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THE MOTtNUSTO TIMES, SUNDAY, APEIL
4, 1897.
20
MRDH IN THE WILDWOQDS
The Story of a South
ern Swamp
By jokl cilvn'dlku hahuis.
IX.
T11E UPSETTING 01 1IH GOSSETT.
If Aaron liad know n it w as Mr. Gossctt's
voice he heai ii ami Mi Gossett's hand that
hi ought the buggj wlnp down on the pooi
hoiso'o Kick with such cruel encrgj, the
probabilitj is that he would have taken
to his heels, and jet it lh impossible to
ha j villi ceitaintv The son or Hen Ah
was such a cuiious compound that Lis ac
tions depended cntnclj ui on the mood
lie chai'cod to be in He w,as full of
coinage, and jet was tcrnblj- afraid t
times He was tiigniricd and pioud, and
jet no stianger to humilitj His wlulo
natine resented the idea of senilis as a
slave, jet he would hac asked nutUng
bettei than to be Utile Crolchctt's slave,
and he was glad to tall Mr Abeiciom'-iie
master So that, arter all, it in ij he th it
lie would hac stood his ground, knowing
thatthe voiconnd hand were Mr Gossett's,
w hen Ms cars told hint, as thej now did,
that the horse, made fuiious bj the uuel
stroke of the w hip, vv ah runuingaw a j , torn
ing down the hill at breakneck "speed
Mr Gossett had been on a fruitless cr
ran 1 When Ins son Ueoigc leacl'ed home
that morning, and told him that Mr Jim
Simmons dogs had followed the trail to
the river and there lost it, Mr Gosett
rem liked that he was glad he did not go
on a fool's eirand, and he made 'various
statements ahout Mr Simmoi.s and his
dogs that were not at all jtolhe Latei in
thedav, however (Tlijugh the hour was still
eailv , when Mi Gossett was making the
. ustomarv round of his plantation, he fell
in with a negro who had been hunting foi
somestiai sheep The negro, artel giving
tin account of ins movements, made this
luit her lemark
I sholv Vpeeted jou'd lie over jandei
widMi Jim felnmions, Marster. His dogb
1 iae struck at lack it adm' inter de swamp,
an d"v slio w cut a calljhooUn "
"When was that'" Mr Gossett inquired
"Iol mo' ilau tw o hours ago, ef dat,"
responded the negro "1 lisn at uni, 1 did,
an dev went right nng toi ds de swalnp
1 know d de dogs, kaze I done hearum soon
dis moinm' "
Giving tlit. negto some instructions that
would k cp him UUS3 the lost of the iIa
ir In cairiel them out, Mr Gossett turned
his hoise's head in the direction of the
Swamp, and lode slovvlv thither The
Dim I'alcon saied high in the airand paid
no atttution to Mi Gosett Tor various
icasons liiat the Swamp knew ahout the
Turktj Buzzard was not in sight The
Swamp itself was full or the reposeful
sih ace thdt davlight usuallv biought to
It Mr Gos" tt lode about and listened
but, if all the dogs in the world had sud
Ct nlv disappeaied, the region round about
could not havebe-n fieji of their barking
and bajing than it was af that moment
All that Mr Gossett amid do was to J
turn about and ride bac home Hut hi wis
uj much pu77lcd IT Mr Simmons had
tiailed a 1 una waj into the Swamp and
caught him, or if he had made twofailuies
in one inoiiunc, Mr Gossett would like
veiv much to know it In point of fact,
lie was such a practical business man
that he felt that it was Mr Simmons' ilutv
to niakt some suit of report to him lu
matte is of this kind Mi Gos&ett was verj
precise
JJut after dinnei he felt in a more jocular
mood He informed his son George that he
tlvotight he would go over and woirj Mi
him nons a little tiver Ins failuie to catch
Aaron, mil hehadhishorseputtothe buggv
and iodesioi e'ven milestoMr Simmons'
home, s iiiliin: grinilj as he went along
Mr sim nons was at heme, but was not
feeling verv wtli, as his wife informed Mi
Gossett Mi-. Sim nonshcrself wasinnov erv
amiable mood, as Mr Gossett verj soonol
sirvid Hiitshc asktdlniniiipohtelv enough
ami v.ndhlie'd so and tell Jiminj that ex m
panv had come Shewenttothcgardengate,
iiol'verv r.u from the house.andtallcdoutto
her husband 111 a bliiill voice:
"JimnV tin, Jimmj' That old buzard of
a Gossettisinthe lioiisc Come see what he
wants And do put on jour coat before jou
come In the house And wash jour hands
Thov'rediiilirthansin And lutthatshock
or jours onclick with the comb and brush
Come rigid on now If 1 liav e to sit in there
and talk to thcold rascal long I'll have a Tit
Ain't jou coming? I'll run back heroic he
ransacks the whole house
Mr Hiuvnons came bauntenngin after a
w hlle.and his wifemade thatthee-v-cuseror
disappearing, though she went no further
than the otlxi side of the door, where she
listened with all her cars, being Tilled with
uconuiniugcunositjtoknow wliatbusiness
brought Mt Uosi-ctt to that house She had
not long to wait, for thevisitorpiuugedinto
the subject at once
"You mav kn.w I was anxious al out
jou, Simmons, or I wouldn't be here
