The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1869-12-07
Extract from Aldrich's STORY of Bad Boy.l
How We Astonished the River Month";
ans

ken place in Rivermouth during the
past twenty three years there is one
which / regret I lament the removal
Of all those vanished cannon which
used to do duty as posts at the corner
Of the streets leading to the river. They
were quantity ornamental, each set upon
end with solid shot soldered into Its
mouth, and gave to that part Of the town
a picturesqueness very poorly atoned
for bv the conventional wooden stakes
that have deposed them.
These gone cold sogers" the boys
called them) had their history, like ev
erything else in Rivermouth. When
that everlasting last war-the war of
1872, mean-came to an end. all the
brigs, schooners, and barks. fitted out
at this port as privateers, were as eager
to get rid of their useless twelve pound
ers and swivels as they had previously
been to obtain them Many of the pieces
had cost large sums, and now they were
little hetter than SO much crude iron
not so good. in fact, for they were clum-
sy to break up and melt over. The gov
ernment didn't want them /; they were
| drug in the market.
| But there was one man, ridiculous be
| yond his generation, who got it into his
of these same guns. To buy them all,
to hold on to them until war was de-
clared again. (as he had no doubt it
would be in a few months J and then
sell out at fabulous prices-this was the
daring idea that added the pate Of Silas
Trefethen, "Dealer in E & w. l Goods
and Groceries," as the faded sign over
his shop door Informed the public.
| At Trefethen's death his unique coll
| lection came under the auctioneer's
hammer Some of the larger ones were
sold to the town and planted at the cor
ners of divers streets; others went off
to the iron foundry, the lance, num-
bering twelve, were dumped down on
deserted wharf at the foot of Anchor
| Lane, where, summer, after summer,
they rested at their ease in the grass
and fungi, pelted in autumn by the rain,
and annually buried by the winter snow.
1t is with these twelve guns that our
story has to deal
The wharf where they reposed was
Ishut off from the street by high fence,
q silent, dreamy old wharf, covered
with strange weeds and mosses. On &C
count of its seclusion and the good fish
ing it afforded, it was much frequented
by US boys.
Jack Harris, Charley Marden, Harry
Blake and myself, were fishing off the
grass-grown wharf one afternoon, when
thought flashed upon me like an in
spiration.
II say, boys - cried, hauling in my
line hand over hand, "it's about the old
guns"
'AF hat about them
81 was thinking what jolly fun it
WOuId ha to of npo Of tho old eOOera on
his legs and serve him out a ration OF
gunpowder.'
Up came the three lines in q jiffy. An
enterprise better suited to the dispositi
on of my companions could not have
been proposed.
In o short time we had one OF the
smaller cannon over on it's back, and
were busy scraping the green rust from
the touch hole. The mould had spiked
: the gun 40 effectually, that for while
4 we fancied we should have to give up
z our attempt to resuciate the old soger.
{ ga long gimlet would clear it out. y
e said Charley Marden elf we only had
I one
e looked to see If Sailor Ben's flag
! ! was flying at the cabin door, for he al
ways took in the colors when he went
off fishing
: when you want to know il the Ad-
!, miral is abroad. just cast an eye to the
buntin', my hea,ties, says Sailor Ben.
Sometimes in jocose mood he called
himself the Admiral, and l am sure bt
deserved to be one. The Admiral's flag
:. was flying, and soon procured gim-
9 let from his carefully kept tool chest.
! Before long we had the gun in work
. ing order. A newspaper lashed to til,
IF lot To II
f out the bore. Jack Harris blew through
= the touch hole and pronounced al
: clear.
q The first intention was to ioad and
|. fire single gun. How feeble and in
Il significant was such plan comparet
n with ,hat which now sent the light dan
n cling into our eyes!
v "What could we have been thinking
n OFF" cried Jack Harris. "We'l Civ
him Broadside, to be sure, if we di
for it -
We turned in with will, and befor
e nightfall had nearly half the batter,
8 overhauled and ready for service. T.
keep the artillery dry we stuffed wad
J. Of loose hemp into the muzzles, and fit
u ted wooden pegs to the touch-holes.
At recess the next noon the Centipe-
~ des met in a corner Of the school var,
,e to talk over the proposed lark. Th
original projectors, though they woul'
10 have liked to keep the thing secret, ,wer
u obliged to make a club matter Of it, in
:. asmuch as funds we're required for am
munition. There had been no recen
III drain on the treasury, Ind the societ
could we'll afford to spend q few dollar
in so notable an undertaking.
,e 1t was unanimously agreed that tn
a plan should be carried out in the hand
I. soonest manner, and . subscription +
A. that end was taken On the spot Seve
Il raj Of the Centipedes hadn't cent, ex
,e ceptiDg the one strung around tllei
81 necks ; others, however, were richer
q l CHANGED to have q dollar, and it wen
IS into the cap quicker than lightning
When the club, in view of my munif
cence, voted to name the guns Bailey
=. Battery was prouder than hav