The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-09-17
TWAS IN 81,

1AC WAC iSttIlAuS dSaiuoU 0AiO ! AtblliuSS
of the Nevada Bank and a passing
reporter knew he was a poineer the !,
moment the reportorial glance lit
upon him. The reporterknew, more.
over, that he was tilted pioneer.
and, consequently, had no hesiJancy
in leaning up against the railing
likewise, and remarking without the
formality of an introduction
GLORIOUS climate, isn't it. Judge?"
"Oh, yes he promptly responded,
"Glorious climate-glorious climate
of California. Nothing like it,
+. ''Have you been down long?"
s"No. Jest came yesterday. Haven't
been here before nigh on forty
years. Came down to pull the rope
for Casey in SO, you remember.
Twas long here some place, reck-
on, but these dod-gasted new build.
ings kind of makes ne disremember,
you know. Oh, them was the days !!
We didn't have no murderers pran-
Gin the.streets unhung in them days.
No common sheep-thieyes were run
MIN for Congress then. Ever run a
Vigilance Committee, young fellow?"
The reporter blushingly confessed
his inexperience. :.s..., .r..e
"Well, [ hev. Say, you haven't
got an extra chaw about you that
you are not using precisely at thi 8
m oment, hev you?'' @ G.. ...
The reporter made haste to accom-.
modate him, and, thus refreshed, the
old pioneer took fresh grip on the
supporting post and began
''It was away back upon the Yuba
River in 81. had justbeen runs
ming Justice mill, and just complet-
ed my term of office, and the fellow
who they put in didn't know more
about law than a jackass knows
about virtue. Well it was along in
them times that the Vigilance Com
mittee was at work down here at the
Bay, and the thieves and rapscallions
took to flockin' up to our section of
the country, and began to stealln'
whatever we had worth stealin'.
! The COMMITTEE OF TWO HUNDRED.
'This yer Justice Of the Peace
wasn't doin' his duty, anyhow, and
so I took it on myself one day to call
q meetin' of the boys down in Scurvy
Bills gin-mill. After Scurvy had
treated all around once and Colonel
Hlggles had reciprocated twice, l
got up and called the meetin' to Or
der. | drew attention to the fact
that the thieves and bunko steerers
we're fiockin' up from the Bay and
Ipourin' into our homes like flies in
the milk pitcher, stealin' our sheep
and endangerin' the rawbones of our
jackasses and the coppers on our
dead mothers eyes. Itold r'em as
how them fellers from Murphy's Flat,
with their secret way Of dealin' po-
ker from the bottom of the pack, was
a sleadin' ourmost respectable citi-
zens into the highways and lowways
of bankruptcy. brought to their
notice the awful consequences Of al
lowin' them young bucks from Marys.
Vile to come over with their waxed
mustaches, insinuatin' their foul car
lcasses in the peaceful sublimity OF
our hearthstones,, where purity, vir.
tue, honesty, economy and reform
reisned, to steal away the hearts of
our daughters and our wives. I
brought to their observation the un-
deniable fact that the soiled doves
of Frisco were film the whole
camp with anger and a gnashin' of
Z teeth. Ishowed 'em all these things,
and then just put the question to the
boys fairly and pintedly as to wheth-
er they, as men, fathers, brothers
and mothers, was goin' to stand
4 idly by and see our glorious country
Idefiled, our sheep and horses stolen,
our homes debauched and our glo-
; rious climate covered with arnica.
jest put the matter pintedly, 1 did,
faxed 'em plainly, as. man to man,
what they proposed to do, whether
to grin and bear it or buy the hemp.
AFTER silence Pike Smith set mp
the drinks. and then Judge Haw-
, kins rose and lowed that be, as q
man, was not goin' to endure the
tyrant's heel upon our necks, the
rascality Of the. Murphy Flat poker
players to drain onr exchequers,
the tentacles of the Marysville ten.
derfoots and octopuses to throttle ou1
daughters Tor our neighbours daught
ers in cases where some of us didn't
hev any of our owD1. and our glorious
climate covered with arnica and dis
-1grace. He moved that we run .
Vigilance Committee aud drive al