("The old hvpocrite," remarked Mis 81111
mons on the othei side of tl e door ) "You
didn't come bj when join hunt ended,
and 1 allowed that majbe jou had caught
the nigger and either killed or crippled
him, and a lit in felt a sort of backwaiel
ncss in telling mo about it Sol thought
I would come ovei and sic jou, if onij
to sav that w hether jou caught the nigger
or killPd him, he's lesponsible ror it and
not jou"
"No, Colonel. I'm not 111 the practice of
killing niggciR nor crippling them I've
caught a m.inj of 'cm, but l' e never hurt
Due jet But, Coloml' If jou'd 'a' tone
gone through with what I ve I een this
daj , 3 ou'd "a .done exactly w hat I done
lou'd 'a' went right straight home with
out stopping to as-t questions oi to answei
'em- much less tell tales "
'JheieuponMr Simmons told the storj of
hisadvciituiein the Swamp, "varnishing up
thefactsas he thought he knew them, and
adding some details calculated to make
the episode much more interesting from
his point of Mew It will be lemembored
that Mr Simmons was m total ignorance
of wliatreaiiv happened in the Swamp He
had conceded the theorj that his dogs
had ldt upon the tiail of a wildeat j,oing
freim the liver to its den in the Swamp,
and that when the dogs had followed it
thcic thej had 1 een attacked, not bj one
-wildcat, but bj the whole "cal-oodle" of
wildcats, to use Mr Simmons' epussion
Having conceived this theory, Mr. Sim
mons notonlystuck toit, but added -various
incidents that did credit to his imagina
tion. Forin&tnnce.hcinnde thlsstatement
in reply to a question from Mr. Gossett.
"What did I think w lien I heard all the
racket and siw Sound coming out man
gled? "Well, I'll tell jou. Colonel, I didn't
know what to think I ncv er heard such a
tenible rackctin all my Lorn dajs I saj s
to myself. 'I'll Just ride in and sec what
the trouble is, and if there ain't but
one wildcat I'll soon put an end to him '
So I spuned my boss up and started in,
but berore we went anjwajs hardly the
Loss giv e a snort and tried to w hirl around
and run out-
"It made me mad at the time," Mr.
Simmons went on, his inventive faculty
rising to the cmergencv, "but. Colonel, it's
a mighty good thing that" boss had more
sense than I did, because If he hadn't I'd
a-ncver been sitting here telling you about
it. I tried to make the boss stand, but
he wouldn't, and just then what should I
see but two great big wild cats trying
to bneak up on me? And all the time,
Colonel, the racket m the Swamp was get
ting louder and louder. Pluto was in there
fcomewheres, and I knowed he was attend
ing to bis business, so I just give the boss
the reliiB and he went like he was 6hot
out of a gun
"I pulled him in and turned him around,
and then I saw .Pluto trjing to come out
Xow, Colonel, jou maj know if it was too
hot for him, It was lots too warm for mo
Pluto tried to come, and lie was a-rightlng
like furj , but it was no go The two cats
that had been sneaking up on me lit on
him, and right then and there they tore
him all to Minders' Colonel, thej didn't
leave a piece of that dog's hide bigeiiQUgh
to 111 ike a woman's glove if it had been
tanned And as if that wouldn't do them,
thej made another sail and come at me,
tush and claw. I just clapped spurs to
the boss and denied up irom there Ho
jou blame me. Colonel?"
"As I understand it, Simmons," re
marked Mr Gossett, after pulling his beard
and reflecting awhile, "jou didn't catcli
tlie nigger "
("The nastj old buzzard!" remaiked
.Mrs Simmons, on the other side ol the
door "If I was Jimmy, I'd lilt him witha
cheer ")
110 jou think jou'd 'a' eiught him,
Colonel, taking into account all the cir
cumstances and tilings'" inquired Mr
Simmons, with his irritating drawl
"I didn't sij I was going to catcli him,
did IV" replied Mr Gossett 'I didn't saj
lie couldn't get awaj from mj dogs, dull"'
"Supposing jou had," suggested Mr
Simmo'is, "would jou 'a' done it.' 1 ain't
never heard of jou walking in among a
drove of wildcats to catch a nigger"
And so jou didn't catch him, mid jour
line dogs are lmer now than thej ever
were""' Mr Gossett lemarked
("Mj goodness! If Jimmi don't hit him
I'll go in and do it mjself," said Mrs Sim
mons, on the other side of the door )
"Well, Colonel, it s just like I tell jo-i "
Mr Simmons would have said something
else, but just then the door opened, and
Mrs Simmons walked in, fire in lior eje
You saved jour $50, hain't jou'" she
said to Mr Gossett
v.Vhj er ves'm but "
"No buts about it," she snapped "If von
ain t changed mightilv, jou think a htap
more of $.50 in join pocket than von do of
a nigger 111 the bushes Jimmj don't owe
jou nothln', does he"',
"Well er 110111 ' Mr Gossett had been
taken completelj bj surpi lse.
