Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-10-20
THE DEVILS RACE COURSE.


family. But 1t was literally all l had, OF
money or moneys worth in the world, when
undertook to canvass considerable part
OF state OF Mississippi In the interest o.
life insurance company. i need not explain
how IL came about that was out OF employ
ment, ard so nearly out Of money with
family on my hands. IL is enough that /
was so, and that, for the time beng, nothing
better than this life insurance canvasSing
was open TO me. | knew myself wholly u0-
ut fcr The business, and the business Wholly
unfit for me. / had no particular gifts "a a
bore, and 30 special aspirations In that d.
But the president was Convinced that
could accomplish good deal for the compa
ny. and something for myself. and, the sin
git ness OF my bank note inpelling me there
70, determined TO try the experiment. rle
president wore rose-tInted eye glasses = nd
assured me that should make VIVA deem
ed a comfortable little fortu lie the first year.
l didn't believe him OF course, but meant 20
mai e enough, If possible, To pay my Viii a nd
my family's expenses
bought a magntfeenth horse ION credit. of
course. "a horse l knew and trusted, clean
limbed, active and strong. Mounting him,
secured the country III search OF people not
yet insured, who We're able TO insure, aud not
violently hostile To life insurance and its IT,
vOcates. i found one such now aud then,
and by dint OF preaching the Likelihood of
death with degree of perseverance which,
properly directed. would have made grand
reyIvalist of me, / managed TO write eight
or ten applications within a month or two,
and received an encouraging letter from the
president as a consequence.
canvassed good deal on his own account.
On work done by us he received com mis-
sion OF five per cent, we getting twenty. Ga
politics taken by himself he got both COM
missions, and was not long in discovering
that Major N, my general agent, was
close following me in my work. In one cas-
had mace an arrangement with an elderly
man TO insure his own his wife's and his two
daughters lives for considerable amount,
as soon as he could get some cotton he had 10
market. i was psremptorily forbidden hy
Major N TO give credit in any case, AMI
was requested to sign certificate with each
application, stating upon my ho1or as gem
tleman, that I believed, after due inquiry,
that the applicant was able and ready 10
take and pay for the policy as soon as It
lions in this case, therefore, with the under
standing that should hold and rot forward
them until the old gentleman should inform
me of his ability to pay for the premiums
Naturally I was elated with my success, as
these four policies would bring me a sum lar
ger than all my earnings at the business hal
been up TO that time, and meeting Major
N, told him OF my good luck, showing
him the applications He told me, In return,
that be had plan on foot with which, of
fere: There wasa portion of the swamp coun-
try, down on the Yazoo, Tallahstchee and
people were wealthy. and into this country
no life insurance agent had yet ever pene-
trated. This section of the country, as i
knew, was wholly cut Off from the outside
world by impossible swamps, during nine
or ten months of the year. In July ii would
be practicable to attempt canvassing tour
there, and i had intended going at thattime,
as the people living there were chiefly old
friends of my family, though l had never
met any OF them. Major N coOlly warned
me OF, however, with the remark: Between
gentlemen working together in the relations
We bear TO each other, there must be no ri
valry. We must keep of each others ground,
Twas depressed at the stroke of i'll fortune
which cut me OFF from the field that had
hoped To work so prodtably-the more be-
VI m n al
within my territory, which had not been
canvasssd thoroughly by more than one
agent There was no remedy, however, and
so dismissed the matter from my mind.
Upsn my return home that evening, 1 re-
ceived note from the old gentleman, whose
Major N~had called, and sgreed n ie,s only il
10 forward the applications Immediately.
but to deliver the policies when they should
come, and 10 await his convenience in the
matter OF paying the premiums. In short,
this honorable Major N--,after announcing
the high code OF morals which should govern
the business operations OF gentlemen hold
ing the relations we did TO each other b vi
straightway gone to my best client, and
taken his business, with its profits out OF my
hands by a shabby trick.
My first impulse was TO cowhide him; my
secord TO do better in the way of getting
even with him. II was now June, and de
termined al all costs and all hazards to visit
the swamp before he could. / was free to do
so, OF course, after learning what he had
and my own hardness for the accomplish
ment OF my purpose.
Setting of the next morning, l rode toward
Greenwood, a little village on the Yazoo, at
the entrance of the swamp. From my own
home to the center of the swamp, the dis
in a direct line, but i knew that the roads
In that direction ended speedily in a vast
tract OF water, and the OILY possible route
by which 1 could hope to get to my deSti-
nation lay through Greenwood, sixty miles
away.
Y i arna yraerJn ftrf,.
making careful inquiries as to the state OF
affairs ahead OF me.
.. Had anybody succeeded yet in getting
into or out ofthe swamp this summer! Were
the rivers within their banks yet? What
special difficulties should have To encoun-
ter in my attempt, and was there any proba-
biIity whatever that / would succeed?''
These were the questions which diligent-
ly put 10 every man met in Greenwood;
and II these persons gave me little encour-
sgemenf, they at least did not set me Wild
as people In such cases usually do, by giving
contradictory replies. There was, indeed,
diseouraging Uniformity in their answers,
and the intense surprise with which my
questions were greeted, speedily grew mo-
No; nobody had come out of the swamp
Yet, and nobody would try for a month to
come, every body said. AS to going In, there
had not been any idiots along mat way yet
and so, OF course, nobody had tried TO go in
Could get into The swamp?
Certainly. If didn't mind going in per-
pendicularly could sink in almost any
What were the special difficulties?
Well, the rivers were In their banks now,
for the most part, but the mire was hope
lessly bad along. And besides, there's the
Devils Race course, you know, every man
OF them said In conclusion, ii that re-
minder was in itself sufficient TO settle the
question, and crush all hope out of my bos-
ON. After having that one sentence, "And
besides, there's the DEVILS Race course"
hurled at me by some thirty or forty differ
ent people, / naturally began to Ieel curious
concerning the peculiar nature OF his Satan
&c Majesty's special pleasure ground. Being
unwilling 20 appear abjectly ignorant of so
important a matter, concerning which ev-
cry body had assumed as a matter OF polite
ness, i suppose, that was fully Informed, /
tried in various ways, by indirect means, to
learn something of this race course.
II was OF no use, however. Nobody who
knew anything al all could possibly be igno-
rant on this subject, and the courteous
jewellers In Greenwo oo were seemingly I'M
willing 10 Cffer an insult 10 my intelligence
by volunteering information with regard TO
50 Well known a matter. / was forced,
therefore, TO seek the desired knowiedge BY
direct means Selecting the neskest and
most looking man in the vii