Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-06-29

Leroy Furniss, quondam tonsorial ar
fist at the corner of Court and Second
streets and genuine Carusa with
the ladies at all times, figured as the
william in scene which surpassed IN
reality anything that ever emanated
from the pen Of the most imaginative
melodramatic writer of modern or an
cient times The heroine, Miss Flos-
sic Hills, is ordinarily engaged in the
prosaic occupation of assisting her
mother, Mrs. Williams Hills In the con
duct of boarding house on the cor
ner of Court and Third streets. The
two young people had been keeping
company" for a couple of months but
the fair Flossie had no linking that
the affections of the young man had
progressed to that degree that he con-
sidered matrimony as the only deslr-
able state in which he could continue
an existence on this mortal coil.
Went Boat Riding.
Sunday evening the mother had
warned the daughter not to go out boat
riding with Furniss as had been the
custom of the young couple, the moth
er fearing the high water and also
thought that Furniss was acting In
peculiar manner. Notwithstanding
this maternal admonition, the girl
went out walking with the young man
in question and as usual drifted to
the river where boat was rented
from the boathouse. The man III
charge warned them against rowing
straight across the river as the water
was very high but In spite OF this
warning the man pulled straight across
into the deep water.
In mid-stream he ceased his efforts
and allowed the boat to float at will
while he began an amorous declaration
of his feelings toward the girl, asking
; her to become his wife and Stains
that he could not live without her
. The girl steadily refused and the mar
calmly stated to her that he woulc
) then end his earthly existence ther
and there and took off his coat pre-
pairing to die. He gave her couple
; of letters, one addressed to her an;
another to his mother, showing tina
the whole thing had been planned AMI
+. that he had brought the girl to thu
river to learn his fate or finish.
II Or what may be better explanation
still, he wanted to bluff her into prom
|
+ him from killing himself and the elab
crate plans may all have been pre-ar
4 ranged with view to forcing the gil
to accede to his wishes to marry him
Girl Was Game.
al Evidently the maiden failed to ap
preciate the romantic situation for al
. his threats to kill himself did not ap
peal to her synpathies to any great ex
. tent and she maintained her remarka
BILE nerve to face the situation. re
marking to the man to go ahead an
e kill yourself, won't stand in you
d way" Furniss evidently wante
t some one to stand in his way" for h
made no Immediate attempt to XII
Y himself but drew out a razor read
: for business The boat continued t
: float toward the opposite shore and tn
man continued to talk of his approach
n ing end He happened to think tina
: he would put his sweetheart in an EN-
: barrassing position if he drowned with
: out anyone knowing the circumstance
e of the case and he took off his Goa
saving that he would row to tn
shore and throw his coat on the ban
i in order that the people would not &C
cuse her of having drowned him.
r. The girl, seeing people near in
e boat threatened to scream If he di
3 ANYTHING rash and he said, IF you d
I'll kill YOU and attempted to dra
: the knife across the girls throat. ST.
eluded him, however, in the rockiIl
5 boat and both came near being sptlle
into the water. Then as the bo;
3. neared the shore he threw his coz
ashore as he had promised and the
G threw himself back in the boat, h
g. head thrown back and his throat e,
e posed as if he would cut his throa
e The girl screamed and jumped I'M
the water. wading ashore. leAvtnx u