New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-08-08
A Visit to CoviHgton.
Mem Orleans Eoys Atter q Suspicjous Character.
A hyOOI .j0ke

a Good Johe.
| ED. CREsCEST-The delightful town Of Coving-
ton, noted alike for the oveliness Of its fair nhab-
itants and the beauty Of it's woods and streams, is
/ picturesqueiy situated on the banks of the Bogue
Falaya, pure, limpid stream, navigabe up to the
| town by small sized steamers and some distance
above by schooners of all classes.
The schooner Sylphide. commanded by q we'll
known, Jovia, worthy son Of the sea, had anchored
| about the center Of the stream, and was engaged
| IN taxing IN a cargo Of sand for one of our sand
merchants at the New Basin. For the benefit Of a
lutte pleasure trip, two of our worthy citizens,
well known also in the vicinity of the New Basin,
had trusted their fate in the hands of the afore-
mentioned Captain, and were listessly lounging
| on the poop of the schooner smoking chatting
| and enjoying the breeze. That peculiar affinity
that invariably draws New Orleans boys together
| when away from their own loved CITY, induced
young man well known in the purlieus Of the new
, CuStomhouse and Canal street generally to paw
visit to the schooner, and enjoy beneath the shady
| awning, the enviable siesta which seemed to be
there established. He was soon welcomed aboard
from the yaw. and finding in all hands aboard
| some old childhood acGuaintances, was soon en-
gagged in "reminiscences and anecdotes of that
happy period Of every ones existence.
| Laying at the wharf, short distance above the
schooner, was small green. painted sloop, that had
attracted the attention of the Captain and his two
friends during the entire day previous. As well
from the nature of the cargo she was taking
aboard, (Po'atoes and peaches) as from the man
| HtI III Which lNey were storing it--uacklnp it
carefully beneath the fore CASTLE and covering it
from sight with their blankets, bed-clothes and
other articles 1t being the opinion of the four
worthies, that she was a suspicious craft and her
crew being all Dutch, it was determined that
she should be made to prove her honesty, or
" make tracks" Accordingly, the Canal Street
boy, or '' Rogers" as we will call lin, went
aboard of her, and her crew being absent com
| menced by laying revolver in a conspicuous
place on the tbwart beside him. and overhauling
the contents of the fore-castle in the most inpu-
| dent manner possible. The three Dutchmen soon
made their appearance, and after parley among
| themselves, sent one Of their number aboard
Rogers put several pointed questions as to the ma
ture and character of the soop, and finally asked
tor the Captain and owner.
| He came aboard, and after also going through
| catechism similar to the other, was asked if he
knew what the people of Covington thought of
him. His answer was, that he knew they thought
| him a suspicious character: whereupon, he was
| bandly informed that the Sylphide was loading for
Ship Island, with sand, etc, and had swivel gun
! aboard, loaded with grape, which swivel gun
| would be emptied upon his devoted vessel if he
dared to pass her; and they would be gently lifted
out of their boots and landed on shore, "dem'd
moist, unpleasant bodies." This piece of informa
ton took all the little starch out of the German
| Captain that he had left. and with shaky and un
steady legs he and his two men started up into
town, to bring his ''segurity and get the release
| of his vessel, which was promised in the event
that he proved his honesty. As soon as he was
out of sight, splitting with laughter, the four
WORTHLESS followed him, and in about five minutes
they were discovered, followed at their heels by
about fifteen of the worst scared Dutchmen that
| CoVlngton ever saw, each one of whom protested
| sOlemnly to the Captains complete honesty, and
was willing to go security to any amount. There
| being among them some really responsible men
| the tour patriots, after mock consultation among
themselves agreed to release the sloop, but stated
that it was necessary to see the Captain of the
schooner first, who, by the by. was induiging in
the luxury of shave in the barber shop close by
We marched the Captain of the sloop n and the
noble commander of the armed schooner, with
one-half of his face clean newborn babe
| and the other covered with the snowy application
of soap and water stood up to receive him. He
| was duly informed that the Dutch Captain had
| been put in the balances and not found wanting
| and that the swivel guns services would not be
| needed. The Dutchman'S prOiuse explosion O
thanks and protestations of affection were at this
iuncure of affairs too ridiculous to be explained
| The Captain, however, after remarking that al
was right, suggested that we should provide the
man with pass, other armed schooners were
below, and he could never get out of the rivel
alive without such document Space prevents
giving this pass in full but if any other morta
eyes have since looked upon it, they certainly have
been Immediately enveioped in a maze of mex
plicable bewilderment. No such pass was evel
seen betore-no such one will ever be seel
again.
The Dutchman, however, took it as he wouli
have taken pound of solid gold, and so over
powered was he, that his feelings Immediately
oVertlowed in beseeching request that he Nigh
be allowed to " dreat the crowd" This wa
granted. jeff Davis and the Southern Contederac,
was toasted, and he left-and such leaving. Alb
solutely, five minutes could scarcely have expired
before he off, and the four worthless had barely
time TO get aboard the schooner and from the
hiding places in the cabin, enjoy the sight of the
Dutchman presenting his pass to the mate of the
schooner, jolly fat Italian, who had been hur
riedly placed on the bows to receive it. Ultimate
news from the camp ground, about mile below
town. described the two men, polling the sloop a
the rate of about ten miles an hour and the Cap
tain standing on the bows with our pass In hi
hand. Verify, if good big catfish had jumped
out of the water before him. there is no doubt tina
he would have presented that pass. Thus endet
the frolic of one day. T.
| R0BBING THE WolNDED.-A Georgia gentleman
whose son was wounded at the battle of Manassas
says:
From him I learned that he received the wound
in the early part of the engagement, in quick sue
cession, not having been able to discharge his mus
ket against the enemy more than once, and bein
in the act of reloading. A few feet from him la
| another, OglethOrpe, wounded in the breast Will
lying there helpless, they were approached by
| party of Yankees, who, after having given ther
some water, stripped them of every thing valuG
BILE. From his comrade they took a gold watch
his watch, which is of silver they returned to hin
| saying that it was not worth much. They ais
| took his letters, in of which ! bid him not t
; show himself a coward, but stand up like ma
for the rights of the South. The contents of tina
letter will not please them much He was brougt
) to the University of Virginia, which is converte
. into a hospital, and there he is the recipient Q
every attention.
i ANECDOTES OF YANKEE PRISONERS. "A CORES
! pondcnt of the Columbus Times gives the follow
ing;
saw Bill Wilson, of Atlanta who was wounde
at Manassas in the heel. lie gave us some amusip