Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1857-05-20
WONDERFUL,

An EnSllSnman VINO was travelling oli
the Mississippi river told some rather tough
stories about the London thieves. A Gin
cinnati chap named Case heard these nara
tves with silent but expressive humph !
and then remarked that he thought the
Western thieves beat the London operators
all hollow.
"How 500" inquired the Englishman
with surprise. "Pray sir, have you lived
much in the west"
"Not great deal. undertook to set
up business at the Des Moines Rapids q
while ago, but the rascally people stole nearly
everything had and finally Welsh miner
ran off with my wife"
"Good God" said the Englishman.
"And you have never found her?
"Never, to this day. But that was not
the worst of it."
Worst. Why, what could be worse
than stealing mans wife"
."Stealing his children, should say" said
the implacable Case.
"Children 2"
"Yes, niger woman, who hadn't any
Of her own, abducted my youngest daugh-
ter, and sloped and jined the injins."
"Did you see her?''
"See her! Yes; and she hadn't ten
rods the start of me but plunged into the
lake and swan off like duck, and there
wasn't a canoe to follow her with"
The Engishman leaned back in his chair
and called for another mug of 'alfand alf,
while Case smoked his cigar and credulous
friend at the same time most remorselessly.
"I[I shan't 60 any further West-I
think" at length observed the excited John
Bull.
81 should not advise any one to &C" !"
said Case, quietly. "My brother once liv-
ed there but he had to leave although his
business was the best in the country
"What business was he in, pray9"
Lumbering-had a saw-nill."
'And they stole his lumber 2"
"Yes, and saw logs, too"
"Saw, logs"
eyes; whole dozens Of the black walnut
logs were carried away in sing lie night" :"
'Is it possible?"
"True upon my honor, sir. He tried
every way to prevent it, had men hired to
watch his logs, but it was all Of no use.
They would whip them away as easily as if
there had been nobody there. They would
steal them out of the river, out of the cove,
and even out of the railways"
"Good gracious"
"Just to give you an idea how they can
steal there" sending sly wink at the lis.
tening company, "just to give you an idea
did you ever work in saw-mill 2"
"Never."
"Well, one day my brother bought an
alfred fine black walnut log-four feet three
at the butt, and not knot in it. He was
determined to keep that log any how, and
hired two Scotchmen to watch it all night
Well, they took small demijohn of whis
key with them, snaked the log up the side
of the hill above the mill, built fire, and
then sat down on the log to play keerds,
just to keep awake, you see. Twas mon
strous big log-bark two inches thick,
Well, as was saying, they played keerds
and drank whiskey all night, and as it be.
gan to grow light, went to sleep straddle
Of the log. About minute after daylight
George went over to the mill to see how
they were getting along and the log was
gone"
"What were the Scotchlnen doing?"
Sitting on the bark. The thieves had
drove an iron wedge into the butt end,
which pointed down hill and hitched yoke
of oxen on, and pulled it right out, leaving
the she'll and Scotchers sitting straddle of
it, fast asleep!"
The Englishman here rose, dropped his
cigar stump into the spittoon, and looking
at his watch, said he thought he would 60
on deck and see how far we'd be down the
river before morning.
A contemporary, describing.a dance at a
village in the neighborhood, said: &" The
gorgeous strings of glass beads glistened on
the heaving bosoms of the village bellies,
like polished rubies on the delicate surface
of warm apple dumplings.