A Put Up Job.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 220, 17 September 1887, Page 7

A Put Up Job.

We leffc Memphis by steamer at about eight o'clock in the evening, and among the deck passengers I noticed a couple, man and wife, who gazed around as if they had never seen a steamboat before. They had an old coffee sack with some clothing in it, but no other baggage. They moved about in a timid way, and both seemed much airaid of the water. The boat had not gone five miles down the river, and the large number of passengers had not yet settled down, when there was an unearthly shriek, followed by the cry of ''Man overboard!" The boat was stopped and her wheels backed, and after two or thiee minutes it was learned that one of the couple 1 have mentioned— the husband — had fallen overboard. The woman "took on" in the wildest manner, crying and moaning and wringing her hands, and when asked how it happened, she replied — "He just dun fell over — fell over — fell over !" Bv that time it was useless to think of lowering a boat. There was a swift curt enfc running, and as the man had not cried out there could be no doubt of his being diowned. Everyone pitied the woman, of course, and when somebody took oil his hat and dropped a five-dollar bill into it, it was a "go all around. A hundred dollars were raised for her in fifteen minutes and she went ashore at the first landing made by the boat, lugging the bag of clothes with her. I went down as lar as Hornando, Mississippi, and stopped oil" there fur two days, taking a second steamer dow n on the third night from the above occurrence. When I went down to the levee I saw a couple with an old sack between 'em v. ho leininded mo of the pair on the boat, and I also haw them come aboard. The resemblance astonished me, but it had to go for a coincidence. The steamer pulled out about 10 o'clock, and had not been under weigh half an hour when there v»as a loud shiiek, followed by the cry of -'Man o\eiboaid !" It was a repetition of what I ha\e related before, except that some of the passenger." had gone to bed, and the shake-purso didn't count up over 40 dollar-?. The hat was passed to me, but J declined to chip. The " iccent and grief-stiicken widow left the boat, at the insfc landing, and I went to bed with the ieeling that ciuious coincidences v,eie mighty thick on the Mississippi River. E left the boat at Helena, made a three du>s* stay, and was ready to take, another boat on the down trip, when I ran aeio^s that-, pelf-same couple at the levee, waiting for the same boat. After some minutes spent in solemn leflection I walked up to (hem and said to the man : — ( ' Come, now, this is a square deal, and I give nothing away. I've seen you diow ned tv> ice, and I've seen this ' widow ' go ashoi c with a breaking hcait, the same number of times. Tell- me how you play it, and 11! give you a ' V.' " " Let's sec the money."' I handed it over, and he stowei it away in his pocket and then replied: — "I've got on a lubber life preserver under my clothes, as you see, and I generally make shore within a couple of miles. Sti anger, don't give it away. We are poor but honest people." I solemnly agreed that I wouldn't, but I think they rather mistrusted me, for they wai f ed o-\e*r to catch a boat next night. — M. Quad in the " Detroit Free Press."