The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-06-20

ist, who saw that she possessed musical gifts
of high order, So that by his cultivation she
became enabled to support herself. So you
see, ten dollars made whole family happy,
grateful and useful, and bought me this
beautiful instrument. s. ...
Written Expressly for "Porter's Spirit OF the Times"
LICE SIMMONS OF sINKUM.
SINKUx is part and parcel Of the great
State Mississippi, with about forty-fve free
and Indispensable voters, and can hold more
Nuuor, ''cordin' to size," than ''alry nuther"
precinct around. a..
You need not look on the map for Sink
um, it Saint thar" The only mention
made of it, you will find in the notebook
of that celebrated gad-about, Madam Pfeif-
fer, who has been around the world several
times or more. She does it up with this
single comment: "durn the place." which
forcible expression clearly defines Her po-
sition among the profane writers.
The productions of Sinkum are pine
knots, 'possum hunts, and ''some pumkins;"
chief amusements are barbacues, frolics,
free fights, and any quantity of mean whis-
key. ... .
She holds the balance of power in the
county elections, and always casts her vote
for the party who dances the best reel,
stands the biggest treat, and carries the
most s'rot-gut" without staggering. 1t is
needless to add, that Sinkum invariably
goes Democratic. Altho' part of u Slave
State. vet slavery was abolished years since
in that section, by the sheriff, who sold out
the last darkey in that whole ''kedntry."-
.-l L., -. na,,p
must be consulted. He is the champion,
oracle and bell-weather Of Sinkum; and as
he goes, the rest follow unanlmousl y-men,
women and children. Whether it is frol-
ic or fight, 'Lige is always counted in.
'Lige stands six feet two outside Of his
boots, with the shoulders Of Sampson,
and knuckles that can batter sledge-ham-
mer. His fingers close down with the clamp
of vice, and a ''bar-hug" is fun compared
with his uuderhold in a tussle.
He amt a beauty to look at, that's fact;
he's the favorite Of all the women; for with
them, pluck and patronage will tell.
| remember well the first time ever heard
of 'Lige Simmons.
One cold and clustering day in December,
a few years since, several of us were seat
ed around a roaring stove, in the reception
room of the Louisville Hotel. Whether
caused by the genial warmth of the stove,
or the bar-man's superb "smashes," as we
had grown exceedingly communicative; and
although strangers, very soon each one knew
the others name. business and habitation.
In the crowd, was powerful man, his face
tanned by exposure, and marked with many
scars. He gave his name as ''Fulton, Of
Bar Grass" and she had run the river from
Orleans to Louisville, for the last thirty
years-was equally at home on steamer, a
raft. or broad-horn, and knew every bar
and bend on the Mississip', as well as he
knew the streets Of the city,"
When Fulton heard me say that | was
from Mudville, he exclaimed: ''Wen strang-
er, declar' you're mighty peaceable
lookin' feller to hail from such a place as
Mudville. Let me see-yes, it wur four
years ago comm spring, that me and Ben
Horton wur runnin' the Little Pike fat
loaden with projuice, and traden' along the
coast. One night when the fog wur as thick
as fur on cats back, We drifted purity
close to a house, where they wur fddlin',
dancin'. and drinking like fury. After float
ing, along about an hour, we passed anoth-
or, where they were frolickin' like the dev-
il, and after while, wepassed another; and
SO on, every hour or SO, We would pass a
house where they seemed to be carrying on
in high style. And what seemed the Curl
ousest thing, in every house they had nig-
gar Teller always playin' the same chune.-
At last, says Ben to me, saint these the
beatenest folks along here on this coast, for
froIickin', you eves saw; just wish | was
shore a little while, to give Fem Ken.
lucky touch" And then Ben began dancin'
away on the top of the fat, for tell you,
stranger, next to SNOWY horse, a fiddle's
the thing to reach Kentuck's finer feelings,
"Well, when we found ourselves next
mornin', I'll just be dod busted if we hadn't
been travellin' round through the fog, in one
big eddy, all night; and, you see, all then
houses where they had been frollickin', was
the same house, that We would pass by once
in while. tell you, me and Ben wur mac
enough; but as there wur a small town clost
by, we concluded to run ashore and try the
chances for tradin'. just as we tied NJ
and showed out plank, down comes par.
Gel of fellers to inspect US Among ZEN
wur one tremendous big Teller; and l saw
from the signs hung out, that he had beer
on bust all night. 4
'Whoopee!s he hollered, Jumping ur
and cracking his heels together, 'here's
'Lige Simmons, all the way from Sinkum
just bring out your wildcats, gentlemen, i
YOU want 'em chawed up. Pm a smashing
tornodo in tussel, with the scream of ,
steam ingine, the grip Of a he-grizzly, ant
the hoss-p power of a four-biler boat Whar'
the man can stand before me?' .--..s
81 know'd it wur a challenge, and tel
you it riled me considerably. ....
"Thinks to myself, we'll try your gri
before we leave this place. After Will
goes up in town, leaven Ben in charge o
the boat; and, after crusin' around littl
sees a kinder pigeon-hole cut in the side 9
house, and over the hole, inbig writin'
Blind tiger, ten cents aSight.' walk
straight up, and peepin' in, sees felle
standin' inside stirrin' somethin' with o stick
Immediately recognized familiar kinde
meneiery smell about the place. Hell
10, there, you mister Snowman says +
the feller inside, there's your ten cents
walk out your wildcat Stranger, instea'
of showin' me wild varmint without eyes
i I'll be dod busted if he didn't shove out
/ glass Of whiskey. You see, that blind ii
ger was aa arrangement to eyade the law
which won't let sem sell Ticker there etcep
| by the gallon. It is useless to say that m
visits wur numerous to that animal wha
couldn't see. After while, happene
along where Lige Simmons had been tellir
some long yarn or other to . crowd aroun
him. felt the tiger workin' on me; an
when Iige finished his yarn, says to him
familiar-like, sLige, has you got the paper
for that p tell you, had said just enoug
and it wur no use 70 add another word.