Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-09-07
THE DAILY PRESS.
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A RoIIIckIng 9 DraeOou.

h0lltcktng UrugOou.
In the summer Of 1884 the Dragons went
10 the Pawnee Villages. In the Fall three
companies, under the command of Colonel
Kearney, came to the Des Moines Rapids, on
the Mississippi, and wintered there in some
log huts. There was Captain B., q very
tall man, six feet seven inches, (iust three
inches over me, and think am f" some,")
with very large black whiskers, fine
looking mani wonder what has become Of
him. l heard that he had resigned, and
settled somewhere in Iowa; he must be in
Congress before this time. The Captain
used to boast that he could pack gallon
without its setting him back any. Some
time during the Winter of "a or '35, Colonel
Kearney ordered Captain b. to repair to
Rushville, Illinois, distant some sixty miles,
on recruiting service The river was closed
with ice but had the appearance Of break
ing up every day. There was no ferry for
conveying horses at Des Moines but there
was one ten miles above, where man by
the name of Knapp kept a small store for
the sale of dry goods and whisky. The
Captain repaired to Knapps and waited
two or three days for the river either to
freeze harder or break up; on the third
morning there was no change in the river
the Captain commenced early, and by nine
o'clock was packing about a gallon. He
ordered his horse, put his pistols in the hol-
sters, buckled on his sword mounted his
horse-which was very fine one, and
devilish fast for a mile-braced himself in
the stirrups, turned his horses head for
the river, and took q long look at it. With
out saying a word to any body, he gave his
horse the spurs, dashed down the bank, on
the ice, and crossed the river at quarter
lick speed Knapp stood thunder-struck
looking after him-he said he expected 10
see B. and the horse disappear at every
jump, but they arrived safe at the other
bank.
"Good Lord = said Knapp, 81 could have
taken pole and punched holes in the ice
any where
'Dd he look back when he reached the
other side ~ inquired.
"No" said Knapp; "he went to the oppo-
site bank at the same lick, and disap-
peared.'
The Captain arrived safe at Rushville,
where he remained for several weeks, and
returned without q man. He told me of
some of his adventures at Rushville. He
went into his favorite grocery or drinking
house. one very cold morning, and found
crowd sitting round the fire; so close were
they wedged in that there was no room for
another chair, if there had been one in the
room. No one moved--no one offered the
Captain seat. The fact is, the Captain
had way of making himself unpopular
with such crowds; he had an unpleasant
way of using his fists, when he got about {
gallon on board. An old lady, who liveC
near Des Moines requested me to look a
her husband; he was in bed where he has
been for three weeks he was a Justice o
the peace, and the Captain called him Chic
Justice T.
He and The Captain were drinking to
gether; and, after they had become yer,
sociable, he called him B. without the Cap
tain, and the next moment he was knocke
into the middle of the next three weeks
The Captain had been pursuing somethin
of the same practice at Nashville, conse
quently no one offered him seat.
The Captain had been great deal abou
this grocery, and knew what was in ever
barrel, box and keg in it. He took goo
look at the crowd, and, finding that he wa
not to have a seat, he walked behind thu
counter, and picked up keg marked Du
pont." He walked to the fire and threw i
in remarking:
'Eternally-my soul, This favorite oath,
gentlemen, if l don't think we have live
long enough
"Did they run ?" inquired.
''Run r. said he; ~ never saw grand an,
lofty tumbling before They just threw
themselves over backward, and left thu
house on their all fours, some back-end first
and they went in that way clear across the
street'
Hearing no explosion, they after a while
yentured back, and peeped in; there sat B..
with glass of something, enjoying himself
the keg standing in one corner by him (the
keg contained madder instead of POWDER.
Long as the Captain remained in Rushville
he had the grocery all to himself.
wonder what has become of him! If he
has not fatigued himself to death, packing
gallon at a time, he's in Congress sure