Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-12-31
River "reminiscences.

81 tell you." he said. throwing him
self back in heavy armchair, "the
Mississippi is no longer what it used to
be; the railroads have ruined it. There
will be no more such steamers as the
r. E. Lee, the Richardson, OIL. others OF
their class built The steamers used
to float all the cotton of the valley to
New Orleans. and were built TO carry
from five thousand to eight thousand
bales. The week, however, which 1t
required steamer to take it down is
now reduced to twenty-four hours by
rail. Railroads are following the
course of the river and robbing it of
its trade, and look forward to the
day when the Mississippi river will be
abandoned entirely in favor OF rail.
"Yes," he continued in answer to a
question, .'gamblers used to have u
picnic along the river. but that day.
too, is past Its not because people
have grown better, but because they
have less money. once saw two men
in dispute over q game rise from
their chairs, place their pistols at each
others temple and fire simultaneously.
Their dead bodies were carried away,
and the game continued as If nothing
had happened, Those were wild days,
and are not likely TO return.
''The mode OF getting other peoples
money has merely changed in some re-
specls. With the exit of the honest
gambler who told his business we wit
ness the entrance of the sneak-thief
But few days ago a rich planter
boarded this steamer off Natchez
While sitting right where we are now
he purchased paper from a newsboy
and was soon lost in its persaul.
".Colonel,' said bland young man
few moments after, you have just
dropped this handing him $50
note.
81 reckon not, said the old gentle
man, as he looked over his spectacles.
".I just picked it up under your
chair replied the young man, and
see no other way to dispose oft. How
ever, since.it seems to belong to neith-
er of us we might just as well divide
it.
/ !. That plan worked well. The old
gentleman passed over $25 in change,
and the young man sauntered careless
ly out on land. A few minutes after
4 the vessel had taken to water the old
gentleman presented the $50 note to
the clerk in payment Of his tare
4 Counterfeit! exclaimed the clerk,
| ami then for the first time the whole
s.stitii daWnod upon the old man 8 mind.
the deck hands are hard lot.
I ney work, as you see. with . vim
4 while in port, and pass the time until
the next is reached in playing craps. :
They are paid $3.50 a day. When they
are called up to get their wages they
divide into little gambling parties at
once, and by the time port is reached
\ of the fifty men paid Oft about ten will
have all the money. This ten will take
one night on land, coming back to the
boats dead broke, and on the return
i trip there will not be nickel in the
whole crew. And the way they can 60
through stranger, said the speaker,
i growing warm, lis a caution. A negro
\ got on board at Vicksburg the other
4 day and fell asleep. 1t was noticed
that his undercloth.ng was new. Quiet.
ly the men went to work, stripped him,
4 divided OUT the underclothing. put him
i back into his old shoes, shirt and pan.
4 falcons, and left him. When that
negro awoke and found the change
which had been made in him he was
completely mystitied. He could moi
/ understand how his understanding
could have been stolen without touch.
i ing the rest. n atlanta Constitution.