Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1850-11-16
How Mich ShOuter came very
near "Wholloping'' Arch Cooney,
a YAZOo SKETCH


lived, at no distant date, one Mick Stouter
came famous in all the land Besides being
ing, Mick protessed 10 be considerable" Of q
fighter, and in regular kuock-down-and-drag.
out row.
In order that the world may not remain in
| darkness as to his doings in this last behalf
and fearing least there may be no one who ell
tertains for him that particularly warm regard
which animates us towards him, we have
| thought it incumbent on US in evidence Of our
attachment Tor the reverend hero, to jot down
an incident that fingers in our memory respect
ing him-bequeathing as rich legacy to re-
| motest time. Entertaining such partiality, we
may be pardoned for the following Mick in
one ofhis most stirring adventures, related in
his peculiar and expressive yernacular.
I'm one of tie peaceabest fellers said Mick,
that ever trotted on hind legs, an rather than
git into er fuss, bout nothin' I'd let chap spit
on me; but when it comes to rubbin' it in, al
ways in gen'aIly kinder r'ars up an wont s,,sn'
it. But thar's some tellers up in Yazoo what
would rather git into er scrimmage than eat.
An I've seen er few up thar what was SO hun
cry for er fight that they fell away an got so
poor an thin that they had to lean up again er
saplin for to cuss
That chap, Arch Coony was er few in that
line! He was the durndest, kantankerous
hoss-fy that ever eIum er tree! tell you eff
hadn't er bin thar wouldn't es bIeeved it. l
seed him one day in Satartia, git up from er
jug ofwhiskey, when he hadn't drunk more'n
half it, and leave t'other half to spile, an 60
an pitch into er privit' spute tween two Injuns,
(when he didn't care er darn cent which wal
looped t'other) an lamm both on um out in ther
mockasins! =,s. -.-ee.s+ s.- ~. yH
Well, you see, Arch was mighty fond Of
them kind er tricks, an ef he seed er feller he
thought he could lamm without no danger, he
wouldn't make no bones, but he'd just 60 up to
the chap and make faces at him an harry his
feelings er bit, an ef the feler showed spunky
like he'd let him alone, an Ak him to take er
drink; but ef he surfer tried to sidIe out of it.,
Arch would get as mad as all wrath, an sw'ar,
and cuss and r'ar, an charge like er ram at er
gate-post, and the fust thing you knowed he'd
shuck off his coat, an when the feller warn't
spectin nuthn, Arch would fetch him er side
wipe, on the head, and knock him into the mid
die of next week !! |
You see I didn't like them sorter doins much
me, myse fl didn't, an ail'ays sed eff ever
got er chance at Arch I'd let him down but
ton-ho g or two. He was gettin' too high up
in the pict ures enny how, an seq |, one day, in
er crowd, sez |, eli that teller Arch Coony don't
mind which side Of his breads buttered, I'll git
hold of him one Of these days, an III make him
see sites. Well, you see, thar war two or three
sheep-stealin chaps listnin' to what sed' an
they goes an tells Arch the fust chance got,
was gwine to larrup him. Well, that riled
him like all fury, an soon as he hearn it, he
began er cussn' like wrath, and sez he, dod rot
that Mick Shouter-he pretend to be preach.
in no how! So You see, them same chaps,
they comes an tells me what Arch he'd sed, an
got mad too, and we had the durndest rum
pus in the neighborhood you ever hearn!
Ididn't see nuthin' of Arch from that time
till about er month. Every time went down
to Sataria to buy anything-er barrel of whis-
key, or backer, or such like tuck, for private
use-I looked for Arch, an Arch he looked for
me, but somehow or 'tother he never crossed
my path. At last one day sent him word
bleved he was skeer'd Of me, and the fust
chance ] got I'd take the starch out'n him as
shure as shootin; an he sent word back to me
that was game what too could play at an
when WANTED to try it, he'd see if he couldn't
help me. '' 51s 1913
Well, things went on that way for er long
time, an didn't see nuthin' of Arch SO begin
to forgit all about him. At last one day, when
me an two or three other chaps was gwine down
to Big Black River, to go bar huntin' ON 'tother
side of it, l heard the darndest clatterWhackin'
and noise in the road behind us, an when /
turned round te see what in the name of thun-
der twas, thar was Arch an er whole lot of fel-
lers cumin' down the road, er gallopin' full tilt
right up to us, an er gwine bar huntin' too.
When seed him, was so mad thought
! should er burst ride wide open! was hot,
| tell you, and sez / to myself now Arch, I've
got you, an if you don't Keep your eyes skin'd,
I'll lick you til your hide wont hold shucks.
Toreckly Arch he cum up along side an
looked me right plum in the face as savage as
er meet axe an sez he, good mornin' ole
Preach-giye Us your paw! ''s,@ ss7
see thar was hell in him as big as er meet
in house an 'termined to give him as good
as he sent; SO. / looked at him so.ter sa-
like, an seq /, look here hoss, how
can you have the face to talk to me arter say
in' what you sed fz rs as5zsa
Why, sez he, uncle Mick didn't you begin
t.! t#sss45z$5 $ aa. sI55afs53E!s5s 4 ~ s
No sez l., an fyou sez began il, I'll lar
rup YOU in er inch Of your life!
Sez he, you eternal ole cuss, ef you want to
afrup me just iarrup away as soon as You darn
please, an we'll see which ell get thewust Of
It? . ..st. ~ ..s4..s.s
Now, seq ], likes you Arch cause I all'ays
thought you was er fustrate feller; but amt
you bin 'busin me every whar fur. every thing