Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-04-04
HOW TO TAKE TUE CENSUS.

We were not u little amused Mt the account Civ
en- us recently by Il gentleman of this city who has
lust returned from LnnvenwOrth cry, Kansas, OF
the manner IN which m oiiaer appointed for the
purpose by tho late 'LnSiSature' proceeds to
take the census under the new law Our inform.
ant formed the acquaintance of the sOmewhat iov-
ial official who was dressed out in full regalia,
consisting of red shirt, jean pants, II huge blue.
capped overcJat, sucn as are worn by the United
State Dragons, AMI Il belt with revUlvers and
bowie knife. This individual whom we will call
Brown, carries with him n book of some four
auires of fool4cnp to which is attached u lead
pencil by II long string. He has lodging at the
Planters House where no prpfessed abolltiunist
dare show his head. Thither flock the sons of
the south" and there stands Brown making Up
his list Of citizens who are to be voters under
the new law. If advised to divide his time be-
tween the above named hotel and that where for
the most part the ''aholitionists' frequent, the
answer is that they want nobody from that --
hole. Brown has of course to take, in the
course of transacting his official duties, very fire.
quent friendly rumors of whisky punch, whisky
raw. whisky warm, whisky cold, whisky and water
whisky without water, whisky with sugar, whis-
ky without sugar. DC, and sometimes doubtless
the various drinks" are so 'mutually p%rOximate"
that by about dinner time or at latest by the time
hog and hominy come on for supper, his writing
becomes slightly hieroglyphical and the names mix
ed and interspersed with CALCULATIONS against the
abolitiOnists to such adegree that, one might think
in glancing over his roll that the greater number
of voters were 'abolitionists' with christian names,
all of them remarkably similar and somewhat pro-
fame. These are written. moreover, with the pen
ell which hangs 10 the book so as to facilitate the
process of erasure it necessary. The law Is not
very stringent in its requirements about the SPELL
ing of the names Of men found at the planters
House" or as to what sort of an instrument may
be used in entering them upon the list.
1t may be inferred from the above general state
ments that mistakes and mlshapS sometimes occur
by which a vast amount of Browns valuable
labor is ST tn the community in which he lives
md to tho world in general a case in point
occurred while our infurmant remained in Kansas.
The unfortunate Brown had been pressed with
official business in an unusual degree one day,and
in consequence the tally Of whiskey had become
quite full and Mr.. Brown also.
By the time night set in, the brave official had
become what is sometimes termed" blazing drunk"
The "Abolitionists," the future fate OF Kansas,
the vision of the polls stacked with Yankees and
the dignity of his office all pressed upon him.
which, with the weight of bad liquor, completely
evercame him. In short Brown was drunk, and
Mt a late hour was horne reeking to his quarters,
"a son of the South" PROSTATE, shorn of his glory
and unconscious Of the position to which he had
been reduced. During the night he slept off a
good part of the fumes of his debauch. Morning
came, and with it Brown the official, trying his
legs up a flight Of stairs from the cellar, cursing as
he climbed all abolitiondom for having stolen that
precious four quires of paper, string, pencil and
sll.-Thus was lost the labor Of many days. All
the names of persons he had enrolled had vanished
into thin air more than two quires of them dis
irauchised at a single blow. Poor Brown
Such is the method Of census taking in Kansas I!
Out Of this book were to come the proofs Of cit