The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1878-01-26
A AsPromisin2 Band Of Prevaricators

"A
Justice Knox's courtroom. during the
winter evenings. has of late become the
resort of sort of mushroom lying club,
something similar to the Sazerac organi-
zstion at Austin. About 7 o'clock Judge
Knox comes back from his supper, stuffs
several sticks OF wood into the stove,
lights his long pipe, hoists his feet up in
chair, and coils up in corner to rest
from his judicial labors. As he sits there
and puffs away shade OF sadness some
times comes over his face when he thinks
of some man whom in the hurry of run
ming over the docket he inadvertently
left off with an insufficient fine. These
reccolections are the clouds that obscure
his evening meditstions and blight the
roses in his path of life. Presently
m an comes slamming in. whom the un-
initiated listener, from the intense noise
would mistake for six pair of mules, but
Knox knows is is only Bob Lowsry. He
is speedily followed by Colonel Taylor,
and later by Lee MCGOWAN and Ben.
Lackey.
THE BALL OPENS.
Knox thinks that it is about time to
start in, and drops casual remark about
the Kansas grasshoppers Immediately
Lee McGowan draws up closer to the
stove and opens up:
IL guess I've seen about as much of
the grasshoppev business as any man
alive. When l was there four years ago
the air was 30 thick with 'em that they
obscured the sun. man had to carry
round a lantern in the middle of the day
to see to travel BY"
"That's nothing to the locust plague
In Wisconsin," chimed in Ben. Lackey.
1.-The locusts would light on farm and
60 through it clean in half an hour.
Thep'd dig up potatoes and carry 'em
off and pick all the boulders off the
ground So that next years crop would
be better"
I'm 1868" says Bob Lowery, inter-
rupting, II saw a kind of an insect about
four inches long that come prancing over
Ohio by the billions. They'd make a
farmer sick, you bet. Five of 'em would
eat a % mule right up, and not leave hide
nor hair of him
"Pshawl" breaks in Col. Taylor, I'm
old Virginia there was a bug about the
size of turtle that came one year anC
ate up over thirty million dollars worth
of tobacco plants. and then squirted the
juice all over the country. I'll pledge
you my word as a lawyer it was 80 deep
in some sections that We had to trave
round in row boats and on RATS. Tall
about the vicisstudes OF farming. 4
farmer has no more show there than
barrel Of gunpowder in burning oil fac
tory"
speaking OF farmers hard luck,
uoy1 oil -,
from his pipe, 1.-THE worst l ever say
was in South America. I had first
rate little ranch down there. There
were oranges. bread-fruit, bananas an,
groves OF rosewood and mahogany al
over the place. had gang of ring
tailed monkeys to do all the work
They'd cut and stack the grain, pick tn
orange crop, do all the planting and har
vesting while lay back and enjoyed tn
fruits of my industry. l had an educa
ted baboon that could send down th
Amazon with load of produce that he
sell for the highest market rates an
bring back the correct returns ever
time"
Here all hands moved up closer to th
speaker.
"But all bright dreams have an enc
One day sent load of produce dow
to Mamore, in charge of Poko my bos
baboon, and he sold it for 1925, 900 cast
1t seems he struck baboon from Boil
via, an old olassmate of his, and the
went off in h-of spree, slingir
the money right and left, runnin' II
whole town. They smashed up thrt
four.in hands. cleaned out some saloon
shot the Mayor of the town. spent ever
cent, got in Jail, and, beside losin' II
money, I had to settle over 5000, 900 da
ages, losin' the savings of two year
When l went down to bail 'em out, Il
OF gorillas broke into the ranch, pulle
up all the trees and belted the stuff
out of the house-didn't leave o site
when returned my little Garden {
Eden was desolate waste. / saw
couldn't farm there, and so I quit Il
country and came to Nevada"
This spicy narration of Knox's bro
up the evenings entertainment, and I
hands adjourned to Piper's for retres
ments.
Although not regularly organized, 4
little band of story-tellers has the mat
rial in it for club which would pa
the fires Of the Sazerao.-Virgir
Chronicle.