Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-09-30
He Was with Perry.


He Was with Perry.
IFoUND an old man al Put-in-Bay tho
other day who knew all about Perry,
and who claimed no little share of credit
in the great victory. As we sat on .
bench in the shade in front of the Bebee
House the old man led off with:
Yes, knew Commodore Perry. He
and were boys together, and we loved
each other. might have been a Com
modore, too, and licked the British, but
my tastes all ran to poetry. Perry was
q mighty generous man, and II he was
sitting where you are he wouldn't rest
easy until he had asked me to take some
thing" l
I took the hint and asked him IL I
should bring him glass Of water, but
he shook his head in a solemn way and
continued:
"Perry was different from most young
men. II he went out to hook melons or
peaches, he went alone. He didn't
seem to care for big watch-chains and
fine clothes, and he never got mashed
on an actress. He didnt assume q
freezing dignity, but yet he was hard
man to work up to when you wanted to
borrow five dollars. Did you ask me to
step over to the Bazaar. and take q glass
of catawba, or was it the moan Of the
waves on the shorep"
"waved" the question by asking
him If he saw the naval battle OF the
bay.
Saw it! Why, was there!" he in
dignantly replied. 81 met the Commo-
dore up at Erie few days before, and
nothing would do but must take q lit
tie trip with him. ! remember that he
put his arms around me and said:
'Peleg, my boy, come and sail the briny
deep with me, and I'll give you six
kinds of liquor to drink That's what
he said, sir, and 1 couldn't refuse him.
You didn't ask me to 60 over to the
Bazaar, did youp"
didn't. l said that he must be
pretty old citizen to have participated in
Perry's fight.
yes, purity DID," he sighed. ST was
115 years old the tenth day Of last month.
/ was saying to myself the other day
that I'd got to quit RAINING out nights
with the boys. The fight took place over
here to the left, Just over the WINE house
on Bass Island, and after it was over we
sailed in here and put in the drinks.
That's why they call it Put-in-Bay. I
am awful dry about this time o. day."
offered to pour some water over him
to wet him up, but he sweetly declined,
and looked across the rolling bay and
said:
"When we caught sight of the British
fleet off there, the Commodore left II to
me whether we should run or fight. The
odds were against US, but wanted TO
see little fun, and so advised him to
pitch in. just as true as you sit there,
II had said run, our fleet would have
skulked away without firing q shot.
never got any credit for it, but l never
asked It. An American citizen should
receive no praise for doing his duty.
That's the kind of . Dutch oven am.
You never drink wine, do your" t
told him / never did except on holt
days; and after he had counted up the
weeks to Thanksgiving, he dreamily
continued:
"Perry wanted me to take command
of the ship, but refused. I wanted to be
free to do little shooting on my own
we bore down on the British, and the
fight began. Perry was as white as q
ghost; and this American nation can
never be too thankful that was there
to brace him up. 1t was Just about such
hot day as to-day, and was just about
as dry as am now. You haven't .
dime about you, ehp"
I assured him that I hadn't had
cent in my pocket for over six months.
and he wiped away tear OF sympathy,
and went on: t..r
az tell you, Smiths hair stood up
when he saw US coming down on himP"
"Smithp"
"Yes, Smith, the commander Of the
British fleet. Guess you never read up
on the fight, did your We didn't give
him no chance to buy us off, but slam
banged away as fast as we could load
and fire, and you know the result. When
the fight was over and Perry realized
our good fortune he threw his arms
around me and cried like child. Yes,
he cried like child, and then We took
drink. Couldn't you stand the Bazaar
man off for a couple of inebriatesP"
couldn't. L was q stranger and I
lacked cheek. Then asked him about
that famous dispatch: "We have met
the enemy and they are ours" $3.50
"An bosh-every word bosh," he re-
piled. 'I was the bearer of that dis
patch myself, and / was leaning on Per-
rvs shoulder when he wrote it. II read
as follows: Il have licked Smith out of
his boots, and whatever the bearer
wants to drink can be charged TO my
account That's it, word for word.
You never carry bottle with you, eh?"
gave him my neuralgia remedy, but
he threw it after me and hit me In tho
back after taking one swallow. / don't
want to be suspicious Of human nature,
but yet believe that old man wasn't
exactly what he ought to be.-A. Quad.