were sobbIng on every side. Sud
| denly the raft stopped. The cable, drawn
| as it was beneath the water, caught on
| some obstruction. All efforts to loosen 1t
were unavailing. One groan of agony
| arose from the great crowd. The lfe-sav
| ers toiled and tugged at the rope. but IL
| still chung to the obstruction 1t was now
| near sunset. The man on the raft had
| unlashed the ropes that had been his Sc
| curity against the possibility of his being
washed off by the current and joined his
| efforts with the others to loosen the rope.
He was pale haggard and Withholding
from his hours of suspense. Suddenly he
| kneeled on the raft over which the water
| was sweeping swiftly, and remained there
for moment as lf in prayer. Then he
sprang into the raging current and pulled
hravely for the island, which was only
L. n ..t,-s
bly, against the current, and the thought
that he would surely save himself found
utterance in another joyful shout from
the spectators. But when he was almost
in reach of the shore his strength began
to fail The space between him and the
island gradually widened. Then every one
knew that oil hope was gone. He made
a few more desperate strokes, but the wild
waters seized him, and, pitching and toss
Ing and whrling him, hurried him to the
brink of the great cataract.
When he reached the edge of the
falls he was thrown upward from the
water until his whole length came into
view, standing upright, and he disappear
ed, as IL he had made voluntary leap
over the precIpice. While he was being
dashed to and over the falls not a sound
was uttered by one of that vast crowd
of horror-strlcken spectators, and, terri
BILE as was the scene, not eye was turn
ed away from him as he was carried along
to his destruction. The moment he disap-
peared In the face OF the cataract one
| heart-rending shrek went up from the
| crowd and, the awful fascination of the
scene being broken, the spectators fled as
from 1t as if from some frightful pursuer
The poor victims body was never found,
nor his identity ever established. AS on
NV previous visit the place had no longer
| any attraction for me, and the first train
carried me away.
'In the spring of 1884 twenty years aft
| er my second visit, ] made up my mind
to conquer my aversion to going again 20
the place. which / could scarcely think
of without a shudder, and resolved TO
| make another effort to see the greatest of
| American natural wonders. Although 1
had been twice on the ground, had not
| vet seen the falls from below. In fact, /
| could not be said TO have seen them at
| ALL / had business in Buffalo In April,
| and afteh getting through with II, went
| to the Fails. There was ice there yet L
remember, and, all things else being equal,
the place was not particularly cheerful.
1 made up my mind 10 go straight to the
Goat Island bridge and brave my feelings
by taking a look at the spot where l had
seen the doomed man struggling for life
twenty years before. / did so, and was
greatly surprised to see the old tree trunk
I
hours still rising out Of the boiling and
leaning water / had not been there long
when | noticed a great commotion among
| people on the island, and in a few min
utes learned that not only one, but two
men had gone over the falls some time
during the night before, and that the
clothing of one Of them had been found,
| and evidences that one of the men, who
were brothers-in-law, was murderer and
| .,,fofda He had 1urCd his brOfher-fn-l
to the island, killed him, thrown his body
| into the rapids, and then jumped in him
self and followed it over the falls. The
names of the men were Vedder and Pear
son. | did not wait for more minute de-
tails, but hurried TO the Erie Railway sta
| ton and caught the first train eastward.
Now. as said. john said Uncle Joe,
L am making my fourth trip to the Falls,
| this time an enforced one. Do you won
der that am nervous. and trihe super
stItious about going there? / hope there
will be no fatality connected with this Wis
| H. but II you should read about any one
going over Niagara Falls within the next
day or two, you may be certain that l am
there
"Of course, / was impressed with IN
Gle Joe's story but j didn't give IL much
thought Nevertheless when / read in the
newspapers two days later that "a young
woman who for several Days had been no
ticed as lingering about the borders of the
island overlooking the rapids, had leaped
into the rushing waters and had been car
ried over the cataract, on the very after
noon Of the day that Uncle Joe must have
reached Niagara-end only a few hours
after he actually did reach there, as l af-
terward learned-I went to tell you his
story came upon me again with full force.
"Wen, as 1 say, l hadn't seen Uncle Joe