The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-10-29
Nasty.
An Affecting Incident at Vicks-
burgh-The Difference Between
1859 and l869-Untimely Death
of Col. Leonidas Slasher.
FIcKsBURsH, wieh is in the State uv)
Mississippi) Oct. u 1900

Of Col. Leonidas Slasher.
YIcKsBURsH (sieh is in the State NV
Mississippi,) Oct. Il, 1869.
One nv the most sfectIn insidents wieh
ever come under my notis, transpired at the
: Southern Cross Hotel, IN this city, yester-
day. hev wept osbens NV tears in nv
day, and hev seen all sorts Nv horrible
deaths, but never one wich tecbed nv hear
az the untimely deeease nv Col Leonidas
Sasher Nv the interior, wich took place yes
: terday
! / regretted the Kernels death for meny
reasons. hed only made his acquaintance
five days, (he he'd bin in town that time,
and he'd Consistently only succeeded in bor-
erin Sl3 Nv him; 50 at one time and SIS at
two other times. He he'd money and was
dush with it and he'd confidently counted
on subsIsten on him for at least four weeks.
( TroO his death settles wat I borrowed nv
him, but that's no consulashen. Ez soon ez
he he'd got well acquainted with me, he'd a
never thought NV askin me for it anyhow.
In addishun to this greet Wich is purely per-
sOnal to myself the Colonel was a chival-
rous Southerner NV the old skool. He
7 wuz nt in the Coniederit servis hIsself but
sich WIS his devoshen to the coz that he
forced into the field all the poor whites in
his Visinity, and huntid sich ez woodent go,
out NV the country with dorgs. He wus
troo gentleman. de wore rufled shirts, I
took the Nationel Intelligencer and drank
ms 6randy-and-Eater without water.
The Kernel KnoWd mat the war Wuz O1 er I
that the South he'd bin subjugated, and /
reconstructed, but hedn't any idee Nv the
changis wich he'd taken place. He he'd liv-
ed on his plantashen out Nv the reech Nv
the world all this time He sposed that re-
, construction meant simply that eff he shood
be elected to Congris, be wood hev to 90 to
Washington to set Instel Nv Richmond, wich
be expected to do next yeer.
The Kernel and l wuz in the orfs Nv the
hotel, when his beamin eye happenin to rest
onto the Register, it lighted oato this name: |
"Wendell Phillips-3oston, Mass"
The Kernel staggered ez tho he he'd bin
struck in the face. "Wendell Phillips in |
Vixburg Good Hevens where is he p
Capt. McVay, wich wuz settn by, pinted |
to tall, gannt man, in a stove-pipe hat,
wich wuz settin by the stove readin the
NSo York Herald, and remarked ''that must
be him"
The Kernel gritted Lis teeth. and an ex-
preston Nv intense pleasure rested onto his
countenance. 'sCapten, git rope. Major,4
see of that lamp post is high enuff to string
this Yankee up to, and Gineral, git some NV
the boys together immejitly. I'll help hang
one more Yankee afore | die, anyhow
And the impetuous Kernel made for the
spozed Phillips. He slapt him in the face,
a. wich the Yankee riz and foored the Ker-
mel, and at it they went, tooth and toe-nuil /
the wust small fte l ever saw They was
finally hv tho riarl- IF ba I
Hotel and the by-standers-the two wuz ar. I
rested by policeman handy by, and drag
ged off to a magistrates offs, when upon
heerin Nv the case the Kernel wuz fined $50 |
and costs.
"Wai is this?" he asked. "Fine me for
lickin a Yankee wich We wuz about to hang? !
Why Squire, do you know who l am, and |
who he isl"
Ssh Shp' sed the Kernels friends, wich
he'd just rusht in. ''Pay yer 6ne-it wood
ent do for us to hev 700 let off for lickin
Ablishinist The niggers woodent like it,
and it wood lose us their vote. Pay, and
say nothin."
"Watl' replied the Kernel, turnin pale
They said nothin, but paid the fine for him
and hurried him away.
The Kernel went to his room in a most
ed, Cant lick an Ablishnist in Vixburg
Fine me for hckin Ablishnists to please a set
Nv id niggersl Can't lick an Ablishnist
wat"
When he got to his room he sat down and
drawd a long sigh. Buryin his face into his
hands, he wept a half hour, and then fell
faintin from his chair. l picked the old man
up and put him to bed, after wich | chafed
his liuahS NTH pd hot
it to his lips and mine. He showed some
signs Nv life, and in perhaps an hour, Good
utter words in faint and feeble way.
"l-can't-hang Ab--lishnist any
mOrel OH"
And the poor mSn relapst. struggled
with him for fifteen minits, when he agin
opened his eyes This time he wuz calm,
tho he spoke with an evident effort.
"Nasby," sed he, in hoarse whisper,
dts time / wuz gone. It's time that the
old stock either died peacefy or committed
sooicide. There amt no more room for EN-.
L ooEa-- tho. 3AI>- -"4(-a vtSr eus TIuuS
nigger or a Ablishnist in Mississippi; but it
hez come and I'm a cLmberer NV of the
ground. Firs: my niggers is set free; next,
they vote; then I'm fined for licking Alb
lishnist, and finally I'm told that l mustn't
hang one NV EN-. Good Lord what is there
left TO live forl Here, take this rope, take
these pistols, and this bowie knife, and hang
enl up in remembrance Nv me. I die sad
and glad. Sad, to think things is ez they
is-glad to go ez can't better en-"
At this pint fed him a little whiskey out
Nv a spoon.
'Hold my hand steddy," sed he, "while
write note givin 700 these keepsakes, that
no ore may question yoor rite to en-"
He wrote this time on a leaf Nv his mem
orandum book and maxim moshen ez tho
he wuz tyen a knot under Eome ones ear,
died, His last words wuz, "Spades is trumpS
blacks the winnin soot."
l wept a tear or two and composed his
limbs "Here" thot !, sis victim Nv faDaty-
cism. Here is one who is an ornament to
his sex, cut down in his old age by change
Nv customs wich he coodent endoor. Thank
Heaven, am strong enuff to endoor it."
And hayin arranged the body decently |
altered his will in witch he bequeathed me
his rope, pistol and knife, so ez to include
his trunks and contents, and takin his pOkit
book out nv his breeches | busted into a
paroxysm Nv grief in wich | wuz found
when the inmates Nv tie house arrived.
The sons NV the deceased came to Vix-
burgh the Re1t day and took the old gentle
mems remains away, payin all his bills in
cloodin $50 to me which | casually remark
ed he'd lent him the dav before his death.
The pistols, knife and bis trunks, with the
contents, sold-the rope which l coodent
sell / shell alluz keep in affeckshunit remem-
brance Nv the good old man.
Thus died Kernel Leonidas Slasher. 1t
WuZ impossible for him TO survive sich
complete reversal Nv everything, and It wuz
perhaps ez well that he died ez he did. |
Peace to his ashes His death is one more
reason for my hatin Ablishnism, eft any 9TH
er reason wuz needed.
l diskivered afterward that Wendell Phil
ips wazen't in VIcksburgh at all. The regis
term Nv his name wuz a miZable joke Nv
young lawyer in the city, and the person
pinted out ez the great fanatic wuz traveller
for a conservative dry goods house in Moo
York. 1t wuz a serinns joke for MI ronsarn-
ed. PETROLEUM V. Massey,
Wich wuZ p. NJ.
The Power of Love.
4 little Irish girl acted so badly /
=. oo-Ro;n ,o;ss;o1 eobool H.