Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1756-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more
Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL
Newspaper Page Text
FULL TELEGRAPHIC AND CABLE NEWS SERVICE' OF THt UNITED PRESS THE DAY BOOK 500 SO, PEORIA ST. 398 TEL. MONROE 353 Vol. 1, No. 210 Chicago, Wednesday, May 29, 1912 One Cent, HE'S A NEGRO BOOTBLACK, BUT A HERO WHO SAVED MANY FROM A WATERY GRAVE Dove Repeated in Icy Salt Water to Rescue Drowning Women "Ah Always Wuz a Good Swimmer," His Only Remark When Hundreds Congratulated Him on His Bravery. Seattle, Wash., May 29. A man was having his" shoes shined. They were natty tans, and the wearer was a fussy dresser. New ton Johns, small negro and shine expert, was officiating. The job washalf done when a-crash rent the air, followed by screams. "Hey!" yelled, the fussy dresser. v "W, here's you going? Come back and finish the job." But the bootblack was speed ing .in the direction of the steam boat dock, from, which a moment ' before "hundreds "of passengers had been going aboard the steam er Flyer for1 Tacotna. The hoist ing, machinery which raised and ldwe'red the gangplank in the slip had "broken, and the plank fall ings, 60 men, wtfmen and'children, had been hurled into'the waters of the harbor. The edge of the balcony was thronged with excited people. "Let jne through-!" the 'boot black shouted, and catapulted against the iuman mass. , He went through it like a shot. A man was holding a coil of rope and hopping up and down. Johns grabbed one end of the rope. "Hold tight!" he said, and went over the edge splash! He al most landed on top of a woman floundering in the water. The shock of the sudden immersion in the icy salt water was like a shock of electricity. It numbed him at first; then set every nerve to tingling cruelly. He opened his eyes under water, and the salt made them smart. But he kept them open. For the woman was beneath him, and sinking still. He could see her clearly.- Her long hair had come undone and was spread out and waving like sea-weed. Head down, Johns swam after her. Now and then he stretched out an arm experimentally, for distances under water are deceit ful. He could not reach her. His threshing legs drove him down still farther. His lungs were bursting He released the air