Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-11-18
Salt gake aematrat.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER IS, is
RIVER "REMINISCENCES.
Anecdotes of the Mississippi Steam-
boatmcn of Other Days.

al tell you," he said, throwing himself
back in q heavy armchair, "the Misss-
sippi is no longer what it used to be; the
railroads have ruined IL. There will be
no more such steamers as the Robert l..
Lee, the Richardson, or others of their
class built. The steamers used to float
all the cotton OF the valley to New Or
leans, and were built to carry from 5000
TO 5000 bales. The week, however,
which it required steamer to carry 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.
Eyes" he continued in answer to a
question, gamblers used to have pic
mic along the river, but that day, too, is
past. 1t is not because people have
grown better, but because they have less
money. | once saw two men in dispute
over game rise from their chairs, place
their pistols Mt each others temple and
fire simultaneously. Their dead bodies
were carried away, and the game contin-
ued as il nothing had happened. Those
were wild days, and are not likely to re-
turn.
1.-THE mode of getting other peoples
money has merely changed in some re-
spects. With the exit OF the honest gam
bier who told his business, we witness the
entrance of the sneak thief. But a few
days ago rich planter boarded this
steamer off Natchez. While sitting right
where we are now he purchased paper
from newsboy and was soon lost in its
perusal.
"'Colonel, said bland young man,
you have just dropped this handing
him $50 note.
"I reckon not said the old gentleman,
rs he looked over his spectacles.
81 just picked it up under your chair,
replied the young man, 'and l see no
other way to dispose Of it. However,
we might Just as we'll divide it,
"The plan worked we'll The old gentle
man passed over $25 in change, and the
young man sauntered carelessly out on
land. A few minutes after the vessel had
taken to water the old gentleman pre-
scented the $50 note to the clerk in pay
ment of his fare.
Counterfeit exclaimed the clerk,
and then for the first time the whole
truth dawned upon the old mans mind.
"The deck hands are a hard 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 day. When they are called
up to get their wages they divide into lit
tie 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, com
ing back to the boats dead broke, and on
the return trip there will not be nickel
among the whole crew. And the way
they can 90 through stranger" said the
speaker, growing warm, "is caution.
A negro got on board at Vicksburg the
other day and fell asleep. 1t was noticed
that his undertaking was new. Quietly
the men went to work, stripped him, d.
vided out the Undertaking, put him
back into his old shoes, shirt and panta,
looms, and left him. When the negro
awoke and found the change which had
been made in him, he was completely
mystified. He could not understand how
his Undertaking could have been stolen
without touching the rest."-Atlanto
Constitution.