The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1909-05-13
DlckiNsoN's HERoIsM.
New Secretary Will Not Talk About
IL, but President Knows.

(Gus ]. Karger, Cincinnati Times<
Starr
/ 'rTnaere's an incident in the life of j.
M. Dickinson, the new secretary OF
war, which his innate mcdesty Will
not permit him to discuss.
It's a mighty interesting incident,
and shows the stuff of which the man
is made. And, moreover, it made
William HI. Taft take notice of him
In such way that thereafter he
could not be forgotten Perhaps that
made him member of theSTaft cabi-
net. Who knows?
1t hann 'ar.<. some IL or 10 years
ago. the year the American Bar Assoc
citation met at Denver. The business
session had come to a close, and tpat
evening the party went up the De-
troit river in yachts for an excursion.
They were returning late. 1t was
pitch dark.
One of the members of the party
was James F. Joy, them man about
so years of age, one of the prominent
and distinguished men of Detroit.
president of the Michigan Central
railroad, and otherwise identified With
the best commercial social and po-
itical interests of his state. He died
some years ago. On the evening LII
question Mr. Joy started to leave the
boat off the gangplank. The dark
ness deceived him, and what he sup
posed was the wharf was one of the
shadows cast athwart the water. He
stepped from the boat off into space.
There was a splash,a muffled scream,
then silence.
Dickinson, he who is now secretary
OF war was directly behind Joy, he
did not hesitate an instant. T1ere
was no time to pull off a coat or kick
off shoes. 1t was case OF instant
action, or no action whatever. An ex-
pert swimmer, a man OF daring and
Judgment, Dickinson required no
preparation. He plunged into the
darkness and water below to save
q life il to save it were possible. For
a moment the water closed over him,
then he came to the surface, treading
water and looking about. Within a
few seconds he spied Joy, who was
supported by the great coat he wore
ballooning about him. The octogen+
arian was growing feeble, and help
came just in time. Dickinson seized
the cape of the coat which enveloped
Joy and held him above water. The
greater danger that threatened now
was that he might be crushed be-
tween the wharf and the boat. In
the meantime the excitement OF the
situation had communicated itself to
the other members of the party, and
the engineer was warned in the nick
of time. Dickinson's son, then boy,
now man, engaged in business in
Seattle was the first to render practi-
cal aid. He caught up coil of rope
and threw one end over. His father
grasped it,the boats searchlight hav-
ing been turned on to aid him in his
work of rescue, and gave 1t to JOY,
who was yet able to cling to it and
help in some slight measure those
who then pulled him out of the water.
Dickinson kept himself above water
until Joy had BEEN rescued and his
own turn came. Then his wet clothes
sticking to him and the water running
from them, he too, was pulled aboard.
He was hurried into a cabin. The
first man to enter it was William H.
Taft, one of the members of the Bar
association. He didn't care how wet
Dickinson was. He just threw both
arms around him and Rugged him in
the exuberance of his joy and adm1-
ration
'That was a splendid thing you did
tonight, old mani" he shouted.
The next day everybody made a
hero of Dickinson. The whole town
wanted to tell him what it thought
of him. But Dickinson couldn't stand
it. It was entirely too much for him.
He Just took train and sneaked
away.
Today | called on Secretary Dick
inson and charged him with the act
of heroism in question. He didn't
want to talk about it. He just laugh
ed.
IF you want to know what really
happened" he said, TASK President
Taft. He was there"
1.-THE WOMAN TEMPTED"