The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1852-05-27
The Rival Politicians.

The Rival Politicians.
About the year 1880, politics ran very high
in Arkansas. Col A. II. Sewer was a candi-
date for the Office of Delegate to Congress, and
Ben Desha was his opponent
Judge Andrew Scott was warm friend of
Desha, and bitterly hostile to SEWER He had
neighbOr living about fifteen miles from him. on
the ''far'' side of the Galley creek, named Lo-
gan, commonly called ''stuttering Jim Logan
who was exactly ''wice wersey'' in his politics,
and so frequent had been their encounters that
the two neighbors had come cordially to hate
each other
One pleasant morning in the spring, when the
sun shone out warmly, and nature was green
and fresh after heavy rain of two or three
days duration, Logan went down from his house.
through the little strip of creek bottom, to the
bank of the creek, and sat himself down on a
click log, musing, perhaps, Col Jack Nc
Carly once said, son tie epaaethenthe Of all thu5-
lunary things"
The creek was about twenty yards wide, and
the rain had raised it so that it was swimming
covered with loan, and running lik mill race
with full head of water. Where the road
crossed, on the edge of which Logan was sitting,
was the only opening in the woods, which frin-
ged the stream on each side. Above and below
! the trees leaned over, and their branches hung
gracefully in the water, and swung to and fro in
the swift current.
After Logan had sat there awhile, Judge Scott
came riding down the road on the other side but
halted when he reached the waters edge, and
looked across without saying anything, but look
ed as he thought, "Blame you if it's swimming
why don't you say so ~ Logan took out hi $
jack-knife, split piece from the lick log, and
| commenced whiting it, looking steadily towards
Scott all the while. Logan was large, stout,
heavy-lOoking man Scott small, wiry, passion
| ate, petulent, and as brave as bulldog.
| After waiting a moment-for each hated the
other too much to speak-Scott tightened the
reins and rode into the water His horse had
not taken more than six steps, before kerchug
he plunged in over head and ears. In a mo-
ment more Scott was washed from his back-the
rider went one way, the horse the other, and
the saddle-bags q third. The horse turn
ed toward the side on which he went in, and got
ashore little way below; Scott managed to
reach Logan's side of the creek, and got hold of
the swinging limb of sycamore which dipped
I into the water.
''Help, Logan, help - cried Scott, al shall be
| drowned Help!''
.'S-s-say you'll v-v-vote for Sewer - bawled
Logan.
sHelp, Logan! Ishall drown Help ~
I ''S-s-s-say you'll y-v-vote for Sewer - again
! bawled Logan, not rising from the lck-log,
Just then the sycamore limb snapped, and the
same moment Scott sung out,-'I'n see you
hung first, you internal old rascal :" and away
he swept round the tree out of sight"
| Luckily the current made sweep below, ed
| dying round-in the concavity at.the upper edge
of sand-bar, upon which Scott was flung, and
| scrabbled out. He walked up the bank toward
Logan, sputtering with rage, and streaming with
water. He had no weapon but a pistol, and
that, of course, was unfit for service and Lo-
gan was too big to be whipped by him in fist
| fight.
''Blast you" cried Scott, as he got near him
| "'do you stop to ask man how he's goin to vot,
before you save him from drowning 20
Logan never stopped whiting, but looking
composedly up, slowly said,-"Every g-g-gen
tleman has right to v-v-voteas he likes, anC
d-d-drown when he likes; ahdJ d-d-dont sup
pose anybody's bound to dive into the creek t.
f-f-fish out a vote to k-k-kill his own"