' No, he don't, and il lie did I'd quit him
light now tins verj minute," .Mis .Sitn
iiions declared, cesticulatmgominousl j with
her ion finger ' And w hat Jimmj vvantsto
go trolloping about the country trjing to
catch the niggers jou drive to the woods,
is more'n I can tell to save mj life Whj,
if he was to catcli jour runaw.ij niggers
thej wouldn't stav at home no longer than
the minute jou to jk the ropes olf 'em "
Mr Simmons cleaied his Illicit as If
to sav something, but his wife mticip.ited
him
"Oil, hush up, Jimmj," she cried
"You know I'm telling the tiutli There
ain't an j living soul in this cointij'
th it don t know a Gossett nigger as far
as tlicv can see him "
' hat aie the eu marks, ma'am' ' in
quued Mr Gossett, trving h ird to be jocu
lar In a moment he was heartilj torrj
he had askeil the question
"Eat marks' Earmarks' Hide marks,
jou better stv Wliv, 'titv'vebevn ibusnl
and hair fed till they are ashamed to look
folks in the face and I don't blame '1111
1 hev go sneakinc and shiiiibling along
and look mcauci than sin And tain t
tilth own meanness that sliow-. in tin
No Not bv a long sight I lis ij that much
foi 1 lie poor creetur-. "
Tlieie wasson 1 Uuii-jof apius Lore and
Mi Gossett pie.iuptlj took advant i-,e of
it He lose bowed to Mis bimmoim, w ho
tinned hf 1 bck on hint and siartid ror
the dooi sivnm
"Well, Si mnions, I just called to see w hat
luck you'd hid this morning Mj times
up I must be going "
Mi Simmons followed him to the door
and out to the gate Heroic Mr t.o-.-sett
got 111 his buggv he turn d and looked
tovvaid the house rem uking to Mr fcim
iuonsiu ,i confidential tone.
"I fc.iv Simmons blie's a 'scoither.'
ain't she ' '
"A riMit warm one. Colonel, if 1 do saj
it mjself," replied Mi Simmons, with
a touch of pride "But, Colonel, before
you get clean awav, let-, have a kind of
an undei standing about this matter "
"About wh.it m ittei '" Mr Gossett
stood with one foot on his buggy step,
ready to get lu
About t'us talk ol Jennv s ' tm.l Mi
S'mmons nodding his head -toward tin?
house "111 go this far I'll sn that
I'm mlghtj soirv it w. isn't somehodj else
that done the talking and in omihod)
else's house Hut seneeit was Jennj it
can't be help If what she said makes ou
feel tired sort of wetrv like when vou
begin to think about it, jest bear in mind,
Colonel, tlr.t I hold mvself both peison
allj nndindividuullv reesponsiblefor evcrj
tiling Jennv has said todav, and eveij thing
she nnv sav hereafter"
Mi Gossett loweued his ejebrows aril
looked through them at Mr Simmons
"V. liv, of fouise, Simmons " he aid, a
little stifflj, "we all have to stand bj the
women folks 1 understand that But
blamed if 1 d like to be in vour shf's
"A ell. Colonel, the v rn me like a j-lov e "
Mr Gossett 'eated himself in his buggj
anddroveawav Mis Simmons was Stand
ingm the di or, her armsakimho, when hei
husband returned to tin 1 oue
"Jiiiinu. vou didn't feo and apologize to
that old bti7zard for w hat 1 said, did j ou""'
Mr Simmons laughed hcnrtilv attheidea,
and when he repeated w hat he had said to
Mr Gosttt, his wife jumped at him and
kissed lmn and then inn into tl e ne.t room
and cried a little It't. the one waj that all
women have of "cooling down," as Mr
Simmons would hive expressed it
Hut it need not be mipi oed that Mr Gos
sett wa in a geed humor He felt that
Mrs Simmons, in speaking as she did, was
merelj the moutnpicce of public opinion,
and the idea galled him He called on a
ucighboi on Ins waj back 1 cme to discuss
a business matter, and he was in such a bad
humor, so entiiely out of sorts, as he de
scribed it, taat the neighbor hastened to
get a jug of diam out of the cupboard, and
soothed and stimulated bj the contents of
the jug, Mr Gossett thawed out. Bj de
grees his good humor, such as it was,
returned, and bj degrees he took moic of
the dram than was good for lum So that
when he started home, -which was not until
after sundown, his toddies had begun to
tell on him H is ejes informed him that his
horse had two heads, and he realized that
he was not in a condition to present him
self at home, wheic his son George would
see him The example would be too much
for George, who had alreadj on arious
occasions shown a fondness for the Lottie
What, then, was to be done? A verj
brilliant idea struck Mr Gossett He
would not drive straight home; that would
never do in the world He'd go up the
road that led to town until he came to
Wesley Chapel, and there he'd take the
other road thatlcd bj the Aikin plantation
Tins was a drive of about ten miles, and
bj that time the effects of the dram would
be worn off.
