The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-08-22

| Camp, Ca!aVeras county, California, on be-
| ing asked for information concerning GER |
| tain Rev. LeOnidas W. Smiley.
There was a fellow here once by the
name of Jim Smiley, in the winter of
1849-Or may be it was in the spring of
1861 don't recOllect exactly, somehow
though what makes me think it was the
one or the other, is because. | remeem-
Der the big flume wasn't finished when
he first came to the camp; but, any way,
he was the curiOsest man about always
betting on anything that turned up you
ever see, if he could get any body to bet
on the other side; and if he couldn't
he'd change sides.
Any way that suited the other man
would suit him-any way just SOS he
got bet, he was satisfied. But still he
was lucky, uncommon lucky; he almost
always came out winner. He was al
ways ready and laying for a chance
there couldn't be no solitary thing
mentioned but that feller'd offer to bet
on it, and take any side you please, as
was just telling you. 1t there was q
horse race, you'd find him flush or you'd
find him busted at the end of it; if there
was dog fight, he'd bet on it; if there
was a cat fight, he'd bet on it; if there
was a chicken fight, he'd bet on it; why
/ if there was two birds sitting on q
fence, he'd bet you which one would fly
first; or if there was camp meeting,
I, he would be there. regular to pet on on
| ParsOn Walker, which he judged to be
| the best exhOrter about here-and SO he
was, too, and a good man. If he even
7 saw q straddle-bug start to go anywhere,
} he would bet you how long it would
5 take him to get wherever he was going
, to, and if you took him up he would
: follow that straddle-bug to Mexico but
: what he would find out where he was
= bound for and how long he was on the
road.
= Lots of the boys here has seen that
e Smiley, and can tell you about nm.
e Why, it never made no difference to
= him-he would bet on anything-the
e dangdest feller. ParsOn Walkers wife
0 lay very sick once, for a good while,
= and it seemed as if they warn't agOln'
: to save her. But one morning he come
in, and Smiley asked how she was, and
!; he said she was considerably better
0 thank the Lord for His Infinite mercy
r and coming on so smart that, with
: the blessing of Providence, she'd get
Y we'll yet; and Smiley, before he thought,
d says: "Well, I'll risk two and half
Il that she don't, anyway"
n This yer Smiley had mare-the boys
|, called her the fifteen minute nag, but
s that was only in fun you know, because,
: of course, she was faster than that-and
Q he used to win money on that horse tOI
J. all she was so slow, and always had the
: asthma, or the distemper, or the con
V sumption, or something of that kind
o They used to give her two or three
d hundred yards start, and then pass hel
I under way; but always at the tag END
j. of the race she'd get excited and des,,
20 perate like, and come cavOr1ng and
d straddling up, and scattering her legs
h around Timber, sometimes IN the air
Y and sometimes out to one side among
d the fences, and kicking up MORE dust
and raising more racket With hel
le coughing and sneezing and blowing hel
IF nOse-and always fetch up at the stanc
s, lust about neck ahead, as near as yOI
is could cypher it down.
And he had little, small bull pup
r that to look at him you'd think III
n wasn't worth cent but to set, arOun(
a and look ornery and lay for o chance t.
le steal something. But as soon as th'
to money was upon him he was dlferen
dog; his under jaw'd begin to stick on
" like the fo'cast1e of steamboat, AM
~ his teeth would uncover and shin
1e savage like the furnaces. And dos
b. might tackle him, and bullyrag him
a. and bite him, and throw him over hi
OF shoulder two or three times, and An
q. drew Jackson-which was the name o
Te the pup-Andrew jackson would neve
lg let on but what he was satisfied AM
lie hadn't expected nothing else-and tn
bets being doubled and doubled on tn
other side all the time till the none
tie was all up, and then all OF sudden d \ =
o. would grab the other dog jest by tn
.st tint of his hind leg and freeze to it
n not chaw, you understand, but Onl
be lest grip and hang on till they throwe
lie up the sponge, if it was a year.
Smiley always come out winner o
e. that DuD till he harnessed dog ono
r. that didn't have no hind legs, becaus
oh they'd been sawed off by circular say
i'll and when the thing had gone along fa
lie enough, and the money was all up, an
he he come to make q snatch for his pt
on holt, he saw in minute how he,d bee
on imposed ON, and how the other dos, ha
ed him in, the door, so to speak, ana l
he 'peared surprised, and then he locke
ful sorter discouraged like, and didn't tt
nd no more to win the fight, and so he g
shucked out bad. He give Smiley
ne look, as much as to say his heart WI
on broke, and it was his fault, putting up
on dog that hadn't no hind legs for him
ms take hold of, which was his main d
,se Dendence in fight, and then he limpt
vs. off q piece, and laid down and died,
Dr. 1t was a good pup, was that Andre
Ia Jackson, and would have made nan
ter for hisself il he'd lived, for the stuff W;
to in him. and he had genius; | know
ars because he hadn't had any OppOrtun
ich Ties to speak of, and it don't stand
or reason that dog could make such
fight as he could under the circun
stances if he hadn't no talent: It a
fry wavs makes me feel sorry when | thiI
If of chat last fight of his'n, and the Wa
to it turned out.
St Well, this yer Smiley had rat-tarrie
zee and chicken-cocks, and all them XII
of things, till you couldn't rest, and "
nee couldn't fetch nothing for him to bet (
r. hut he'd match you. He ketched FRI
ilv. and took him home, and said he caPkl
S01 ted to edercate him; and so he nev
done nothing for three months but {
i've in his back yard and learn that frog
aeEZ hmm, And you bet he did learn hi
We TOO, He'd give him little punch b
Of hind. and the next minute you'd s
age that frog whirling in the air like
bIV donehnut-see him turn one summe
rE- set, or maybe couple, if he got go,
aid right, just like cat,
ach He got him SO up In the matter
ses catching flies, and kept him in practi
md SO constant, that he'd nail a fly eve
Md time as far as he could see him. Smil
ery said all frog wanted was educatio
out and he could do most anything; and
lch believe him. Why, I've seen him s
,or. Daniel Webster down here on Il
nch floor-Daniel Webster was the name
OBJ the frog-and sing out: '' Flies DAM