Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-09-30
Sflrtt MigselIunll.
From the Knic ckerbocker
ADVENT CREIN SMITHRURG
BY JOHN BRADSHAW.


%Make you a pair before Saturday
night, sir, said the shoemaker.
Cant wait" said /, ''going out of
town, by the next train"
,-Ol! well, now, l think, replied he,
'.here is an uncommon nice pair that
may be will fit They were made for a
gentleman that didn't take EN-; too small
across here, you see. Try 'em on, sir?
All! yes, so, so, exactly. Why, they
fit like-like they d been made for you!'
They did fit toierab bly, well, so took
them. In five minutes more was scat
ed aboard the cars in Chatham street,
and in half an hour more, was steam
ing and rattling away out of the city,
towards my destination.; was going
on u collecting expedition to that Sc
cla6ed little rural paradise, Smith
burg, which, as you are aware, Is situa-
ted about q hundred miles back of the
City Hall, and is about the same num-
Der of years behind the metropolis in
''modern improvements" One of the
Smithburgers was in debt to ms employ
ers, (thc great house of Naryred &
Company of whom you have no doub.
heard, on Pearl street. just below Full
ton. The aforesaid Snithburger was
rumored to be on the eve of ''suspen-
sion" hence my hurried journey. Be
it remembered that these events occur;
red two years ago. at which year debts
were still celleetable. 7 -7''a.
at-The shades of night were falling
fast" whe: the train deposited my car
pet bag and myself at the Smithburg
station. Il was soon ensconeed in the
tavern; an ambitious wooden structure.
very girishly white, and very lavish Of
piazza without, which qualities were
counterbalanced by its being very dirty
and even cramped for room within.
When l went over in the evening to
the store Of the delinquent debtor, did
not find him; and brief conversation
with the people whom I did find, serv-
ed to inform me that 1 had come on a
fruitless errand. He had -n4se-oufy sus-
pended, ,-but fffT6 decampcd out ofSmith-
burg TO parts unknown. He was, a
dead loss, so far as Naryred and Com
pany were concerned. All that could
be done with him was to put him down
on the debit side of the profit and loss
account, There was nothing, for me
but to go back. r..
'tsAnd when does the next train go
down?'' inquired I of mine host at the
Hotel
"No train down until II ,55, 4. NJ, -
was the curt response .A'
just my luck. No-money, no assets,
no. collection, and now no train L
should have to stay fourteen hours lon
ger in, this dismal country tavern.-
Tired and ill-humored, after nodding an
hour over the same paper l had read
the day before in town, T took my can
die and took myself off to bed.
It'must have been near midnight,
when Twas suddenly aroused by thun-
dering explosion:
,"BANG!' sa5 .1g{ta
Bewildered and sleepy, Il sat up in
bed, trying to mako ont whether Nary
red & Company had "burst, and were
unable to pay ten cents on the dollar;
or whether l was aboard Mississippi
steamer which had collapsed fue,
and was about to be scalded with hot
steam; or whether, .- ~ ..rsff a.
YBaggr'l suddenly went q second ex-
plosion, and I made out to comprehend
that something was being fred off under
my window. Jumping up, rushed to
the window and peercd out. Sure
enough, there was crowd of men and
boys gathered around what looked like