Mr Gossett carried out this program
faithfully, and that was w"hj the buggy
was coming over the hill as Aaron was
going along the road on his waj to the
Swamp.
Contrarv to Mr. Gossett's expectations,
the dram did not cvhaust itseir. He still
felt its influences, but he was no longer
good-humored. Instead, he was nervous
and irritable. He began to brood over
the unexpected tongue-lashing that Mrs.
Simmons had given him, and succeeded
in working himself Into a erj ugly frame
of mind.
When his hoi se came to the top of the
hill something the animal saw a straj
pig, or majbe a cow, lying in the fence
corner caused it to swerve to one side.
Tliis was entirely too much for Mr. Gos
sett's unstrung nerves He seized the
whip and lnouglit it down upon the ani
mal's back with all his might Mael
dencd bj the sudden and undeserved blow,
the horse nude a terririo lunge forward,
causing Mr. Gossett to drop the reins and
nearly throwing him Horn thu buggv.-.
Finding itself free, the excited horse
plunged along the road. The grade of
the hill was so heavj that the animal
could not run at top speed, but made long
Jumps, flirting the buggj about as though
it had been made or cork.
The swinging and lurching of the buggy
added to the animal's excitement, and the
climax, of its tenor was reached -when
Aaron loomed up in the dark before it.
The noise made one wild bwcive to the
side of ( lie road, but railed to elude Anroa.
The sudden swerve, however, threw Mr.
Gos-elt out He fell 011 tiie kolt eaith and
lay tlieie limp stunned, and frightened.
Aaron, holding to the horse, ran by its
side a little nay and soon had the annual
undei control He soothed it a iioneiit
tall id toil until it whinnied fastened the
lines to a fence conic 1, and tin 11 went
back to see at out the man u ho had fallen
fiom the buggj little dreaming that it
was his owner, Mr Oos.ett Uut just as
he leaned over the mm Kamlilei told the
news Ihe keen nt.s, ot the do.: had tlis
coveiedil though he stood mine distance
a n a j
Ihis caused Aaion to straighten himself
again and as he did so he mw something
gleam inthotarliglit It was Mr Gohsetts
pistol which had fa'hn. fiom his pocket
as he fell A.non picked up the weapon,
handling it verv gii-gcrlv fot he was un
used to tirearms and placed it under the
buggv seat lhen he returned with an
cat-ier mind and gave his attention to Mr
Gossett.
' Hurt much"'" he asked curtlv-, sinking
the piostiate man by the shoulder
"Moic scared than hint, I reckon. ' re
plied Mi Gocsett 'What was tnat dog
balking at just now?"
He am t used to sCting white Tolks in
the dirt,' Aaron explained
Who are jou"' Mr Gossett inquired
"One,' answered Aaron
' Well, ir I'd hi en vou a half hour ago
I'd swern jou were Two" Mr. Gossett
made this joke at his own expense but
Aaron did not uniterstaud it, and therciore
could not appreciate it bo lie said noth
ing Put vour hand undei inv shoulder here
and help me to sit up I want to see ir
anv bones are biokcn "
Aided b. Aaron, Mr Gossett assumed a
silting posture While lie was reeling of
himself, searching for wounds and broken
bones, he heard his horse snort This re
minded him, for he was still somewhat
dazed, that lie had started out with .1 horse
and buggv
"Thit's jour horse, I reckon Mine's at
home bj tins time with two buggv slialts
s intone to hitu Lord, what a Tool a man
can be!"
lliit's jour horsn," said Aaron
"Mine! Who stopped him?"
"Me," answered Aaiou
"You! Whv,as near as I can reinemter
lie was coining down tins lull like the dogs
were after him W ho are jou, am how ' '
"One "
' Well, jou are worth a dozen common
men Give me jour hand "
Mr Gossett 0ovvlv i.iised lnm-eir to
his feet, shook first one leg and then the
other, and appeared to be much iclieved
to find that his bodv and all ot its membeis
were intact Hew liked about a little, and
then went close to Aaron and pteied in
his face
"Blamed if I don t heliev e jou are
inv runaway nigger!" Mr Gossett ex
claimed "1 smell whiskj " said Aaron
"Confound the stuff I I never will get
rid of it "
Mr Gossett put his hands In his pockets
and walked around again
"Your name is Aaron," lie suggested
Kcceivlng no repiv, he said' "If jour
name is Aaron vou belong to me if jou
belong to me get in the bugg' and let's go
home You've been In the woods long
enough "
"Too long," replied Aaron
"That's a fact," Mr Gossett assented
"Come on and go home w ith me If j ou're
afeared of me jou can put that idea out of
jour mind I swear jou shan't be hit a
lick You are the onlv nigger I ever had
anv respect for, and I'll lie blamed if I
know how I came to have anv for you
after the way jou've treated me But if
jou"l promise not to run off any more I'll
treat vou right You're a good hand and
a good man."
