Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-22
JOHN PHOENIX.
His Wonderful Fossil Discoveries at
West Point.

His Wonderful Fossil Discoveries at
West Point.
The following story in regard to Lieut..
Derby (John Phoenix, the humorist), says
Carp" in the Cleveland Leader, was told
me by Gen. VIM. T. sherman. You know,
there was few miles from West Point
place known as Benny Haven's where
the boys used TO 80 to eat flapjaeks and
drink flip. Benny Ravens flip had ma
tiOnal reputation, and his flapJacks were
delicious. The cadets, however, patron
lied Benny Ravens to such an excess
that the officers of the military school at
tempted to put stop to it, and very few
peTmissOns were granted them to
90 outside of the walls of the in
stitution. Derby was in special bad
favor, and he knew that he could
not on ordinary grounds get permit.
One time, after he had been a week or
more without drink of Benny Haven's
flip, be pretended a great repentance as
to his studies and gave out that he was
going to do better. The professor of geo.
lOgy was a curious old fellow whom he
had carto0ned numerically, and who had
a horror of him. To him Derby went, and,
with tears in his eyes, said he was sorry
that he had wasted his time in the past,
and that in the future he intended to do
better. He feared as it was he would not
be able to pass his examinations, but that
he wished to use his remaining time in
the academy so that when he went out
he would be fitted to battle with the
world. and he intended to pay
special attention to geology. This
geological professor was an enthusiast,
and very simple and innocent withal. He
embraced Derby and congratulated him
on his resolution. During the next few
DAYS Derby came into the classroom with
the best of lessons. He asked many ques-
tiOns and showed great interest in the
subject, thus winning glowing opinions
from his professor. He remained in the
| classroom after the lesson of the fourth
day, and told the professor tnat one OF the
milkmen who supplied the academy had
been telling him of some wonderful petriti-
cations at point away up IN the noun
tains. He had spoken of fishes and the
tracks of birds and other specimens.
which Derby, having carefully posted
| himself by the books, said he supposed
| belonged to such and such an age.
The professor rubbed his hands during
/ the relation, saying, Eyes, yes; very
| likely, very likelyw And when Derby
| concluded by saying the milkman had
1 offered TO conduct him to the place, he
was eager to have him go. On Derby's
I
permitted to leave the academy, the pro-
1 lessor said there would be no trouble
/ about that, and that he would get the
! eOuntersIgn and the permit. This he did,
and the next day Derby started out early
/ and struck out at once tor Benny Haven s..
/ Here he lay around all that day, eating
| fiapjacks and drinking flip, and carried
on his carouse far into the night. Early
! in the morning he came back to the acad-
envy very mellow indeed, bu succeeded
in passing the guard and tumOling into
| his room As he lay down on mis- bed ne
happened t. thinklthat he must have some
| explanation to give to the geological pro-
fessor tor not having the specimens. He
| bethought himself a moment and then
went down and picked up couple Of
| stone from pile which lay by the river
side. He brought these to his room, and
| with a caisel cut into them a number OF
| what looked very much Ike bird tracks.
Going out again he rubbed these with
dirt and then came back, laid them on his
table, and went to sleep.
After breakfast he took the stones to the
professor of geology, who, by the way,
was very near-sighted. he told him that
the milkman had failed to keep his APP
pOintment, and that he had attempted to
find the place himself. He had not dis
covered the petriiied fishes nor the other
fossils described by the milkman, but he
had found these stones, with their curious
tracks, and he thereupon gave the Profess
sOr lucid explanation OF the by-gone age
to which the stones belonged, and how
antedilRvian birds Of character not now
known had made these curious tracks,
His aisquisitlon was so well put that the
Professor cOincided with him. He took
the stones into the classroom that day,
and related Derby's wonderful discoye-
Fies. The affair was for few days the
talk of the class. but Derby could not KEEP
his secret to himself and told ii TO one OF
two of his friends. 1t went all over col
lege, and the result was that Derby was
suspended. He got back again, however,
after time and was graduated.