The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-04
DEATH ONLY A STEP AWAY.
AN UNLUCKY GAMBLERS ENGAGE
MENT WITH DAVY JONES.
Got on "A Ferry Boat and Something
Happened That Drove Suicide
Thoughts From His Mind.


Thoughts From His Mind.
From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
"Once in awhile it comes to every man,
1 reckon" said the cross-eyed gambler
ito figure up how he would face death if
it came right down to cases. Taking it all
in all, there amt many of us ever called
on to do any figuring of that sort Either
a man gets passed out by some sort of ac-
cident so quiet that no time is given for
calculating his own feelings, or else he
dies of an illness that saps his vitality
gradually. so that when the end comes he
simply drops away without struggle.
It's a mighty few chance of man going
| up against the final with a pair of field
glasses to his eyes. so to speak, and
! first chop view of the whole field. I've
| always thought that if 1 was in a crowd,
! that was on the edge, I'd want TO keep
tabs on their actions, only I'd probably be
too ratified myself to think of anything
but keeping a steady jaw. Well. We had
the chance of my life at that, under con-
| ditions when l didn't have to get ratified
| for myself and 1 can hereby notify you
! that once is enough Interesting? Well,
| did, and didn't miss much that was so
| ing, either But, as l said, once is all
want to chip in for Besides, I've got my
| own life 10 look after nowadays. Then
didn't have.
mo, l wasn't a dead one Just getting
! ready to be. That's all. What the preach
! ers can benign providence had handed
| me a couple of uppercuts that just about
| got me ready for a permanent nap Never
| mind what. 1t was just all kinds of trou-
| bic, and when I boarded the ferry boat in
! Brooklyn l had calculated to leave my last
| quarter on the deck for some lucker bet
| ter and just modestiy slip over the rail
into oblivion On the whole, I couldn't dis
! cover that I made a great hit living. once
| over the rail it would be a cinch, for l
| couldn't swim stroke and 1 figured that
| my luck wasn't of the kind that would
make me jump off a boat into the arms of
a life preserver. No matter how far down
you are, though, there's always a little
natural hesitation when il comes to drop
ping the flag. l stood out on The rear deck
| because l didn't want 10 be chawed up by
| the paddle wheels, which is a rough deal
even for a suicide. Well, 1 stood there
| trying to pick out patch of river Ihat
| looked a little less cold and wet than the
average, and wishing I'd blown in the
quarter for drink to brace me up little
| when | found out that something was hap
pening out in front There was great old
| racket and a footing and shouting then We
| hit something like running into an express
| train head on, and it was only by cham
pion clutch that l saved myself from gong
over the rail before my time. That Jared
! all the suicide right out of me. started
| forward and found first-class riot going
! on in the cabin, so l went through the car
| rage way, and a pretty gay time mad OF
it. for all the horses in the place were do
ing qucksteps.
| 1o1 10 death nv horses
wasn't any part of my programme, and l
! performed some grand lodging before
! reached open air on the other side. Then
there was another big bump, and L OWED
| into a post with my head and just about
put myself out. When l got to my rect
again and things stopped whiring around
| like a roller coaster l thought L was IN
an ASYLUM sure. There is a streak OF in
sanity in all of us, and 1t takes sud
den danger to bring it out.
4 Noisy Crowd.
That whole ferry boat load of people
were acting like a sideshow to Blooming
dale. yelling and bowling and dancing and
making faces at each other.
in the course of a long and unsuccess-
full life we had occasion to see my lmml-
nent finish a number of times, and l hope
can put up as good a front as the next
man, but when I felt that solid deck sort
of losing its solidity under my feet-or
thought I did, had a powerful bunch to
make a running jump of 1t and trust to
landing somewhere. One thing is sure;
the little Jolt 1 had got just knocked the
suicide game clean out of my memory
and l forgot what l was there for. what
with the yelling and hooting and general
dopeness of the bunch around me, l soon
got nv wind back and began to size up
the situation. Out little beyond us IN
the fog 1 could make out one OF these
I1ol rf11er eli
her bow stove up into several kinds OF
lumber She didn't look as If she was In
n position to do us much good If 1t came
down to cases, and as everybody was yell
ing that we were sinking or words to that
effect 1t looked like a hard deal for the
life insurance companies. AS near as 1
could figure out, there were about three
women to every man aboard the ferry
boat, and when 1t came to a question OF
figures it seemed TO be up to me to get at
least one female out ofthe scrape II L could
do IT, so I made a bolt into the cabin, cut
loose a couple Of life preservers and look
ed around for a lady that looked as II
she would float easy First thing I struck
was a 3OC-pounder; don't believe you could
have sunk her with wagon load of lead,
but as she was leaning against the wall
trying to faint l tucked her up in the
preserver and then found it wouldn't go
around BY sacrificing my last necktie 1
she had me by the neck and was pray
ing me not TO forsake her. There was
more business to be done in other places,
and l broke out of that clinch, though 1t
almost cost me my shirt to get loose, and
looked for another lady that needed TO be
saved Something hit into me pretty hard,
and the next l knew young chap had
me by the arm.
my names Corder, he says in sort
of WHISKY squak. Oh my God! I'm going
to drown 1 can't SWIM Tell 'em my
names Corder when they find the body.
Good@by.'
"H6 made a break for the rail. He moved
quick. but I moved quicker, and l got him
by the leg.
Hold on Corder' 1 says. 'Take a life
preserver, It'll come in handy
''Lemme go, femme 60 he yelled. She's
sinking
"He beat at me with his open hands IKE
an old woman when she gets mad and 1
had to down him. 1t didn't seem 10 be a
time for polite measures. so when 1 got