Mr Gossett paused and felt in his pocket,
evidently searching for something "Have
jou seen a pistol ljiug loose anywhere
around here'" lie asked
"It's all safe," replied Aaron
"You've got it Very well, I was just
going to pull it out and hand it to jou
Come on; it's getting late" Seeing that
Aaron made no movement, Mr. Gossett
tried another scheme "Well, if jou won't
go home," he said, "and I think I can
promise that you'll be sorj if you don't,
get in the buggy and drive part of the
way for me. I'm afraid of that horpe after
his caper tonight."
"Well, I'll do that," remarked Aaron.
He helped Mr. Gossett in tho buggy, un
tied the lines, took his seat by his owner,
and the two were soon on their way home.
(To be continued.)
G) . 1
Very Deadly to the User
The machine guns, repeating lifles, and
self-cocking rev elvers of todaj are cer
tainly elaborate fighting instiuments; al
most too elaborate, one s tempted to saj,
making var largelj .1 contest or inventors
and engineeis Hut, after all, these mod
ern bi it tie engines ate effective, and here
the up-to-date inventor of murderous e'e
viees lias the advantage E-cr since the
stone age these geniuses have kept lhm
selves busj, but to in ike successful use of
some of their elaboratly awkward piod
ucts in the past, one is forced to conclude
that victims must have been first ca ight
WIM. II Hi: 11HOKKX
and bourn" Thej stn nglv u all tin ab
surditv or a certain crank s deadly 1 1
povvder whhh vas de oil t nouli but
could onlv be applied bj capturing the
spri-r'nlv insect and inserting the ioi-n
b twi 1 n its jaws
A sinking ex inipk of this sort of pei
verse liigcuunv is the so-c died 'IIolv
vv itci Spimklii " 'lie 11 anient sounding
11 mie stetns to hive originated in the
sl ing of tiie times; the medi..eval war
rior was 1 ither fond of Jokes of that i'c
-cnption 'litis elaborate cciislii'Ctii n was
1 iluh-hki! 11 rraii. containing at 0111 end
four short bauds, each or which was
fired with a much 11k priming was
protected b a spding- nm den i'tl 11 ml the
end was covered bj an iron iap, furnished
witt a spear-like blade ai dlield in place
bv a hook
llie intention w.is to lirsi bla7 awaj it
tiie eiumv with the ''gonncs" at the end,
and then to Use the wcipon at clcse.
quarters as a clab, but to effect ..11 this
iniift h ive requred mo e cue in manipu
lation and more deliv thin "grini-vis-aeed
war" commonij permits
Of com e il tie inemv wen obliging
and would stand still while the- slide
and c ip weie rtrioved, the ' tonnes"
all filed in proper onlu, ami the cap
reiil iceil and stcure!v lasteneil lest it
flop hick and smash thel cad ot the wielder
then he was welcome to rushrn and tale
hisciunbiiig But Hiiforumntelv theinemv
like the l.ittbit 111 the Aztec lragmjnt, is
so liable to go," and whlh some er tin
parts or the combination were being ad
justed, the ineonsidiiate toe might come
on piematurclv and spoil tin ariange
ment On the w hole, t lie "Spunkier was some
thing like the raiuous Halloa's levolvcr
altqgethti ' too comprehensive " and like
his corrce, it was far tco technical lor
practical purposes
'J he bandolier was another an nil con
trivance for putting the "villainous salt
petre ' to muiderous uses It consisted
of seveial tin cases covered with leather,
c ich containing a ch.iruc of powib'i,
suspended bv rings riom a cord in ide to
pas- through largernngs A flnp of leaiher
was arranged on each side to protect the
cans from rain, and to one of these was
att iclie 1 a eneul u purse for bullets. 1 losed
bv a diaw string The whole alfair vas
buckhd around the waist Win never the
cases weie stirred, cither bv the inotlmol
the weaiei or bv the fitful breeze, tlev
made a distincting din, but their chb-t dis
Unction and interest lav in the dangci that
N24
1. Mediaeval
dunecr.
sprinklei.'
2. The
4. The
the match cord was liable at any moment
to ignite and blow off the eutiie line of
chaigcs for tho private benefit of the
vvearei a contingency not calculated to
put him altogether at his ease The ban
dolier man could never "trip gaily to the
fiay "
In fact, his situation was about nB
precarious as that of the soldiers who
had loaded their icannon on the back of
a mule, which, madeaineasy by the splut
tering of the fuse, began to turn slowly
round and round in a vain endeavor to
get at the cause of its annojance, thuB
sweeping every point of the horizon with
his murderous burden, to the utter dis
comfiture and panic of the experimenting
gunners
But devices fox shooting did i.ot ex
haust all the possibilities for clumsy war
tools. The weapon called the "concealed
ranseur," a sortr of thiee-pomted spear,
was quite as remarkable in its way as any
gunpowder plot arrangement. It was long
and lance like in form, the upper rart
being an iron cylinder: covered by a cap
1 theseold time artiets were great on covora
Jiiylte-- Jhttlllltimw bsl Tt W !lllll.lf lllllftiii fe
which could lie removed by touching a
holt a little below it. The weapon was
then giv en a sharp Jerk forward, and three
blades flew out in the form of apaitisuu
Once in this, position, they were lcld
firmlj and could lie thrown back into Hie
cjlinder only by striking the butt of the
weapon sliarplj against the ground
there is no doubt that the Genoun vv ho
invented this got the better of his English
brother in mechanical skill, and the weapon
was sure to do some damage with at least
one of its points if the warrior once got a
fair thrust at his enemy. But it was so
lengthj tli.it before he could get time to
draw it back and in position for another
thrust somecoiuadeof thcslain man would
have ample opportunity to rush in and
avenge his death.
