The Portland daily press., 1870-12-17
TT II r p r f. s 8
A Mississippi Remiaisoience.
A Race Against Time

"A CoIIcsPonucut gives LhC 'oAio"o
iscence OF a Mississippi river race:
A trip down the Mississippi river is always
productive of more or less executing scehes,
particularly to the northern man, to whom
everything is SO fresh and novel. 1t was just
after the close of the war that the writer took
passage at St. Louis for Memphis, on the
steamer Marble City, to whose captain he
bore letter of introduction from mutual
friend. As is usual, a flesh crew of negroes
had been shipped at st. Louis, to the number
OF about thirty. They frequently gathered in
the bow of the steamer and sung their quaint
songs, and danced to the music of fiddle,
banjo and the bones, to their hearts con-
tent.
Our arrival at the first landing had, how
ever, put stop to all irOlic, and hard work
began for the crew in earnest.
After two or three landings had been made,
the mate reported to the captain that the
crew comprised some very "hard" negroes,
and he was afraid he should have much diff
Guilty in keeping them in order. This was inn
mediately after the close of the war, and the
negroes hae not then become accustomed to
their liberty; of the few who would work at
all many did so as a cover to rob and steal,
and, under the belief that "The Bureau"
would do anything for them, acted very much
as they pleased.
Nothing unusual occurred, however, till
ACaiiy ouAoCt, WuCI, d. Lue CdpCdiu dHu my
writer we're seated upon the uppermost deck
OF the steamer and near the piloth0use, sud
den noise and tumuit, mingled with couple
of pistol shots, were heard below and on the
bow Of the boat
Looking over, the captain seemed to COM
prehend in minute the trouble, and at once
sprang for the companion ladder. Descend
ing about halfway down it, he leaped thence
into "a writhing mass OF negroes who were
engaged in fight on the lower deck, and ev-
identity were beating PROSTATE man. After
him also plunged one Of the two pilots then at
the wheel, and the other white officers of the
boat speedily coming to the scene, the negroes
were at once taken from the PROSTATE man,
and one, who was evidently the ringleader,
was captured with knife in his hand, 4, no
/ doubt intending murder. The man rescued
proved to be the mate, who, having ordered
the captured negro to do some work, had
been saucily answered, and still insisting, had
been struck by the mutineer. The whole
gang at once attacked the mate, and but for
The captain and officers would have probably
killed him.
A council Yves held, and it was determined
10 put the captured ringleader ashore in the
woods, as the captain said that if he took him
to the authorities of the next stopping place,
! he would probably lose several days at his
trial, and would be marked man by the ne
groes.
1t was now nearly dark, and word was at
once given to run the bow Of the boat ashore,
which being done, the ringleader jumped off
the bow and disappeared in the darkness.
The boat then swung off into the river and
we proceeded on our journey. But short
stay was made at Cairo, and after pleasant
journey down the river, we arrived at Mem
phis on the evening of the second day follow
ing. As we approached the levee the captain
amused the passengers with accounts of his
previous trips to the city since the war, and
remarked that every time he had arrived he
had found the Provost MarshaPs guard await.
ing him to escort him to the "ofice," there to
answer some absurd charges trumped up by
the negro hands of the previous voyages.
This time he congratulated himself that the
skirts of his coat were particularly clean, as
he had had no difficulty with his hands on his
last two trips, and the little trouble with the
negro, as mentioned above, had been settled
by leaving tnat parsonage in the woods above
Cairo.
As we neared the shore, however,, a guard
did show themselves upon the levee, and our
captain facetiously wanted to know which of
his passengers or crew were needed.
As the boat was made fast, the officer of the
guard approached and requested to speak with
the captain. The latter's face was treat to
see, as he took paper from the officer and
read therein an order charging him to appear
before the Provost Marshal and answer TO a
charge of attempting to murder, three nights
previously, one Pompey Smith, "by fierce
blows and pistol shots, aud by placing him,
in wounded condition and at night, in the
swamps to die"
"Wny," queth the captain, that's the dar-
key we put ashore above Cairo. How in
thunder did he ever get here? We are the
first boat down, and there is no railroad, ex-
cept the one running from Memphis short
vuo,y f1n vsw Nd hoe: H.. -
have got out of the woods so soon."
"Can't help that" said the officer; "but he
is at the Office awaiting us. So let us be GO
ing"
All the officers and passengers repaired to
the place. There in very sooth was the ne
gro, grinning in great glee at getting ahead of
Massa Captain. Somehow his face seemed
familiar to me, more SO than it should 0be
from only seeing him the few minutes did
before he was put off, but these negroes were
so plentiful, and somehow they all seemed
alike. so that thought little of it.
The complaint was read and as quickly an
swered. The negro could show Eo wounds,
and our testimony went far towards estab-
fishing against him an attempt to kill, instead
OF sustaining his charge against the captain.
So the case was at once dismissed, and the
Captain was offered chance to prefer his
charge against Pompey. Mindful, however,
of long delays before the courts, he refused,
and Captain, Pompey, officers and passengers
walked out Of the office together.
When we got outside, the captain suddenly
said, "Pompey, I'll give you five dollars il you
Will tel! me how you got ahead of my boat"
Oats bully, Massa captain" was the ne
gro's ready reply, "you put five dollars into
dis gen'leman's hand, and I'll tell you how l
got down."
The money was placed, therefore, in my
possession, and Pompey, striking at attitude,
proceeded with. his explanation, evidently
hugely delighted at his numerous and atten-
tive audience.
sYou mind, Massa captain, when jumped
ashore?"
"Yes, yes" said the captain.
swell, Inassa, land in de water and de
mud and tirks good deal. / fraid to
move in de dark, and wild de boat and de pad
dies all hanging around dar. Well, massa, pi-
lot he ring de bell 60 starn wild one wheel and
60 head wild de oder wheel, and so de boat
she swing round; and by and BY. all in de
dark, the starn OBJ de boat come round to dis
chile as he was dar in de water. So 1 jist
took hold OBJ de rudder chains, and I drawd
myself up into de little boat at the starn, and
/ lay dar till de folks go to bed in de boat and
den crawl out and I tell the cook I done
gone hungry, and golly, massa, how I did
scare dat cook! He fought 1 was ghost,
sure: We'll, he glib me something to eat, and
den he cut my har all short, and den 1 tells
some OBJ de boys, and the berry next morning
goes to work on de boat and gets my rations
jes like eberybody.'
do you mean to tell me-" said the captain,
that you rode all the way down the river in
my Own boat, and just under my eyes, and
those of the mate whom you tried to kill?"
"Yar, massa, dat's So" said Pompey; "and
when got up here to de railroad ] stepped
on DE cars, and, massa, got here jis in time
10 20 to the Bureau fore de boat got in."
u am sold," said the captain. S"Giye him
his IS and let us liquor up.''