The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1885-10-24
aEmARKABLE CHANGES.


Mississippi stealuboatue Twenty Years
Ago aud To-day.
Il tell you. he said, throwing him
self back in a heavy armchair, 1.-The
Mississippi is no longer what it used to
be; the railroads have ruined it. There
will be no more such steamers as the k.
Z. Lee, the Richardson, or 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
5000 to 5000 bales. The week. how
ever, which it required a steamer to
take it down, is now reduced to twenty
four hours by rail. Railroads are fol-
lowing the coarse of the river, and rob-
bing It of its trade, and 1 look forward
to the day when the Mississippi River
will be abandoned entirely in favor of
rail-
"Yes," he continued, in answer to
question, gamblers used to have a
picnic along the river; but that day, too,
is past. 1t is not because people have
grown better, but because they have
less money. l once saw two men in
chairs, place Their pistols at each 9th
er's temples. 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-
spects. With the exit of the honest
gambler who told his business, we wit
ness the entrance of the sneak thief.
But a 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 perusal.
Colonel said bland young man,
a few moments after, you have just
drornad this handing him fiftv-dol-
lar note.
"I reckon not said the old gentle
mau. as be overlooked his spectacles.
II Just picked it -p under your
chair. repl ed the Young man. and see
no other way 10 dspose. OF H. How
ever, since ii seems 90 belong to naith-
er of us. we might just as well divide
It,.
''The plan worked well. The old
gentleman passed over S25 in change,
and the young man sauntered careless
ly out on land. A few minutes after
the vessel had taken to water the old
gentleman presented the $50 note to
the clerk in payment for his fare.
Counterfeit exclaimed the clerk,
and then for the first time the whole
truth dawned upon the old mans
mind.
THE deckhands are ahard lot. They
work, as you see. with vim while in
port, and pass the time until the next
is reached in playing craps They
are paid $3.50 dav. When they are
called up to get their wages, they di-
vide into little gambling parties at
once. and by the time port is reached.
of the fifty men paid off, 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
whole crew. And the way they can go
through stranger" said the speaker,
growing warm, is caution. A ne
gro got on board at Vicksburg the
other day and fell asleep. 1t was no.
ticed that his underclothing was new.
Quietly the men went to work, stripped
him, divided out his underclothing,
put him back into his old shoes, shirt
and pantaloons, and left m. When
that negro awoke and found the change
which had been made in him. he was
completely mystiied. He could not
understand how his underclothing
could have been stolen without touch
ing the rest, "-.Atlaratg (GG. J Coastitg.
ton,