If war was the pastime for piincCs.
It must have been a very childish as
lil'.UOltn EASII'It MTDAY'
well as brutal game in the old dajs
Tor perstiiial am! piivate combat, which
wus also one of the gentlemanlv diver
sions of the Hxteenth centurj, a. trulj
infernal little affmr cdleel bj courtesy
a dagger,, was much in favor This ".as
so constructed thut. aftei liing riirust
into a person, bj the pulling of a liMle
citch it could be made to open like a
glove-stretcher and the center blade
wus at the same time prolonged, tlus
admitting of a second blow Having
once driven the atrocious thing well
home, its owner must have been oh'igcd
to make a prcuit or it to his victim,
who could scarr-e help accepting it,
how even unwilling, ror the blades were
provided With hooks curving in such a
vva as to make it ilmost iin ussil le to
with Iruw this fiendish tool
Ineffective though thej were, nofnng
can exceed the malice displajed in these
elumsv instruments of murder The vvoild,
after all, is growing bcttei
MARGARET ALISON
MEN BECOMING JIORE SOBER.
Testimony to the increasing sobriety
of New "lorkeis tomes from the wooiN
Some men have been in the habit of
in innging ttieir tlmst in 1 sjstematiciinn
ner Thev would drink little or nothing for
firtv weeks in tin vear Then thej would
go into the woods with several gallons or
whlskv and Uv c their th'ist fioe swing
Thej might stav there a week, ten davs,
or even thne weeks, but when thej ca ne
out th:r thirst thirst would have been
conquered for fiftv weeks and the whiskj
would all have disappeand The chi-r
persons to profit from this svstem were the
landlords of urn ill hotels, and the v nine of
the trade maj be judged fiom the fitt
th it one guest was accustomed to hand
over to the lnndloid upon his arrival a
roll of iSuO with the warning that under
no circumstances were his expense-,, of
wh itever natuie, to exceed that amount
At the end of his otaj he would take
home a string of fiftj trout and dis
tribute them among tils friends, with the
information, to those he could tiust, that
thej h id cost him $lu apiece
It is now reported that verj lew of tiiese
customers have been seen during the
fall ind winter, and that the outlook for
spring is not gocd The same growing
sobrietj has affected the levenues of .1
hospital in this citv Pormeilj it had a
certain number of regular customers,
who resoited to it at intervals of .1 lew
bnndolier. 3. The
concealed runsjeur.
'holy Avatcr
months to be put into shape after pro
longed battles w ith their thirst, and paid
from $23 to $50 and more a week for the
process A large sitting-room was given
up to their exclusive use, and they used
to meet there and discuss pink monkejs
and gTccn mice and other topics. In
this room firendslnps w ere formed be
tween men who never met elsewhere
and came across each other there with
tolerable rcgularitj'. Fiom one cause or
another, this clientele has fallen away,
60 that it no longer paj s the hospital to
reserve the sitting room for It, and the
room hae been dev oted to other uses New
York Sun.
About Domestic Tobacco.
There is said to bo a growing belief
among American tobacco consumers that
home-grown tobacco equals the imported
article. Tobacco is grown In at least a
dozen States, Pennsylvania leading In the
amount of production, while Ohio has 50,
000 acres given up to its culture, and an
average crop of 30,000,000 pounds In
dianapolis New
A SOLDIER'S DOUBLE
?mm
SSS2S.
B Y CII AltLES B. LEWIS,
About thirty dajs before Grant broke
through Lee's lines at Petersburg and
the beginning of the end came, a portion
of my regiment captured seven Confed
erates and brought them into camp. My
own company was a part of the Federal
force, but as I was on detached duty
tii.it week I was not with them.
