Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-10-28
The Old Pioneer.

l
i The Old Pioneer. ~
| Quad s Odds
You may not have encountered him,
but every city or-village over twenty
| five years oldhas an s.old pioneer" He
is an aged man, walks with cane, has :
a bent back and scant gray locks, and
he is entitled to the unbounded respect
of all citizens.
Many little privileges are accorded
the sold pioneer" He can open the
|cheese-boX in grocery and help him
self, hook apples, reach over for pea
nuts, have the head, of the table when
the fireman give a banquet, and if he
crawls under the canvas on circus day
none of the circusmen strike at him
with a neck-yoke. --.--'
And If the ''old pioneer" says that
it's going to be hard winter, a soft
winter, a cool summer or q rainy fall,
it would be like entering den of lions
for one to rise up and dispute him.
He predicts political events, prOphe-
sizes revolutions, remembers all about
how the Free Masons killed John.
Morgan, and confidently expects a col
umn notice in the local papers when
he drops of.
1 met one of the OLD fellows the 9TH
er day on the cars. He assured me
that riding ON the cars was far more
pleasant than making journey on
horseback, and he said that the coun-
try bad improved some since he used
to carry the mail between New York
and Chicago. l was looking right at
him, but he never blused as ne said
That he used TO make the round trip on
horseback in five days. i Was W Onder-
ing how he could have done it when
he went on to say that New York con.
tanned only eleven houses, and Chicago
only four, at the time he acted as mail
carrier. 1 remarked that the mails
must have been light in those early
days, when he replied:
Light why bless you, my son, j
never had less than fourteen full mail
bags, and sometimes as high as tweHtyn
/ expected to see him struck dead in
his seat, but greatly to my surprise, he
continued to live right Oh, the same as
if he had never told lie.
Ever have any fights with the In
dians in those early days?' finally
inquired.
"Injun fights! Well, l should say
had a few-ha ha! ha l wish you
could go home with me to old Che
mung ,eonnty. I've got seven dry
goods boxes filled with Indian top
knots-seven boxes left; and I've been
making hOrse-blankets and dOOr-mats
out of my pile for over forty years.
SIS it possible
eyes, it is. don't say this to brag,
but you asked me plain question and
answered il. Isuppose killed II ,S73
Indians during my early life, though L
won't say that these are the exact fig
ures. 1t might have been IL ,S74, or
only 11,S72-I am getting old and can't
remember dates very WELL"
"Ever see George Washington ?" 1
asked.
''See George Washington ~ he
he boarded in my fam
lily over four years!'
"He did v'
"Yes, he did,"
"When wss thst?"
"Let's see! Well, I don't remember
just when it was, only know it was
quite a while ago. Yes, George board
ed with me, and I've got bill of forty
dollars somewhere against him now.
He was little hard up for cash when
he left u.s."
ibid vow ever see William Penn ?"
asked after awhile.
"Bill Penn! ha! ha why, wish 1
had as many dollars as the number of
times Bill and have slid down hill to-
gether! His father lived in part of our
house for eight years, and Bill and L
were like brothers. / could lick him,
and he knew it, but we never even had
a cross word between US. Poor Bill!
When L read about his being blown up
OH a steamboat / said to myself that
I'd rather have lost a brother"
waited q good while and then in
quired:
"Were you in the Revolutionary
war;"
'The Revolutionary war! why, you
must take me for boy!" he replied.
"Why, was the first man to jine.
There was a week when the Patriots
didn't have any ariny but me, and
there was so much fighting and march
ing that almost got discouraged"
"Then you must have met General
Lafayette ?'
General Lafayette! Why, on the
morning of the battle of Bunker Hill,
Lafayette, Bill Penn and
mysel: were playing fOur-handed
game of euchre in an old barn just out
side of Boston. Lafayette was killed
just as he was dealing the cards."
81 thought he went back to France
and died"
mo, SIR"
"But history says So"
81 don't care plum for history,
young man! Didn't his blood scatter
all over me, and weren't his last words
addressed to me! guess / know as
much as any history"
"What were his last words ?"
"Last words? Well, sir, he didn't
have time to say much. a cannon ball
struck him i'm the body, and all hesaid
was Don't give up the shipn Poor
Laif, He was little conceited, but
when he borrowed a dollar of you it
was certain to come back"
''You never saw Christopher Column
bus, did you?" / finally asked, deter
mined to wind him up.
He was staggered for moment, but
then recovered and answered.
christopher Columbus! Well, no,
1 never did. My brother used to talk
good deal about Chris, but never hap
pened to see him. They say he didn't
amount to much, after all-used to get
tight on election day, kept fighting
dog and a race-horse, and was always
blowing around what he could do. /
was always careful of my character,
and they can't say of me that ever as
suciated with low folks"
The only temperance organ in Iowa
has announced its suspension. The
cause is lack of support.
Tweuty.fiye thousand sovereigus