Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-09-16
FIGHTING JOE.
'Wha and what was be p


south Statfordshire one bright Sun
day afternoon in April. | was
strange 10 that part of the country,
ana was passing through the place
in the course OF long walk from
'he larger adjacent town, to which
my business had taken me the dsy
before. The extensive mining Cd.
eratiOus of the last fifteen years had
altered the little unpretending viii
lage materially; and though the
qusint old church aud some long
and low buildings, suggestive of
farm and homestead, still retained
an air OF rustic simplicity, they were
being gradually obsoured aud the
place itself sophisticated by the for
NAL rows of plain, ugly tenements,
built expressly for the mining pop.
ulation, which each year was be.
coming more numerous.
| had amused myself by deciphsr-
ing some OF the Inscriptions on the
grsve'stones-weli nigh obliterated
by the weather stains and moss that
time had suffered to find foot hold
in the hollows OF the lettering
when man presumably q miner, ia
the Sunday clothes peculiar to that
class, carry ing little child of two
or three years, aud followed by
another me8hat older seated him.
self on fiat stone aud opened the
conversation.
A civil,spoken fellow enough,
though with the unoouth accent OF
the country Ireadily accepted the
invitation be offered, and we chAt-
ted pleasantly.
He had known the place many
years, he told me aye, long before
it had grown into the town it now
was, when it was nothing but a
humble village, and when the loLg
grass or ripening corn bowed its
head to the wind on the site whore
the unsightly engine house and tall
red chimney now stood, and where
heaps of alag and cinder marked the
busy life of the toilers in the earth
! below.
That handsome marble monu-
ment, be told me, denoted the last
res ing place of the late rector, and
this broad massive piece of granite
was the tomb Cf IA certain local
squire popularity known as Squire
Jack, who, it seemed, was much
given to horse racing, cooking and
euch kindred sports, and who, being
sad meier do. we'll, q thoughtIess,
reckless fellow, bat withal good
naturtd and easy-going, was, as
such gentry not unfreqaently are,
the most popular member of his fam
lily.
As my new acquaintance pointed
out these objects and others which
he thought, | suppose, would inter
est me, be bad risen from his seat
and we had stro!lsd leisurely Lhrs'
the ohurch.yard. 1t was in cor.
ner, and aiher in hollow, that, be-
fore an humble mound of green turf
and dscked with the pretty spring
flowers, carefully planted in the
form of cross, we both, as of oac
accord, paused, 1t had not any
grave-stone but only pico> Ct
wood supported by two shors up
rights. On this were roughly carved
as if done with pocket.knife, these
two words Fighting joe
That's strange inscription to
put over a mans grave [ said and
then added, who and what was be?
The man seated himself on a stone
close by and was silent for fow
seconds. He had Sc. down the little
girl he had been carrying, and the
two little things, attracted by the
bright flowers, had found their wav
to the mound and were about to
gather them.
Here, you mustn't touch them
flowers he said, and, taking q hand
of each, led them away.
We'll, mate he then went 90 to
say to me in reply to my question,
& don't rightly know who or what
he was. He was a stranger down
here, and neither me nor my m a.es
ever heard tell where he came from
or who be was. When this here pit.
Fenton's Pit we call it, was fra;
worked we had but few hands here.
abouts, and men that could work
had no call to wait long for Job,
and got a good wage as we'll Nos,
of the hands were Staffordshire but
we never knowed where Joe came
from,end L don't know as we a.k"d.
and p'raps he wouldn't have told US
If we had. He was quiet and lonely
like, and said but little--,ha. is
when he was all right; but when
he'd had . drop of drink, CIR may DO
of Saturday night, when be had
gotten bis wage, of all the hands |
ever see to swear, to spend his mon
ey, wrostle or fight, there wasn't
one like Fighting Joe.'
'And hence his name, suppose p
| asked. And OF course it is the
old story again-drink, quarrel,
fight, and violent death though
| cannot understand, 10 that case.
the evident care that is bestowed on
the poor fellows tomb-such as 1t
is.'
mo, SIR the man said gravsly,
after q moments pause; mot quite
all that. A violont death, yes and
such death as | might pray God
might ne'er happen to the worst of
us; but it wasn't drink, nor quar-
rel, nor q fight with another man,
that brought him to it. II was more
the other way, poor lad-more the
other way
! The rough fellow beside me said
this with geEtleness of tone aud
!, manner tbst was Sufficiently out OF
keeping with bis appearance, as 10
excite some degrees of curiosity, aud
| told him that | should ike 10
learn more Of tho story,
'it's no. mech Us such 81 you
might ogre for tho man rep,isd.
Here be said, turning to tho little
ooss who were straying toward the
green mound again, you mustn't
touch them posies. thou knows; q
and get some of them, and he Jerk "a
| q small! niece nf naaI he had in hi.