Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1860-05-10
For the Republican,
A TOUGH GAMECOCK.


In the fall of the year 1910. while yet a
boy, / engaged myself to man by the
name of p D. Miller. resident farmer OF
Wayne County, Ohio, at that time extern
sively engaged in driving cattle to the East
ern Cities, to help him drive his stock, mum
bering $50 head. to Baltimore, Maryland.
Among the hands was one who hailed from
New Jersey, ''rale Down Easter" and
who fourished under the distinguished APP
pellation Of ''Col. Jack" One Of nature 5
queer Jumps of clay, was Jack. He was
undeniably great at anything and every
thing. Cock lighting especially.
One evening while seated arc; nd the
stove of the Bar Room, in tavern in Vir-
ginia, it was proposed by one of the party
and unanimously agreed 10. for Col. Jack
to tell story. After taking something to
wash down the dust. as Jack termed it, and
with an a-hemi Jack commenced:
Il once had a cock" said he, ''that
could jist rip the rags off all natur. fout
him agin everything in New Jersey, and
whipt 'em oil tew; afterwards gin 'em
oil heel and whaled 'em all over agin,
least wise, them that hadn't killed afore.
go the boys got kind of skeert, and d-n
the bird would they put agin him SO l
jist turned him among the hens, and kept
him for the good he had done.
kept him about FIVE years. till the old
fellow got to be stun blind and bald
a1l times got to be all scrougin' hard in
old ,Jarsey; pervisions was ALFRED high
and sneakin scarce; and then my young
'nns had got most uncommon appetites, so
began to think about killing the old cock
1t pulled right strait again the grain, tell
We now, but had to dew it, so | did. /
kasoused him inter bucket of bilin water,
and. dew you believe it? why. it tuck ten
of my young 'uns and pair of big pinch
ers a hull day to git the critters feathers
out!
How shall | cook him, Jack?'t SCI my
wife.
"Wall. l guess You mought as well put
him in the oven." says i.
So she kinder basted him over with pos
sum Eat. put him in big dish with about
half bushel of sweet potatoes, and baked
him brown" Here Jack stuck his hands
into the pockets of his pants. up to his ell
bows-shrugged his shoulders, drew long
breath. and
Il kinder guess" said he, ''twas later
and smell for dinner that day. anyhow, fur
of all the eternal tough poultry i ever herd
on, that cock was leetle mite the hardest;
tuck him out into the kitchen and carved
him up with the ak swetin job had
on it, tew Put him into stew pan and
kinder par-biled him till next day-but It
was no arthly use; the more he billed the
tougher he got. My young 'uns all got
10 crying with the jaw ache. and the old
woman, she squirmed her head around and
squealed right out. "What on airth is
the matter" sed /.
"Thar's bone in my throat" sed she
'Now, knowed that was lie. for the
jaws Of human being never could a got
to the bone in that chicken: so thought
I'd lis. look and see what ailed her, and
you list spread me all over with merlasses
and then lick me off, if there warn't abou
ten inches out nv the old cock, stickir
strait out across her throat That kind
O. made me msd--so l kasoused him into
the iron pot and billed him agin like al
wild fire. / had a young possum in til,
house that I'll killed theday afore; so after
the old cock had billed about six hours
steady, made pic on 'em both together
and baked him again.
THAT pi. did look almighty nice. now
tell you, my mouth kind a mitchell and
twisted at the corners like, when looked
at it. and the young 'uns jumped around
for rals Joy. Dang You, old boy. thinks
/. rs we sat down tew dinner-lve weak
ened YOU some this time, anyhow"
"Givc me the middle piece. Jack" SCI
my wife.
"Sartin, Prude." sez /; and with that
stuck the knife into it. when-"tuk. TUX!
tukarooh!'
Just you stop your foolin young Zeph. >
seq l. The boy could give a righteou:
imitation of a chicken, and swan though,
it was him-'.iist you stop your foolin.
SEE J, cor I'll turn you away from the ia
bic.
1T wasn't me ia"
"Shet up SEE I, ''sbet up and mind
your manners"
And with that / stuck the knife in agin
and took a nice round piece out nv the cen.
ter. swow, if there warn't jst then about
the darndest and the most eternal spittin
and splutterin' till every bit ofpossum was
jerked clear ont nv my pie. and then the
old rooster poked his head out of the crust
and crowel."
JILL.
LYMAN RFpCIrER,S (.oIJRTSUIP.