Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1874-07-30
Asa Brashear,s Broken Leg.
From the Courier-Journal.

1 <AStA LIZ ssoAACeAh . III OACA
From the Courier-Journal.l
1t was Asa Brashear himself VIII,
told the story. Asa, as every body il
Louisville knows, is not unacquaint
ed with cards. 1t is possible that h
is better acquainted with the Queer
of Clubs than he is with the Queen o
Sheba. 1t is probable that the blu
and gold of the King of Diamonds il
more familiar custom to him thar
the picture of Solomon arrayed in al
his glory. In point of fact it is high
| ly probable that Asa is much better
up in the history of Pharoah than o.
all the Kings of Israel put together
1t is also highly probable that Asa is
fond of social glass or two; at least
we have his own word to that effect
and nobody dare dispute what Ass
Brashear says, and expect to come
out of the fight with a sound head
But this is how he happened to tel
the story: Asa is lame of one leg
and we asked him one day what was
the matter with the defective limb.
"How did 1 happen to break my
leg, did you say? Well, it was Gu
rious thing and 1 will tell you about
it. You see I'd been drinking pret-
ty hard for week or so, and thought
I'd lay off and get over it. 1 live
up in the third story, thirty feet or so
from the ground, and my window
comes almost down to the floor. It's
mighty easy to fall out of that win
dow, and there's q brick pavement
down below which amt as soft as q
feather-bed. So you see n fellow
that'd fall down there would be
mighty apt to hurt himself fell
down there once, and l know how ii
is myself.
at was nearly dark when went to
my room that evenin' and thought
I'd sleep awhile and see if the trouble
in my head wouldn't stop. 1t was a
whizzing sort o feeling, and | didn't
feel exactly right about what saw.
In fact, the last drink | took that day
there was a fly in it. At least l
thought so, but Jimmy, who was be-
hind the bar, looked sort O funny
when / asked him to take it out.
HOwsomever, l soon fell asleep and
slept do not know how long; but |
woke up rather suddenly and heard q
strange kind of noise outside the
door. 1t was awful dark, and the
noise on the steps sounded like a
thousand men, with felt slippers on,
striking a thousand rattan canes on
the steps, and all in military line.
All at once music struck up, but it
was faint-like, as if the band was
ever so far away. l told you it was
dark as pitch, but the door suddenly
opened, and blaze O light came in
that blinded me SO that | couldn't see
any more than when the door was
shut. When l got over the daze l
looked down on the floor and there
was file of little soldiers, not one
of 'em higher'n my little finger, all
-marchin' into the room, headed by
q band of music and with the kurnel,
who wasn't bigger'n any O. the rest of
'em, mounted on a horse cores
pondin'.
"Well, they marched into the room
and formed in files in front of my
bed, and 1 was looking at 'em all the
time. When they had all got fixed in
proper ranks, the fellow on the horse
got down, and the band stopped play
in. After he touched the floor the
kurnel commenced to grow, and be-
fore he stopped CROWN he was as
much as eight feet tall. | kept q
loollin' at him all the time, and he
then got up on the bed and took a
screw from his pocket and screwed it
into the cealin'. Then he stepped
down again and caught one O them
little soldiers by the nape O the neck
and tied string around his neck
and stepped up on the bed. And l
was a lookin' at him all the time.
Then he tied the other end of the
string short upon the screw and let
90 O. the little soldier. The poor lit
tie feller kicked around for while
and grew black in the face and then
died, l s'pose; at least he didn't
make any more fuss that night.
When the kurnel saw that he was
dead he got down again, and as soon
as he touched the floor he began to
grow smaller and smaller until he was
no bigger'n he was at first. Then he
got on his horse and the band COM
menced to play, and he shouted For
ward, march, and the little soldiers
commenced marching out of the room.
''Now there was one little soldier
that seemed to be watchin' me all the
time, and when the rest of 'em COM
menced marchin' out, he slipped back
from one file to the other and so till
he had got to the rear rank. When
the last of the little soldiers but him
had got out of the door, this little
chap he came runnin' back to the
bed and says:
"tAsa, put down your leg
"Well, / put down my leg and the
little cuss climbed straddle my foot.
casa says he, pull your leg up
in the bed.'
81 put my leg up on the bed again,
and the little soldier ran up to the
side of my pillow.
"'Says he, did you see the kurnel
hang that little soldierY
"EYes, says /, I was lookin' at
him all the time
"'Well, Asa says he, hes a-comin'
back to do the same thing to you in a
minute
l"'Good Cod says L; what must 1
doY
casa, says he, very solemn, the
only thing you can do is just to jump
out O that winder.'
"And l jumped. And that's how
1 happened to break my leg"
Tho .r,r;for fbap inOnirQ0 of Asa