The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-11-03
acknowledgement
.ME AND NY PAL"
,,a,e of The Cuban Rebellion.

IIlc of the Cuban Rebellion.
w associates through life have been
m,ny and various. l have hobnobbeb
Nth "nob!emen,p and ! have iraternized
Win groomg, game-keeperS, jockeys,
,,,iser, and touts. But OF all the strange
r5nplnions into whose society I have
ere, been thrown by a perverse fate, or
rbo,e companionship I have sought
from wha, my friends are pleased to de.
gomina,e "a taste for low life" the per.
.on an going to tell you about was par
.r.,,lence-tbe strangest AID the most
insciutable. am going 10 tell you q
ale without hero. It's "lsading gentle.
MAJ lil such term be applicable) is
alluded to in my title under the fret per.
con singular, nOmlnative case-me" Mr.
Sgueers Is nv authority ior this gram.
mar; and the identity Of myselt-moi
gui Yous parle--is merged in the endear-
IL, sp;thel Of my pal" This is rather
p-FpleIing; but as the whole title forms
an expression which constantly fell from
the reye,ed lips Of ''me,' when, in the
intervals Of professional discipline, he
had occasion 10 illude to the unworthy
narrator, have chosen to preserve it in
lie entirety, in memory Of the most extra.
ordinary llH ever met.
Hi name was Jonas Baxter, and he
va, the most intrepid, desperate and
.kll!igl burglar that ever laughed at
scotland Yard, or goaded the New York
police to s0ger BY his sublime indifFer-
snce TO the lerrcrs oil the Tombs.
A the time Of which | write VERY re-
Gently he had long been an absentee
rom England, having quilted his count
~ tor hii country'5 good, and arrived in
New York via Australia. When my
story opens, Nr. Baxter appears before
The public ~ a filibuster, and the writer,
tired Of doing nothing, had also taken
..r7ice under the Clone Star" aag, and
"a, appointed second in command OF the
expedition which had the honor Of nun
5efiug that true patriot, Mr.. Baxter in
il ranks.
Twas ignorant, however, OF the great
ness thru5t upon me by his enrolment in
nv command until the day after We had
lei. New York. The rank and file Of the
expedition were, a. may be supposed, a
mixed lot, Cubans, Swedes, Germans,
Iri.h, Danes, IriSh-Americans, Yankees,
yery few English aud no Scotch.
OF these the most unruly and the most
thoroughly brutal were the Irish.Aneri.
rlu.-the sweepings Of New York, the
very .cum Of the BoEery. One Of these
is-loE, was standing, half drunk, under
tie break OF the poop, INDUCING in a
string Of such aWiully blasphemous oaths
Ncln only be heard in the "down town"
.giEit stores Of New York or Chicago.
could notice the intense annoyance,
anos! terror Of the commandments wife
aCuban LADY,, who was on the poop,
unable to escape beyond ear.shot, and l
accordingly ordered the ruitian to go
forward. Excited By whisky, he turned
on me, and sIewed such flowers OF speech,
in BoWery argot, on my head, that, lax as
our discipline with the men was, | was
bound 10 punish him, and / accordingly
ordered him to be confined. Immediately
drawing his formidable knife, the rascal
a. the Yankees say went for me-" l
wAs standing on the alter hatch quite IN.
armed, having left my sword and pistols
IN the cuddy; and, provideutially, as he
hurled himself onto me, his foottripped on
the combiDgs Of the hatchway, and he fell
almost a: my feet, the murderous weapon
aimsd At my breast Just grazing ny thigh.
He vas up again in an instant, with arm
apliI.ed Tor 4 second and more fatal
stab, when a crack like the smash oil a
carriage panel was heard, and Private
Felix O'Go.uaR dropped with fractured
skull on the deck btt0re blow from a
a,nispike welded by Mr.. Jonas Baxter,
burglar and Cuban patriot. There was
no mistaking the mans nationality for a
moment, even before he spoke. Such
coFduroys (mSy 1 adopt the veruacular,
and say "kick,ees?D) were never made
qgt OF WhlechaPeI; and when he said in
The d'awling, quiet tone so common to
bis kind, that he'd be blessed ii he'd see
the captain bested by a = Feniau, my
memory few back over the Atlantic;
wa again in Regent street at p. NJ. on
sunny afternoon in May, and the per-
.il'ive chant Of "Bay q letle dawg, cap.
linE once more rang in my ears.
S1olndrel though the man might be, he
Ni' an EnGlishnln, and he had saved my
life; and my heart positively warmed to
hin as l gave hts hand a grip that made
the big kuucEels crack, and sTore that
III tAnd BY him to the end OF the war.
Amy request, Colonel D'Olivarez made
IheexPAtriated brakeman sergeant
ln accession Of rank with which he was
hugely pleased, euterioE on his duties
With allthe glee Of child.
Mr., Jonas Baxter was good enough to
express his approval Of my being an
EnglishmaD, and 10 favor me with sever.
Al episodes Of his extremely checkered
career, some Of which may prove anus
ing my readers. In Justice to this child
0! fortune, | should, however, mention
that with his garb and cockney accent
his Likeness to the stereotyped burglar
ceased. His face was not that which has
been rendered familiar to rs in the paget
.! Punch "a that Of the gentleman wht
performs the Office OF "the nasty man il
glrFoiirg circles. Ga the contrary, had
Nj, Baxter been introduced into societ!
clad in garments built in Saville Row
and been hidden to hold his tongue
10 superficial observer could have dis.
hnguished him from the most blSse FIRE
l1enteF OF the Darlington Arcade save b,
The massive squareness Of his lower jaw
and the coarseness OF his firm, sinRew,
hands.
But let him speak for himself. q
saved your life, cap, and am glad hay
done ii. Ionly W!sh ! had pal like 20,
IN my business
Feeling that com pliment Was implied
made bold toaSk him what RII hi
business.
WELL" he replied, with reluctane
lor which could not at once account, q
open sales and-and houses. Come wit
me- he added, With real zeal, "and L,
.hoE you that Pm no dufer.n So sayiul
he diTed tween decks, myself following
Shere he opened small brass bound boI
and disclosed TO my astoniShed gaze
lRmy," a small saw Of exquisite WoTt
aApship, scenter bit, and a small guam
lily Of other toolS, the names OF which
Soa!d puzzle me 10 Fecollect. And the
adted, "ln the bank at P--are So,
10000 in gold. Let's fight till we e
Aeee, aud then let's turn up pa!riOtisu
aud go straight for the bank"