Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1850-07-20
fyon, hc Nrm York Spirit of hc T;n~s.
The Clients Identity ILLUSTRATED.


ber, when was Il boy. how ! used to look
up to Bill ~ the very nJ,le of human
excellence, gs he walked in with his
cou4ealtes si,ddle-lrgs On his arm, and
everybody crowded rettnd him to hear bis
last Joke. My father kept a country inn
in Kentucky, aud all the nelgtbers used
to assemble there IN the nher6ooi,s to call
for "half-pin plank down II Chine
pence, (now vtllgarly called p {" bit, y
for it, and make the Juvenile coril-julce
suffer. Billy seldom sailed to I've on land,
snd his loud merry laugh, md the uni
vefsal attention paid to- all he sald Or did,
excited my highest admiration. ] often
paused in draining another " halfpint, "
to listen, and breath the fervent wish tl,at
! might. some day, he constable aitd Il
Bill Campbell
MY idea of the man was gfnHlly uHgni-
fled by his stories Of voyage to Ireland
after an estnte left by some ot6ss'is ancestors,
aud his frequent reference tIlhe peculiar
mines Of his children. To Use his own
pronunciation and ortogfaphy, tie oldest
bore the eognomen Of "Cetilious Dlodorus
Diocaison Da9gerwood Campbell"
Bill had hpen schoolmaster and when.
ever anything went wrong, he ordered
each boy to lay down his book and took
him ''straglt in the face." Gathering his
long birch switch, aild looking As fierce as
his Jolly face would let him, he would
exclsm, with ill-assumed dignity
"Pete Johnson complains that Some
body broke his milk bottle i'll the SPRING
who done it =
Whereupdh sorte little rrcliin 1inps up
and says" II warut me, tlir,' before
anybody else conId say word That
made verdict with Bill. He dismissed
the Jury, and whipped the boy, to the in
finite satisfaction of Pete johnson. But
this is only an episode Oh Bills life and
character. TO my story.
Hill ndvHnced from constable to deputy
sheriff About the time Bills term was
expiring, Il number of wrlts were tlnced
in his llan,l- to l,e executed on Steve
Slaughter vito had married beautiful
Young wife, and had rltn through, hand
some fortune so rapidly that all his creditors
pounred down on him at the same time
The laws of Kentucky required that
tic officer should se the mar, and pm his
hunt upyn linn, before the writ was
sufficiently executed. Hence an oppressed
debtor by avoiding the officer often saved
himself from summary rtiiiiby ke6Pjtig mn,
est Wrcntus until process day expired.
Steve had euded all Bills vigilance up to
the al last day of grace. On that day he
went to the village whersa Steve resided,
and walked about very carelessly all day
Atmt supdown he ordered his horse
and made himself somewhat conspicuous
as he rode off, by calling ont to friend
TELL Steve, if the new sheriff keeps
nte in, I'll have him next court. -
He went ont abott two miles, bitched
his horse at the door of an old farmer friend
and Walkediu. He said he hid only called
moment to rest, and intended going home
that night. lie was prevailed ot 10 re-
ntain till after supper, when he took out
his witch, a real cold English bull seye, y
and said he believed he "must he jogging,
as his son Dioclasail wern't very well the
other day
lo He9ode slowly along back tothe village
where Steve lived, so Ms to- reach tl,ere
auit ten o'clock at night. Securing
his horse in the ledge of town. he
went up the back way to Steve's house
and, being well acquainted with the pre-
misses and the family, and even the blood
hound in the yard, he prefaced his approach
with whistle, which brought Gate bound
ing and playing round him, and opening
the back door, walked in. Bill believed il
he executed these writs on Slaughter, the
bold ingenuity of the thing would be 8
feather in his chp with the new sheriff
that was to- be- SO, eyeing a fire-ligllt in
the bedroom, he did not hesitate to enter
| Don't he alarmed" he exclaimed
closing the door behind him, when one Oh
two persons covered him Or herself under
the bed-clothes, head and ears. Il have
only come in my official capacity to see
Mr.. Slaughter and approaching nearer
the bed, and seeing Mrs. SIS beautiful face
pecrlng from large pillow rnffied al
around, "Good evening. madam--pardon
my Intrusion the 1awGs imperative thai
I must do my dnty--I have to serve Some
wrlts on Mr., Slaughter, and the statue
provides that must put my hand on him
40 excuse Inc for coming to the bed side te
do so. "
| Mrs. s. protested that her husband was
not there, and it was "a little singular tina
Mr. Campbell could find no other time o.
place to ease his conscience OF its duty
The other figure in the bed lay still, bu
gave sort of cringe when Bill placed hl'
hand on it, saying that Mrs. s. ought tt
know he intended no offence to her i'll tlit
plain performance of his duty, but, ratbe
than shock her delccacy further, by pulling
at the bed-clothes, he would waive the
other requirements Of the law-to sec the
defendant, So, after holding bis hand OF
the person laying behind, and reading oveI
the writs, he again apologised, and bowlne
to Mrs. s. who wished the bloodhound
would tearhin to pieces, and asserting tlia
some people had great deal Of lnsolence
at least enough to require gentle families
| to put locks and bars to their door he left
Bill chuckIed at his success, and snapp
| ing his fingers to remind Cate that it wa
! him, re.mounted his horse, and gaIlopee
back to the farmhouse where he had suppet
told the family, with broad grin on hi
face, that he had concluded, perhaps
Dioclasion was not very sick, and he hat
some writs to serve on Steve Slaughter
and to-day was the "last day ofgrace =.
that he had got him this time, and Steve
was ruined man, but he (BiII cnildn'
help it; officers must do their duty, and HI
never .fa,tered in his. The host wa
brothern-in-Iaw of the incoming sheriff