The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1851-11-06
o l. ID S Il IL 81 M % n s i.
BY JOHN OF YORK.


the Susquehanna, who have seen rafting in all
its pride, in the good old times when a short run
to - tide aud an almost equally short walk
back to the head waters of the .- crooked river"
with bald-face' - and ham and eggs accompani-
ments, were the glory of the then backwoods
denizens all along shore from Binghamton to
Columbia. Rafting has by no means fallen into
disrepate yet but the rough edges of the pro-
fession have been smoothed off by the wearings
of Time-for the forests have given place to
sprightly villages and thrifty farms, and the
innocent depredations" of the Pipe ca eek and
Apalacon men are among the things that were.
/ Even the broad stream does not seem to run so
swiftly as it did of yore; the schutes that were
once the terror of the hardy navigators, have
/ been much improved to be passed with
comparatively little danger, aud the grand
wrestling matches and foot races, once SO widely
! famous, seldom indulged. Once in while
I u match tor whiskey all round is got mp, but
! bet to the amount Of . V IS a stranger even to
! Coxestown.
! Ia old times it was the commonest thing in
the world for party of dozen TO travel on
I foot all night, and ride on freight boats-the
broad-horns of the Susquehanna-during the
day. when the time was passed in sleeping and
! card playing, These nocturnal marches were
often funny affairs, and when the rafting season
commenced, tAe owners of poultry and small
eatable animals generally moved their stock
into the interior, 10 keep it ont Of the hands Of
: the raftmen. These. whose cupidity led them
to keep their saleables on the river roads. to
realize double prices, watched them all night,
/ with loaded fowling guns.
The lumbermeu had 4 way of catching turkeys
that was suite original. well as successful.
\ light reed pole secured and on the top
end birthstone match afn xcd. When they
( came near . farm house, of the party would
remain behind, while the others went up to in
quire fcr drink, food or, perhaps, their route
/ Of travel. While the inmates were thQs engaged,
the solitary raftulaa would creep silently under
the trees where the turkeys roasted, and, light
ing his birthstone match, poke it under the nose
OF fowl after fowl, until as many Of them tu1u-
bied of the trees as lie could carry The next
day the turkeys were solo - the towas. the
story always told by the ra:isacn being that
they had won them rafting. and, as they were
an incumbrance, they would part with them
cheap.
S"nguinary battles were often fought by these
men, and the rough-and- d-tumbe system. with
Its horrid gougiDg and biting, was in high vogue
Men were frequently terribly MANNED, and even
deaths from these encounters were not rare
but the law seldom took eognisance of either
the fights their results
Among the celebrated ruffians whose names
were sworn by among the raftmen. Old Bill ST.
nGr1gy ,f Il.
handled an oar-stem, or gouged ont the eye, o1
curtalned the nose or ear of an antagonist. He
was, when the writer of this saw him. fifteen
years ago fifty years of age, still erect and full
OF strength He had lost the sight of an eve
his nose was cayed in from the effects of a blow
from handspike, and his entire face was rough
with bruises and covered by grizzly beard Of
about two inches in length and great thickness
He was still a formidable antagonist, Old as he
was, and as horrid as he looked
Ii was at place called SINNERS Eddy that
first set eyes upon Old Bill There were q
large number of RATS and arks tied up for the
night In the eddy, and their crews were in the
tavern on shore, carousing, as usual. The old
villain was soaking his clay pretty deepl-, lain
ing a half-pint cup of ''bald-face" at the close
OF every song stammering fellow was singing
As the night wore away, the raftmen, one by
one, dropped off to their RATS or laid themselves
out upon the benches, until there were not more
than dozen left to keep up the debaueh Ole
Bill would hear of nobody's leaving till morning
and, about two O'Clock, had drunk enough to be-
come quarrelsome' There was a Young man
present, vino went by the name of Jabe Snow
a quiet, temperate man, so far as regards the
use of ardent spirits, though he chewed tobacco
excessively, always swallowing the juice and
was celebrated for his strength and endurance
he being not above five feet FIVE, and very light
weight. Jabe was about leaving the tavern for
his raft, when old Bill, then perfectly unreasona-
BILE from the drink he had swallowed sprang to
the door an held it fast 81
! "You don't go from here tonight, unless
you're herried out :" shouted the bully
Jabe looked at him steadily for half dozen
seconds, and then said, calmly -
f" II is necessary for me to see to my men. We
shall start at the first streak of day, and must
have some sleep" ......
Sleep, -" shouted Old Bill, his face red
oehlng with anger and rum, until he looked like
a demon. who's goin' to talk about sleep in
this cT'7~', ~ h-Jy' Here, III wake you up. y