The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-02-02
POLICEMAN
FITZROY'S ROMANCE.
An Adventure on q Cold Night,
When Snow Foil and Winds
Were Blowing.

from participating in the discussion.
~ believe in giving any one who at
tempts suicide the full penalty" said the
sergeant, who was buttonng up his
greatcoat preparatory to tour.
"Or let 'em DROWN" growled O'Neil.
"Of course you cant let 'em, but it's
what they deserve"
A frown overcast Fitzroy's face. but
quickly disappeared. Then, for the first
time joining in the conversation, he said:
"You are partly right and partly
wrong. After all your growing about
suicides there is not one of you that
would not risk his neck to save woman.
I'll tell you an experience of mine that
may rub up the softer side of some Of
you perhaps and do you good"
The policemen settled themselves for
Fitzroy's story. for he was quiet, ear
| nest fellow, who seldom contributed
much of the talk.
ut was while l was up in Riverside
district" continued Fitzroy, "that the
incident am going to relate occurred.
was trying to keep warm one bitterly
cold night while the snow fell thick and
fast and the wind howled doleful cho-
rus. l had one of those terribly long
beats that run down to the river and
take man half the night to get round.
1.-THE snow lay some inches deep on the
ground, except where it was swept up
into wreaths. and the flying flakes blind
ed me so that | could hardly see, yet
had to keep moving or freeze.
81 don't think / ever longed for the end
of the watch so much as on that night.
Besides, | was n new man in the force
then and was not toughened up rs | am
now. There were not more than half
dozen houses along my entire route, and
the wind had clear sweep up from the
river.
"Well, it was getting toward II
o'clock, and an hour more would let me
free and entitle me to founder back to
the station house and thaw out.
81 was only a short distance from the
| river, and thought that would just
about reach there and back by mid
night.
II stopped n moment under the last
| lamppost, so as to get n glimpse at my
| watch, when something appeared to fit
| by me. | was startled and looked up,
but saw nothing and concluded ] was
nervous.
"Still. I felt uneasy and FASTENED down
toward the river.
81 had advanced but few yards
| when l thought | heard something like
| a sob come to me out of the blackness.
1.-THE snow blinded me so that | could
not see ten yards, and there were no
| more gas lamps.
I'll own that l felt bit squeamish.
| for you must remember | was new
man on the force in those days, and
| there was something mysterious and un-
nerving about the whole business.
Inff TO hut Inn a re
could be slouching along that lonely
place on such a night, but all the same
l felt queer.
"Then | just ran rs fast rs could in
| the direction of the sound. | could hear
no footballs, for the snow deadened all
sounds, and for that reason my own
progress was noiscless.
1.-THE road fell rapidly us it neared
the river, and | was almost on the
wharf before | knew it. | could hear
the ice go crunching by, driven along
by the swift current, and it made me
snuddcr to think of the fate of any poor
creature whom accident or design should
consign to that awful flood Of jagged ice.
1.-The thought had hardly crossed my
brain when my blood froze with horror,
for there arose out of the storm the
| most heartrending wall.
Imagine all the sorrow, all the de-
| spair, all the terror and all the suffering
| in the world concentrated into one long
wall and you Will get an idea of the
horror that took possession of me.
Il couldn't stop, for was going down
bill at too great speed. Then. right in
front Of me saw figure with hands
outstretched over the water.
81 never believed much in spirits and
supernatural things and had always said
| that nothing that was flesh and blood
could scare me.
but the old folks came from part Of
| Ireland where banshees are common as
fretiies and death watches and all man
| ner of horrible things are common talk.
"All the blood curdling stories Of my
boyhood came up before me, and that
long. heartrcndng wall sounded for all
the world like the wall Of the banshee.
1.-THE next instant the figure sprang
from the wall into the river.
81 had never heard of the bnnshee or
any other supernatural thing doing tina
and sprang to the wall In an instant.
"Thcre. upon the ice. lay form. The
| setback into the pier made the ice sta
| tionary. and it had piled up thick and
| jagged and frozen solid.
81 jumped over upon the ice without
second thought. 1t was n risky thing to
Go. for five feet farther out the ice was
grinding in the current. and nothing could
have saved me.
81 raised the form in my arms. 1t was
| young girl or Il child. The burden was
:ery light.
ut lay limp in my arms. and my first
.hought WAS that the poor thing was
!ead.
"Rui thrrr was no time to ln~r The
ic-, shaken by the force of my descent,
was trembling under the combined weight
of myself and burden, and made haste
to eXtrirate myself from the dangerous
position.
Luckily 1, with some difficulty, got
out and landed my burden on the dock.
Il feared the poor creature was past all
human aid, but ran to the nearest house
and called for help.
at seemed an age until the welcome
sound Of voices came to my ears.
During the interval | took off my over
coat and wrapped it about the little form
and kept chaiing the hands to restore Cir
culation, if life remained. 1t was too
dark to sec the features, but l could see
that there was a great cash on the fore
head, where the jagged ice had wounded
her.
81 don't think l could have held out
many more minutes when the people
came. lost consciousness as the lamps
flashed in my face and knew nothing
more until | woke up in the hospital.
"The doctor told me that the girl had
not opened her eyes and that he feared
the cold and exposure and the wound
would prove fatal. lie said the poor