LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5562, 9 March 1886, Page 1

LITERATURE.

AS GOOD AS CANCELLED. [by one of the ckowd.] A remarkable and most determined act of auioide had been' committed from tho deck of a vessel as she lay at a Thames wharf making ready to start on a foreign ▼oyage. The body having been recovered, the inquest was about to be held at a little rivei-3ide public-house, near where the tragedy occurred, and the twelve jurymen had just returned from the "viewing." Pending the commencement of judicial proceedings, their Conversation turned on the peculiar characteristics of the case. It had not been discovered who deceased ■was, or where he came from. There ■was nothing in Mb rather limited quantity •f personal luggage that furnished the required clue, and on his person was found ao card or letter, nothing, indeed, but a purse containing a considerable ■urn in gold, a pocket-handkerchief, a penknife, and the passage ticket ho had purchased on the previous day. But what the twelve jurymen spoke most of was the exceptionally terrified expression the face of the defunct still retained. This would have been less singular if, as not uncommonly happens, the suicide had repented his rash design the moment after he had made the irrevocable plunge, and no help was at hand. The facts were exactly the reverse of this. The man had resolutely, ferociously indeed, resented being saved. He had fought in the water with a would-be rescuer as though, had he been able, ho •would like to have killed him for his humane intent. He was of middle age, dressed respectably, and a few minutes before he took the fatal leap, was Been tranquilly jaunting on the deck smoking a cigar. It waß a strange, sudden madness seized him, as one described it, who was standing near him. Uttering a strange «ry, he turned and made a plunge for the liver as though some wild beast was about to spring at him, and there was no other way •f escape ; but he need not have drowned. At the very instant when he disappeared over the side a poor labouring fellow, who evidently had picked up a job to bring some passengers trunk on board, was in the act of setting down his load, and thiß man, without delay, leapt to the rescue, which was the more praiseworthy because, as was at once seen, he was but a poor swimmer. He gallantly struck out, howover, after the drowning man, and was within an arm's length of clutching him, when, with an imprecation, the other hashed his fist with all his force into the face of his would-be preserver, and caused him to sink, while he himself struggled further into the Btream. But the poor ragged luggage-carrier was not to be baulked of his humane intent. When he rose, he gamely made another effort, and had nearly succeeded, when he was again savagely beaten •way, and the suicide sank in deep water, and did not rise again, the man who had risked his life in endeavouring to rescue him being with difficulty dragged into a boat. And what made matters worse, it was then discovered that the latter, in jumping from the steamboat, had struck his chest against a mooring chain, and hurt himself very considerably. It was hoped, however, that he would feel sufficiently recovered to be present at the inquest to give evidence, and also to receive the sum of £3 10s, that had been collected for him, »nd which would be handed to him by the Coroner. This was the substance of the talk among the jurymen, not one of whom had as yet seen the individual last mentioned. It was no more than natural, therefore, that when he presently came into the room in company with the police i officer who had charge of the case, all eyes .should bo turned toward him. The general J impression was that his appearance was disappointing. He did not look in the least like a hero, nor had he anything of the demeanour of a man who would risk his own life to save that of a fellowcreature — and that one a stranger. Ho was haggard and careworn, with a bristling unshaven chin and Bhort-cropped, iron-grey hair, and his sullen and dogged expression of countenance boiokened a hostile and unwilling witness rathor than a person who was entitled to, and was expecting presently to receive, 'congratulation for the performance of a brave action. Moreover, his clothes were wo in and patched, and he was evidently poor. Noting this last-mentioned feature, it was gratifying to tho jurymen to know that he was about to receive the handsome present of three pounds ten, but they j would much rather he looked more de- J serving of it. Duly sworn, he said hia ! name was Ralph Sheddon. " And what is j your occupation ? " He seemed unprepared i for this question, and after hesitating awhile, j scowlingiy made answer, as with a jerk of j his head he indicated the policeman. "Ask j him, he'll be able to tell you, I'll wager." j " Ticket-of-leave-man " responded the con- j stable promptly. And then observing the j '.surprised look of all present, including Mr ; Coroner himself, he hastened to add, " Oh, \ •it's all right, gentlemen. There's nothing j against him. He's been trying to get a J honest living Bince he's been out, as far as \ we know. We've had no bad report of j him." The injury the ex-convict's chest , bail sustained caused him to cough on alight j provocation, and a short, savage laugh | he indulged in at this point brought on an ; attack. "By ! I soon should have been j reported, though," he exclaimed, gaspingly, ; .recovering hiß breath, " if — if nothing had j happened!" "What are we to under- j stand by that observation ?" the Coroner • asked. " I mean," returned tho man call- '■ ing himself Ealph Sheddon, straining a ' continuation of hiß oough, as though to make time to enable him to amend a slip of \ the tongue, " I moan, gentlemen, that .' there iB no knowing what a hard-up and hungry man may be drove to, however , good his intentions. May-bo, having in j thid affair brought myself forward a little, | somebody may offer me a job of work, j That's what I meant ; nothing else." I After thiß, in as few words an it could \ be compressed into, he gave hia ovidence : He had been hired by some one who was going: by the steamboat to carry a box oh board, and had done so, and was just in the act of setting it down on the deck, when deceased, who had been walking up and down a few yards distant, all of a audden cried out as though seized with a fit of some kind and jumped over the Bide. "On which," continued the ex-convict, "Jt jumped in after him. "What happened while wo were in the river together a hundred of on - looking people can bear witness to. Therefore, there is no need for me to talk about it." "It was a humane and courageous act, nevertheless," remarked the Coroner "It did not occur to you, when you leapt after the drowning man, that you were but an indifferent swimmer ?" Sheddon Bhook his .head. "There he was, and there I was ; and that was enough for me," was his gruff answer. " Then I may tell you that, with the tide running as it was, and in deep water, it was an exceedingly brave act, and one you may well be proud of." " I'd ha' done the same with him," returned the ticket-of-leave man, with an unnecessary oath and no abatement of his habitual scowl, "if it had been deep_ sea, and the water was swarming with sharks." " No doubt of it,"#:emarked the Coroner, " aud it is my gratifying duty to baud you a small sum of money a few gentlemen who were witnesses of your gallant endeavour to save human life have subscribed for your benefit. That you were unsuccessful iB no fault of yourß. You did your very best to save the unfortunate man, who but for his own insane determination to die might have been alive at the present time. You will find, I believe,

in this little packet the sum of three pounds ten, which I have no doubt you will find very useful." The kind-hearted Coroner reached across the table and handed the ex-convict the neat little packet. He took it, but held it between his finger and thumb, at arm's length, and with a darker scowl than his face had yet worn, he asked, in a husky voice, " What's — what's this for ? " "It is a reward for your praiseworthy behaviour. Put it into your pocket, man, you well deserve it." But the strange fellow, "hard up and hungry," as a few minutes before he had declared himself to be, flung the little parcel down on to the table with such furious force that the envelope was broken, and the gold rolled out on to the floor. "You don't know me!" he exclaimed passionately. " I'd sooner die than touch a penny of it. I'd sooner go back to where I came from, and end my days there, and be buried in the convict burying ground." And he put on his old cap and hurried out of the room without another word, banging the door after him. (To be continued.)