The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-03-02
GREENBACKS.

Among The old river men Wno nave Tor
years nav gated the devious windlngs of
the tur5 Red, is that prince OF good
fellows, Nose heart is as big as any
steamer he ever run, Capt. jim Crooks.
During the late unpleasantness Capt. q.
was engaged in some Of the upper lakes,
with his palatial steamer, Blant0n, get
ting out ties for the Confederate Govern
ment, and short time after the close OF
the war-we think it was during July or
August, 1965-he was busily engaged,
one day, in lifting his steamer off a
stump, when he was hailed from shore
by a returning soldiers:
"Hallo, Cap, what are you doingW
"Why, getting out ties for the Govern
ment."
"What Government, Cap.p
"Why, the confederate Government,
/ of course; you don't suppose I'd be ship
ping ties to Boston, do youp
81 say, Cap, the Government has been
done gone up for two months"
"The ID you say," says Capt. Jim,
and with that he unties his floating
palace from the sapling to which She
was anchored, and fOated down to
Shreveport.
Striking the landing, he contracted
with a Federal A. @. NJ. to carry one
| uuuulCu ulIJ vi pOIh w
Jefferson, at 50 per barrel. Arriving at
Jefferson his shipper drew out $500 in
! greenbacks to pay the ireights, capt.
jim demurred, and says, soap, PVe
just got basketIul of paper, new issue,
i'll my Office, and want money, gold, for
my bill" The A. Q, NJ. informed him
that the United STAGES did not deal in
| god as currency, and If he did not
| take greenbacks he should do without.
Capt. Jim says that he did not like to
hurt SO many soldiers by having row
about it, and thought he would take the
paper currency, and trust to luck to get
rid of it, Coming down to
Shreveport, he wandered up Texas
street to the corner of Spring
he looked into store, and 10
use his own expression, he "saw more
calico, shoes, and Yankee tricks" than
he had seen for years, and wondered II
that green-looking chap behind the
and, walking quietly into The store, he
in mild, childliEe, innocent way, in
Quired The price of pair Of shoes.
The young man behind the counter
blandly informed him $9. "Whew n
says Capt. o., "thaps cheap" he having
pald $500 Tor the pair he hau on, and qul'
etly slipped $40 bill from mis- roll, gath
ering up the shoes, and made for the
door, thinking that the confounded Yam
kee might not want to take that kind 0
new issue and take back the shoes. II
his astonishment the merchant called
him back and gave him ~ in change
Capt. Jim was so utterly astonished tina
he called TO friend of his, another rivel
man, and says, "Bose, don't you wan
some clothesl
Pve found confounded Yankee WHIT
takes this new kind of new issue, ant
Pye got $500 OF IL. and want to get rid o
lit while I've a chance." Bose got in
side a new set OF harness and wenI
down Texas street, and met Capt. j.
another river man, who was anxious II
know where he got those clothes. "Capt
Crooks got 'em lor me. You 60 up t.
the corner Of Spring and he'll get you ;
suit" which he did. Thus Capt. q. go
rid OF his $500, and says that he spen
the balance OF the day chuckling to him
: self how he'd beat that contour dee
Yankee out of $500 worth OF good clio thes
; l-LNew Orleans Paper.