Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1865-08-24
WONDERFUL.

An Englishman who was tavelling on the
Mississippi river told some rather tough stories
about the London thieves A Clncinatti chap,
named Case, heard these narratives with silent
but expressive humph and then remarked that
he thought the Western thieves beat the London
operators all hollow.
.How so?" inquired the Englishman with
surprise. pray, sir, have you lived much in
the West"
"Not great deal. l undertook to set up
business at Des Moines Rapids while ago, but
the rascally people stole nearly everything had
and finally Welsh miner ran OF with my
wife"
"Good God p said the Englishman. "And
you have never found herr"
"Never to this day. But that was not the
worst of it,"
Horst. Why what could be worse than
stealing mans wifc?'
Stealing his children, should say" said the
implacable Case.
"Children? y.
"Yes, a niger woman, who hadn't any of her
own, abducted my youngest daughter, and
sloped and jined the injins."
did you see herr"
Iocc uCT f! les anu oiic niuu tch iouo thc
start of me; but plunged into the lake and swan
off like duck, and there wasn't a canoe to fol-
low her with"
The Englishman leaned back IN his chair and
called for another mug of 'alf-and-'alf, while
Case smoked his cigar and crcdulous friend at
the same time most remorSelessly.
.'I-I shan't 90 any further West-I think" "
at length observed the excited John Bull.
Il should not adviseany one to &C" said Case,
quietly. "My brother once lived there, but he
had to leave, although his business wast the best
in the country"
"What business was he in pray%
Lumbering-had a saw-mill." :"
"And they stole his lumber 2"
EYES; and saw-logs, too"
"Saw-logs?"
'.Yes; whole dozens of the black walnut logs
were carried away in q single night"
''Is it possible"
"True, upon my honor, sir He tried every
way TO prevent it had men hired to watch his
logs, but it was all of no use. They would whip
them away as easily as il there had been nobody
there They would steal them out the river,
out of the cove and, even out Of the railways.
"Good gracious" "
"Just to give you an idea how they can steal
out there" sending sly wink at the listening
company, just to give you an idea-did youeycr
work in saw mill
'Never."
"Well, one day my brother bought an all
fired fine black walnut log four feet three at
the but and not knot in it. He was deter
mined to keep that log any how, and hired
two Scotchncn TO watch it all night. Well,
they took small demiohn ofwhfskey with them
snaked the log up the side of the hill above
the mill, built fire, and then sat down on the
log to play keerds, just to keep awake, you Sec
Twas monstrous big log-bark two inches
thick. WELL as / was saying, they played
keerds and drank whiskey all night, and as it
began to grow light, went to sleep a-straddle
of the log. About a minute after daylight,
George went over to the mill to see how they
were getting on, and the log icas gone !"
"What were the Scotchmen doing?"
'Sitting on the bark. The thieves had drove
an iron wedge into the butt end, which pointed
down HILL and htched yoke Of oxen on, and
pulled it right out, leaving the shell, and
Scotchers sitting a-straddle of it, fast asleep.
The Englishman here rose, dropping his ci-
gar stump into the spittoon and looking at his
watch said he thought he would go on deck
and see how far we'd be down the river before
morning