Thu first I knew of the capture was
vv In 11 I heard the "torv that I had de
sertcd to the Confederates and been re
captured .mil would be sjiot. I visited
company headquarters to ascertain
what the talk meant, and there met
with a strange reception I was there,
wealing a blue uniform, and jet I was
in the guardhouse hair a mile away
wearing the butternut I had been on
dutv at division headquarters, and jet
I had been captured ou the advance
lines I was ,tt once putted, under nr
n st, and it was an hour or more before
the m.stcrv was solvul. Then it vva
found that one of the Confederate pns
oners was my double As the case ev
ened a good deal of comment at the
time, I will give jou tiie full particu
lars Mj double was a member or .m
Alabama legiment When placed suie
by siii we weie twin brothers Lach
of us was twentv jears old .each five
rtet five incho high, each weighed 1 J7
pounds our ejus and li.nr were of the
sane color Lveu our voices were Ihe
same, except that he spoke with more
01 a diawl 1 lie name of the joungiom
was John Waki field, and we were born
a thousand miles apirt mil were in no
wav ri luted We were as much aoton
ished as the office! s and surgeons who
weie called in to gtze at us No twin
biotheis evei bole a closer resemblanct,
and tin v declared that even our gait
was the same
I had not retrecovercd from 111 vastoni-h-ment
when the suggestion was made that
I go into the Confederate camp as a spy
on the strength or the wonderful resem
blance I was given three dajs in which
to pump Wakefield He did not know my
objeet, or I should credit him with havim:
told me less, althoiiKh he was tired of the
vv ar nn.I rather glad lie had been captured
I rirst got hi; family historj complete
Then the town from which he hailed, the
namcM ormiiij people and the location of
streets and public buildings Then the
names or his officers and comrades, and
incidents of campaigning. Having nothing
ele to do, and mj aim being to aequire in
formation, I got from him almost everj
incident of ins life in those three (lavs and
nights As inv life would depend upen
my being thoroughlj posted, we can
vassed ttie most trivial incidents of his
life at home and as a sdtlitr. He was a
readv talker and had a gocd mi'inoiy, and,
of course, these things helped me out won
derfullv AVhei. I vv as quite ready I to k
his suit of clothes complete, and he was
given another Then I was taken down to
the frontaud made a bolt font In other
words, one or the Confederate prisoners
escaped anddashid aero- the space which
separated the opposing lines Xot half
a do7en men were let into the secret, and
as I ran I was fiied upon by half a regi
ment
Thtw- had promised me differently, and
I still cherish u bitter feeling against the
officer who had charge of affairs and
obliged me to run such a risk The bullets
whi7zed overhead and tore up the earth at
mv feet, and it was nothing short of ft
miracle that I escaped being hit I ran at
full speed straight for the Confederate
lines, and on dashing over a breastwork I
found mjself In the midst of a Louisiana
brigade or infantry A colonel questioned
me as to my name, regiment, when cap
tured, etc , and I answered so promptly
that I supposed cv erv thing was all right
It wasn't, however. Federal spies had
plaved the game before, and Confederate
wit had become sharpened. I was sent to
the headquarters of Gen. Mahonc, who was
subsequently celebrated in Virginia and
national politics He asked me the same
questions w liich the colonel had put to me
and many others in addition. I saw thit
he was suspicious, and, braving all at one
stroke, I requested that my captain be
sent for. The Alabama regiment to which
I was "apposed to belong was stationed two
miles away, and it was about 9 o'clock
before the captain arrived Previous
to his appearance I had been asked his
name, winch I gave correctlj, and had
also described hispcrson. When he reached
headquarters I was sent for, and as I stood
before him and two or three headquarter
officers Gen. Mahone asked:
"Capt Thoin, this man claims to belong
to your companj-. Is lie a member or
not?"
"Yes, sir," was the prompt reply.
"What's his name?"
"John Wakefield, sir."
"When was he captured?"
"Four dajs ago, along with several
men."
"Arc you positive thit this is jour
man?"
'ZSSS.'ZZSSS
Sii
"Certain, sir. 1 knew him before ho
enlisted, and he has been in my company
for a year."
That settled it We were dismissed, and
1 followed Capt. Thorn to the regiment.
On the way 1 relateel the parti culara
of my capture and escape, and he seemed
ci.nsiderablj- puzzled that Gen .Mahone
should have been so su-jpicimis of me.
There were about forty men in company
D. They all gathered around me as I ap
peared and ga.v ci me welcome, and a.
young man named David Ganny, who had
been Wakefield's tent mate, put his arms
around me and shed tears in hi-, gladnftsa
over my return I had learned my part u
thoroughly that I was "at home" from
the first Next day I met every member
of the company, officers included, and
where 1 used names I made no mistake I
fell Into the routine with the rest, and
after three days the cunositv of all fcad
been satisfied
Yon may saj- it was a wonderful thing
that I could thus pass iny-eir off antf
tscape all suspicion, but I am onlj telling
jou what was known to Gen Grant nun
s' ir. My orders were to ascertain Lees'
strength on a line about four miles Io.ig
JIovv I was to accomplish this after enter
ing the Confederate lines wan left for ma
to decide Wakefield told me nut he had
a cousin in the Seventh Virginia a young
soldiei named John WiiMow' Ha had
visited hin. whenever opportunity offered,
and this was a good e.ctivP for me te
get out of camp I got permission from
my captain to go, and in hunting up the
Seventh Virginia I took care to miss ic
and cover the whole front and bae a.
look at guns and fortifications I found
Window at last, tint his greeting nu tar
from cordial. The two hail evidently quar
reled about Something on which I was rot
posted He was so sulfcy and unfrieaiM
that I wa about to cut ij visit short
when he gave mc a searcmug look, awl
exclaimed.
