Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-10-22
SHARP

s0<x HE incident which marks
4 b the beginning Of the pres
6 ~ s ent narrative occurred sew
4 Il \ eral years ago, when the
1c< steamboat Ben Lewis ex.
ploded in sight of Cairo.
She was, if I remember rightly, a st.
Louis and Memphis packet, was on her
down trip, and was rounding or cross
ing the bar at the mouth of the Ohio.
when her boiler burst, and she was a
wreck. Many people were. killed out
right by the explosion, others We're
drowned, others fingered in terrible
torture until death put an end to their
sufferings. and others received severe
scalds and various injuries.
l was in Cairo at the time. and shall
never forget the heartrending scenes
at the st. Charles Hotel, to which most
of the wounded were brought. and
where they lay on pallets in the rooms
and halls, many Of them black as ne
groes, many with the skin falling from
the flesh.
But it is With none of these I have to
do. This narrative follows the for
tunes of a man who Jumped overheard,
entirely uninjured, preferring to trust
himself to the river rather than to the
flames I choose, for reasons that are
personal to him, to call him John H.
Seymour, simply because this name is
as different as can be from that which
rlghtfully belonged to him. He was
originally from Kingston, Canada, his
parents being Of English birth. but had
resided during several years in Alton
ILL.,, where he had accumulated consid-
erable money in the grocery business;
was bachelor, near forty years OF
age, and kept house in cottage of his
own, with rather pretty German girl
to do the housework. The mysterious
disappearance of the German girl, for
which Seymour did not account salts
factorily, occasioned unpleasant COM
ment, and some very serious facts
were about to be brought to light,
when he suddenly left Alton, having
privately disposed Of his cottage and
his business. It was because Of this
train of circumstances that he hap
pened to be passenger on the Ben
Lewis at the time of the explosion.
Seymour jumped overheard, as I
nave stated, and was fortunate enough,
When he got clear of those who were
struggling in the water, to find a float
ing door, which he seized, and which
bore him uD we'll, and thus he drifted
down the river.
He had not floated far when he dis
covered that he had companion. This
companion was holding to the door,
and might have put in an appearance
just then. or might not hitherto have
been visible to Seymour. AS his face
was upraised, Seymour perceived that
1t had been fearfully scalded. He was
unable to speak and appeared to be
nearly exhausted. Yet, although he
was SO hideous, so horribly marred and
serving in his countenance certain
resemblance to himself. It was then
that a strange and sudden thought
came into his mind. I am not record
ing his impressions by means Of the
imagination but derive them from
statements which he subsequently
made.
He recalled the fact that be had beer
obliged to leave Alton because Of dis
coveries that were about to be made
and because Of a crime with which be
was about to be charged. 1t was high
iy probable that he might yet be pur
sued and prosecuted. Suppose ht
should cause himself to disappear
Suppose that he should so use the ex
plosion that it would prove a provi
Dental interposition to save him from
punishment and annoyance? His com
panion in the water, disfgured as h
was, might easily be mistaken for hin
IN death, and it was evident that h'
could not live long.
seymour reflected that he wore uDo1
1lnScr Of his left hand a peculiar AM
valuable diamond ring, which was wei
Known in Alton, and which had bee1
hohced and admired by many on tn
poat. If that ring should be foun'
upon a disfgured body, it would settl
Inc question Of identity, and be coul'
well afford to give it for the purpoS
o1 persuading the public that he wa
dead.
HIS resolution taken, he watched hi
hloeous but valuable companion nal
iowly, waiting for his death; but the
urllted for nearly half an hour, an
sun the other clung to the door. Blu
aAS strength was failing all the while