Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1885-05-29
THE DUEL.
Two Rivals Of 'Poesum Branch
on the Field of Honor.


Ananias Picket (yellcw) lived on one
side Of, the branch and Jerusalem John
son (black), commonly called "Ju, F"
lived on the other site. Miss Sophy
Giggles, the color of an underdone
buckwheat cake, lived rbout five miles
from the branch, and was the cause oil
"Nias" and "Ju."
The branch itself is not of sufficient
Importance to be indicathd in red colors
on any map of these blessed United
States, and yet its local coloring is en-
tertaining enough to warrant its being
taken from the somewhat moldy cup
board of obscurity and placed on the
inviting center-table of the present day.
The dark and bloody ground of Ken
lucky, with its eXpiations on the field
of honor; Blennerhassetts Island, with
its tragic tale of love and dishonor, have
both been embalmed in song and story
why not Possum Branch. with its Iliad
of woman's caprice, mans devotion
and the fearless heroism OF fascinated
heartspS The branch itself is dull,
sluggish stream about ten or twelve
feet wide, running through the southern
portion of Linn County. In the East
it might be called creek. In the
West it might be dignitied by the name
OF river. In Florida it is simply a
"branch.'' A. branch of what, / am
not at this moment prepared to state.
1t is lined with live oak, water oak,
cypress, persimmon and some few 9TH
er varieties of trees. The county road
goes over it dry-shod, ON rustic
bridge, shaky and decrepit, the nucleus
of any amount of possible and probable
accidents. The water is about ten feet
deep and very dark. No one but a
coroner could possibly find any enjoy
ment looking at it. The bridge also
serves as q short cut for predatory foxes
seeking through highways and byways
for the succulent chicken, the philo-
sophie turkey and the disciple of GER
tain school Of medicinc-the duck.
AT times the trees that line this bank
take on vivid beauty. The bamboo
climbs to the tops of the tallest ones
and filings q graceful crown over theil
swaying beauty. Scarlet coronals OF
unknown flowers emphasize the fra.
grant green, through which the birds
peep out and watch with wide-eyet
wonder the creaking vehicles ant
strange figures that pass slowly by
Outbursts of rarest song can be hearC
there through the soft languorous days
and swift-darting fins, like errant ray!
OF light, ripple the waters below.
On the east side are half-dozen OF
so of rough log cabins, keeping guard
over a few acres of broken soil; cottor
and potato patches, the garden of long
collards and turnips, The parterre o.
sunflowers and oleanders. Each
demesne has its dilapidated chicken
house, its rheumatic shed for the
reflective mule, and its boudoir fol
playful swine. The owners and inhab
itants of these freeholds are happy and
careless negroes, raising enough to eat
and little to sell, basking in the sun.
shine, and obeying implicitly the
Scriptural injunction to take no heed tc
the morrow.
In q little log house, standing on the
very banks of the branch, in crouch
ing attitude, as if just about leapng
into the waters for bath, both cleans
ing and sanitary, lived at the time O
which l write, Ananias, one of my
heroes. On the west side of The branch
the scene was almost literally repeated
with the exception that one of the
houses was of frame, with two rooms
and lean to, and had forty acres o
land attached to it. There lived with
his parents, Jerusalem, my other hero
until the tiend of jealousy entered his
otherwise placid bosom, and left wreck
and ruin there.
Five miles of was ano. .her little settle
ment OF the same genus, and here Miss
Sophy, my hero. me, helped bake the hoe
cake in the ancestral mansion, and by
washing for the neighboring planters
families, earned the shekels that went
to purchase articles of feminine adorn.
ment., articles SO dear to the average
fem nine heart.
Ananias was tall and thin, elaborate
ly so as to legs, and the suns of twenty
five years had enhanced the dingy vel
low OF his complexion. His eyes wert
OF the vintage known as "pop," and the
prematured removal of three front teeth
had not given him weirdly poetica
appearance. Among the intensely black
liiC vi Ills ShlI
was a drawback, more especially as his
parents, by some strange oversight are
both of the same orthodox color. In
temperament he was somewhat naughty
and passionate, and by his demeano Of
seemed to be continually protesting
against .his environment, Although en-
tirely ignorant of bellesletters, or, in
fact, ofany letters, he was shrewd and
forehanded, and was in fair way to
become something of a capitalist, wher
the unlucky collapse Of the Freedman,
Bank swept away the bulk of his gar
nered boards. This made him moody
and irritable at times, but did not impair
his ability as a cotton picker, which wa
something wonderfulAto behold.
Jerusalem or "Ju"was short and fat
and, like my old friend, Hamlet, some
what scant of breath. His skin was Sc
black that SCOT would have made
white mark upon it His eyes wer,
small and twinkling, indices Of the goot
humor that animated his being. Hi
lips were large and luscious, like slice
OF ripe mango, and number fourteen
shoe gave hIm dignity otherwise i'm
possible to obtain. His speech was SLOW
and deliberate, indicative of a mind mucl
given TO inward thoughts, and his ear
were large and wayward, restless witt
every emotion that fitted across his OK
pansiye face. As an only son and pre-
sumptiye heir TO much land and SOM
stock, his presence was always desir
able one al the little social gathering
that eniiyened each side of the f'branch.'
The woman in the case, Miss Soph,
GtaynIao waa a xuiaany.na .~aa t..se =
some nineteen years, voluptuous as Il