Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1851-07-04
From the New York Spirit of the Times.
THE WRONG JUG.

81 haven't never told none on you a.
bout the time when the boys made SIGH
a terrible mistake in the jugs, has |,
boys?" asked old Uncle Billy Landers
of crowd who had gathered around
him during Court week, in the town of
l., Alabama, for Uncle Bill was
great story-teller, and always had a
crowd, when he was in town.
"No, let's hear it, Uncle Billy" said
dozen voices.
"Well, jest hand that coin sperrits
over here first. This here weather's so
derned hot that white man of good
raisin' can't talk thou, imbibing occa.
sionally."
Here the old man took drink of the
"sperri.s," that would have rendered al
most any other man tight, but which on
ly made him talkaiive. Then setting
down the jug, he drew an old greasy
silk handkerchief from his pocket, ard
wiping the perspiralion from his face,
commenced:
"Well, you see, boys, never likes
10 tell this ere story, cause amt dispo-
sed to be hard on the poor fellows, but
ii's rally too good TO keep. Last spring,
lot on us, Job Dowdy, Ike Sturdivent,
Joe Dobbs, and some Of the other boys
IN NY district, concluded we'd take
load of truck down to Wetumrky and
sell il, and buy such little things as the
wimmin folks wanted. We had a
mighty poart time of goin' down, and
there was mighty lively crowd of US.
No,hin' curious or intcres,in', though,
didn't happen. an we all arriv' down TO
WetumFky right side up, as they say
on the boxes of glass.
"Wetumpky is the derndest biggest
place ever hearn of, and Go believe
they has everything thar, an little
more. Book stores, printin' Offices,
dreg stores, and Ticker shops, where they
have more different kinds of sperrits than
we ever hears of, way here in the back
woods-old Koniac, bout a thousan'
year old, peach. rot gut, Tennessee. Mo-
nongahaly, and every other kind in the
world, and more too. But | tell you
boys, if you amt uscn'd to il, be keer-
full how you tech that truck what they
call shampane, for it's the derndest stuff
to fly into feler's head you ever hearn
Of. One of them thar store fcllers, what
had bought my cotton. tuck me down to
one of the bar-rooms, chats what they
call the Ticker shops,) an called for
some shampain, an axed me to drink
with him, and as that's somethin' yer
old Uncle Billy never has no objections
to, / jest takened few drinks, an the
way it set the old mans head spinnin,
was curious
"Well, ar,er we'd sold out our truck,
and laid in wha. we wanted, we tuck up
our march for home, which there was
several of us, and good long string of
wagons. When we got to the camp the
first night, felt powerful tired, when /
had walked good deal and takened
good deal of sperriis with them We.
tumpky chaps, the derndes, chaps for
treaiin' ever this child started up, an
went to bed yearly, leaving the boys
round the fire ,alkin' about matters and
things.
Next mornin' / got up, and found
most all of 'em was gone off from the
camp, and them that was there looked
mighty pale and sickly like. Thinks
/. what kin be the matter with these
hele boys! You see didn't suspicion
noihin' Of them as wasn't thar. cause
thought they was walkin' abou, lookin'
, at the country. Presently they common
ced siragglin' in, but all of 'em looked
|. pale and sick, like them at the fire.
Thinks |, something's wrong. bu, never
mind, well see what il is, fore long
!. Ike Sturdivant's old niger, Tom, was
the cook for the crowd, and purity soon