"Whj, jou arc not John Wakefield ol
ail "
"Then who am I?" I asked witu a.
laugh-
"1 don't knoWj but you are certainly
not mv cousin John Vou look liku lunt,
but you are not he "
lt-was queer that he atom should,
have suspected nw, but soineUilHg in
mj speech, walk or look warmj I hhn thaS
I was a counterfeit I laughed at iihnin
a good natu red waj, hoped I would rini(
him in a better humor when I ea!!.d again,
and started Tor my regiment; but I Jtaej
not gone a quarter or a mile when I wai
overtaken, put under arrest, uid an hour"
later was once more In the .resettle oC
Gen .Mahone I am sure that the general
had doubted me rrom the fir-t Indeed,
after the war he told me is much, and
added that he was not quite satisfied,
even when mj captain o thoroughly
identified me. I was followed to nil
tent bj Winslovv, who boldly proclaimed
that I was not John "Wakefield Then all
the orricer' and half a dozen men or the
companj, including my tentmate. were
sent for. and the general heartily entered
upon the work of trapping me My lift
was the ftake beinx played for. and though
I was fernbly anxious as to th. ooteoine,
as jou may heliev e, I believe I ittsplajeii
all the coolness and nerve wh'h mj beC
friend could hav e hoped for Every offi
cer and everj man promptlj dentificd
me ?s John Wakefield, but to jffset this
Window sHid that his cousin had a scar
on the neck w hich could not i e found on
me I denied the scar, ami then my cap
tain was requested to ak mt- certain ipies
tion. which the general suggestd "
wrote out In replj I gave the Christian
name of father, mother ami sister, m
well as a number of uncles, aunts and
cousins I gav e the names of maim streets
in Montcomerv, Ala ; the names ot mtny
families; tho situation or the State house.
Exchange Hotel, police station, etc. C
told the part taken by my regiment m
various battles and skirmishes, and related
a runnj incident connected with mj enlist
ment, which Capt Thorn rltarly remem
bered. I had pumped John Wakefield o thor
oughly ind so plninlj- remembered every
thing, that I believe I passed th exiinina
tion fullv as well or better than he could.
Gen Mahone had only one peg to hang a
hope on after pnttmg mt through my paces
Tor a full two hours M j tentmate was suro
I was John Wakefield, and jet I was a
bit strange since mv return to the com
pany. I did not use tobacco any longer
and he had not heard mc swear, though
I had been addicted to both vices before
my capture I claimed that I had resolved
to let tobacco alone, as it was affecting
mj health, and I hail quitswearingin grat
itude over my escape The general was
satisfied and yet unsatisfied. He ac
knowledged thatmj officers and comraeles
ought to know me after being together a
year, but added that there was no ureat
hurry to dispose of the case, and sent ine
to the guardhouse At the end of two days
I was escorted back to his headquarter1.,
and hei)lavedhislat card inhistentwas
a soldier dresse din Federal iiniform.whoiii r
took tobe a deserter There vv ere also two
men dressed as civilians, but I believe thej
were Confederate soldiers temporanlv
disgulsed. The general had two letters and
a telegram before him, and as I stood at
attention he looked up and said
"Well, my Yankee lad, you are pretty
sharp, and have stuck by your storj, but
jou might as well make atleanbreastaf iC
now You seethlsdeerterfromyourhm:,
these citizens from Montgomerj these
written proofs ttiat you are not John Wake
field?'' "Who do you want me to be?'' I asked.
"I want your right name and the story
of how vou got into our lines You are a
spy, and hanging is the penalty, but, ow
ing to jour jouth,we may decide to treat
jou as a prisoner of war.'
I declared that I was John Wakefield,
asked him to remember that all my com
pany had fully identified me. and ux
piissed my willingness to face any new
proofs he might have to the contrary.
He leanid back in his chair and looked
mc straight in the eyes for a moment, and
I knew he was a beaten man. He did not
call up the men nor read the letters, as
they had been "prepared" for the occa
sion, and could not ba-ve helped him out.
After what seemed fully ten minutes to
me he quietly said
"Well, perhaps a mistake has hci n made.
You an return to your regimnet."
My two arraignments before Gen Ma
hone made me an object of curiosity and
gossip in my company, and when I re
turned It wa to find all the men anxious
to quiz me, and two or three of them
seemingly suspicious. The cajitain called
me into his tent and questioned and crosg
qucstioned me until he declared that no
body but a fool could have takpn me for
anyone else. I put the mm off by pre
tending to be angry, and three nights
later, as we beld a breastwork at tho
front, I slipped away in the darkness
and re-entered the Federal lines. Acting
on the information I brought Grant was
hammering away on that portion of tha
Confederate line at daybrtak. Ten years
after the war, as I smoked the' pipe ot
peace with Gen.Mahone at a hotel in Rich
mond, I put the inquiry.
"General, suppose you bad secured proofs
that I was not John Wakefield, wbatj
would have happened?"
"Can't you guess7" he replied.
"Would you have had mc shot?"
"No, sir. I'd have hung you by tha
neck and made a good Job of it."
