Weekly Trinity journal., 1869-05-08
NUMBER Is.
John PhRnlx.

friend recently related to us the following
anecdote of PhGnix, which has never been pub
lishcd
When Jefferson Davis was Secretary of War,
he issued circulars 10 all the army officers, ask
ing Of them specifications for a proposed new
uniform FhGnix, who was an excellent drafts
man, set 10 work and produced a design. He
made no great change in the uniform. but he
proposed revolutiorizing the entire system of
modern tactics by au iron hook This hook was
to DC attached to the seat of every soldiers
pants. 1t applied to every arm OF the service
cavalry, infantry. and artillery. He illustrated
lis use by a series of well executed designs He
quoted high medical au;heriiy proving its ad-
vantages in sanitary point of view. The
heavy knapsack, he argued, induced a STOPPING
position and very great contraction of the
chest. Bui hing on the hook by a strap con-
hected with the shoulder it would brace the
body back and expand the chest. The cavalry
were thus 10 be rendered more secure in their
seats, hooked to ring in the saddle. All the
commissioned officers were to carry light
twenty foot pole, with n ring attached the
end. This was to be used during engage
meat in drawing the stragglcrs back into the
ranks lie illustrated terrific battle, tie Cen
erals and Colcnes being thus occupied, running
about hauling stragglers back to the ranks. In
many other unheard of ways did be expatiate
on the value and efficiency of his hook. jeff Da
Wis was enraged His dignity was wounded and
the service insnlted. lie instantly made out an
order directing Phoenix to be court-martaIed for
contempt.
Marcy made aware of PhGnix's transac-
lions, MS we'll as the cloud hanging him.
lie looked over the plates. lie saw a regiment,
their backs toward him, drawn up in line,
knapsacks blankets, hams and all manner of
camp equipage, pending from each soldier on
the hook
Marcy broke doyn. Said he to Davis: {" Its
no to court-martal this man. The matter
will be made public the laugh will settle
tirelv US, and besides, man who has the
inventive ingenuity here Displayed as we'll as
this faculty Of design, ily-directed though it
be, is too valuable to the service to be trihed
with" John PhGnix vas not brought to grief,
and Davis anger at length sufficiently mol
lifted for him to enjoy the joke. 1t does not ap-
pear, however that they adopted PhGnix's
PLAN Oakland transcript.
TEE Story CT HiAwATnA.-Thc city editor of
the Spectator WAS disgusted with war story in
the last Overland, and called special attention to
the wide field for literature opened by the Indian
legends of this coast. The Santa Clare Union
sen, its q Lean Contributor into that Geld, and
he comes out with lhe fo!!owing
Hawatha is It Digger word and means Big
Inj.n Ne, IIiawatha was Il Digger Indian, and
I
lie would go cut in his canoe and catch some
salmon. He stole some of the telegraph wire
and made him Il hook, and while some of the
store keepers had their backs turned he stole
enough twne 20 make fish line, and, getting
into miner suice box which he had stoen up
the river he went oGt to FISH As he
small Dicger.aud had n small canoe Il large fish
undertook to swallow - Iii, canoe and all but
the boat got crosswise in TIE fish 5 mouth, and
50 he drttcd on to the shore and the sqgaws
came down and let . Ii " out Of his prison.
This is said to have been the origin Of the story
about Jonah 5 swallowing the whale. You will
notice that speak Of Eiawatha = Iii, - this is
to distinguish him from @ Lo, the poor Indian.
Longfcliuw tells how Hiawatha won his wife
but don't believe the yarn. Some miners up
on uba dam told ne, that - Hi J." bought his
wife and traded acorns for her. Longfellow
says too, that her name Mnahaha but |
/ think if she had to work hard rs most of the
Digger women, her name would be Minnie boo,
hoo.
/ "IIi " got into with his stepfAthcr, who
was called the west wind, because he WAS such
en old blower. ali was too much for the old
man, and licked him badly.
( Oue day Iiiawatha went into Marysyille, and
while there he found a swill tub which he went
to eating out OF, and not having had anything to
eat for several days, he ate 50 much that it
killed him and lie took his departure to g The
laud of the hcrea!ter.'