The Portland daily press., 1900-01-27
POLICEMAN
FITZROY'S ROMANCE.
An Adventure on q Cold Night,
When Snow Fell and Winds
Were Blowing.

Good looking Iouceihah rh~ios e"' >"
the midst of half dozen men one cold
winters night listening, with show OF
impatience, to the cynical conversation OF
his blue coated brethren. but refraining
from participating In the discussion.
II believe in giving nny one who at
tcmpts suicide the full penalty" said the
sergeant, who was buttoning up his
.greatcoat preparatory to tour.
"Or let 'em drown" growled O'Neil.
"Of course you can't let 'cm, 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 a quiet, ear
nest fellow, who seldom contributed
much OF the talk.
at was while was up in a Riverside
district" continued Fitzroy, that the
incident am going to relate occurred. i
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 n 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 fakes blind
cd me so that I could hardly see, yet
had to keep moving or freeze.
.. AZ Y IA Co. he nd
of the watch so much as on that night.
Besides, | was q new man in the force
then and was not toughened up as l am
now. There were not more than half
dozen houses along my entire route, and
the wind had a clear sweep up from the
river.
"Well. II was getting toward ii
o'clock. and an hour more would let me
free and enttle me TO founder back to
lhc station house and thaw out.
81 was only short distance from the
river, and / thought that l would Just
about reach there and back by mid
night.
IL stopped a moment under the last
lamppost, so as to get glimpse at my
watch, when something appeared to fit
by me. l was startled and looked up.
but saw nothing and concluded l was
nervous.
"Stll, felt uneasy and FASTENED down
toward the river.
II had advanced but a few yards
when thought | heard something like
a sob come TO me ont of the blackncss.
1.-THE snow blinded me SO that | could
not see ten yards, and there were no
more gas lamps.
I'm own that | felt a bit squeamish,
for you must remember l was new
man on the force in those days, and
there was something mysterious and I'M
nerving about the whole business.
at didn't occur TO me that burglars
could be slouching along that lonely
place on such night, but all the same
felt queer.
"Then just ran as fast as 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 noiseless.
'The road fell rapidly as 1t neared
the river, and l was almost on the
wharf before l knew 1t. / could hear
the ice go crunching by, driven along
by the swift current, and 1t made me
shudder to think of the fate of any poor
creature whom accident or design should
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.
81 couldn't stop, for l was going down
hill at too great speed. Then right in
front of me ! saw a 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
frefles 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, heartrending 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 banshee or
any other supernatural thing doing that,
and l sprang to the wall in an instant.
'There. upon the Ice. lay a form. The
setback into the pier made the ice sta
tionary, and 1t had piled up thick and
Jagged and frozen solid.
81 jumped over upon the Ice without
second thought. 1t was risky thing to
do, for Eve feet farther out the ice was
grinding In the current. and nothing could
have saved me.
81 raised the form in my arms. II was
a young girl or child. The burden was
very light.
at lay limp In my arms. and my 6rst
Thought was that the poor thing was
dead, ~
s'But there was NO time to lose. The