The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1878-06-02

use to argue it, for We did IT, and we can
prove 1t. You see, Jim was fighter him
self and his ghost had TO take after him.
Tell you about the ghost. Yes, il Won
care to hear it, jim was an old shad fish.
crman and everybody along the river knew
| him. He used to 90 up and down with us
often to see how the fish was doing at other
places, and that way we GOT to know him,
too. He was big and heavy and ALWAYS
wanted to fight, and we never liked him
very well. He had red boat-said red
was fighting sign, and he liked it. Ev
erybody knew jim Kcmcy'S red boat, and
most people kept away from it, Well. one
foggy night, we were feeling our way up
slow, just about here, and Keeping close
watch for lights, when all of a sudden we
heard fearful yell.
"A light on the port bow cried lookout.
We never knew it till aftcrward, but jim
and another fellow had their lantern in the
bottom Of the boat to play poker by They
| leaned over it 80 close. they covered it up:
but when they saw rs they showed their
light quick and yelled very lively. But it
was too late, We were right on top of them.
In half moment We struck them. The
little boat was 50 light she didn't break
very bad, but just flew about fifteen feet
ahead bottom up, and landed jim and the
other man in the water. 1t wasn't ten sec.
onds before we reached them again. They
were little out OF line, and this time we
didn't strike them square but lust
grazcd them. Jim ana the other
man had caught the boat and
were hanging To her Before YOU could
count five the wheel struck her, and there
was grand crash, 1t made so much noise
it drowned jim Kcrncy'S swearing. | know
he Sworc fearful when that wheel struck
him, but we could't hear it. | should like
to have heard what he said. George here
run ait but there was nothing to be seen
but pieces OF the boat, cheWcd up to spin-
tiers. going down the river with the tide.
The two men was gone. The wheel uses A
man up powerful quick. He never know,
what struck him. We stopped the boat of
course, but there was nothing To be found
except jim kcrncy's hat, pretty near cut in
two.
1T was a kind of relief 10 have jim
kcrncy off the river. We'd rather some
body else II killed him than Us, of course,
but it couldn't be helped. We sent the hat
to his widow and there was no funeral.
We run into that boat on the down trip.
The next night we came up again. When
we got up To the place where the accident
was there was a red boat, but like Jim Kcr.
ncy ;, almost straight ahead of us. Ii had
no light, but we could see it plain in the
moonlight There was one man in il, and
! he looked wonderfully like Jim Kcrney
himself. The boys began to scare. could
| hardly keep them to the wheel. The boat
kept Just far enough away from lis not to
! he run down. | could see that every man
! ia the pilot nousc was aS White as u shect.
Il didn t feel quite right myself but it
wouldn'tlio 10 let the boys know ;C. So
brced up and told them it was somebody
clse'S red boat, and somebody else in it. |
had them pretty well QUOTED down when
all of Il sudden little Billy johnson. the
youngest fellow in the pilot-houSc, not
much more than boy, gave yell, point
ing toward the door. and tumblcd over ina
faint We was all pretty nervous before,
but when we looked round at the door and
saw the hatcS> ghost OF jim Kencv. lust
walking in, We were nearly ready to follow
/ little Billcy. That i, all Int this fellow
patting a big. handsome Young pilOt on
the shoulder, Dave Bi>srl, from Baltimore
He was looking at the ghost as il he wanted
to eat him, but said, Keep away, Dave;
don't touch ghost
"ih0St be- said he. i can lick
any ghost that ever wore Il night-gOwn
Look sut for yourself, you cock-cycd spirit
and he grabbed Jim KcmcyS ghost by the
throat. | expected to see him i:!lrd in a
minute but he vast He was strong aS 4
lion, and before any Of lis had time to help
him he had the ghost down under the
wheels giving him heavy Sendcr> northeast
by east under the eyes. and solid sou
whackS under the ribs, 1t didn't take him
two minutes to make the ghost hcg.
"Of course. the ghost was jim Kcrncy
himself. 1t was plain enough attcrward,
but il was little Scary AT the time. lie
said he he'd come on board to lick the
pilot what smashed his rcd boat He had
two red boats, he said but the one he
smashed was his pet He didn't mind, he
said going around inside the wheel two or
three times himself, n lone rs he got out
safe, but he had Il grudgc against the man
that smashed his boat. But he was satisfied
THE other man that was with jim in
the little boat ON the night Of the accident
did not get into the wheel at ALL Jim was
n powerful swimmer, and rs soon as he got
out he swan ashore, and helped his com
panion in, too How did he get aboard the
steamer the next night Easy enough,
He made a good plan to clean out the pi
lot, and spent some money on it, but it
didn't work. He sent his friend down to
New York City by rail, to come up on the
boat. When we reached the place Jim
was out on the river in his boat, and
his friend was on the lowcrd deck, stand
ing by the stern rail. Jim threw him
long line, that gave the boat plenty play,
and he easily caught it, and drew the boat
up astcm. Jim jumped aboard, but he
was in such hurry to fight he couldn't
wait for his friend to come and help him.
so he rot thr,shcd. They both went ashore
alou, ten minutes aftcrward. There's Jim
kcrncy'S red boat now.
Ever see any spirits: | see them every
night, I'm off duty now for the night and
have some bottle spirits in my cabin.
Come down and Try some"