The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-04-16
KENTUCKY BANDITS.
Row Unreal They Are Compared With the
Comic Opera Kind.
ri 4 oil

Comic Opera Kind.
Louisville lKy.) Commercial.
~ never was so frightened in my life,''
said Miss May Fielding. the primA donna of
the Carleton Opera Company, yesterday, refer.
ring to the collision the company had with
the Rowan County bandits at Morshead last
Thursday, when Mr.. w. 7. Carleton, the
baritone came near being shet
What did the bandits look like ?n inquired
Commercial reporter.
well. now, that's the funniest part of the
whole business, don't you know" said Miss
Fielding, taking long breath. They were
not bandits I'm perfectly familiar with
bandits. Why, pve seen Mr.. Carleton play
Fra Diavolo ever so many times and have
known at least dozen men who sangDsyils
hoof in The Bohemian Girl Why ] would
know bandit with my eyes shut in the
dark. Just before We got 70 Morehesd the
train people had been telling us about the
Rowan County desneYadoes but we did not
expect to see any of them. When the train
stopped three great t-s-l-l t h in men
came into the coach with long pistols On
their shoulders"
Pistols on their shoulders" echoed the
reporter.
Il presume they were pistols. explained
Mis- Fielding, with look OF intense surprise
and inquiry. They had triggers and bar
rels just like pistols
'Rihes, guess" explained the reporter.
'They might have been rifie5-that's SO"
said Miss Fielding with a smile of delight
Perhaps they were rides. I'm not familiar
with anything but these young pistols with
which they shoot st three-sheet poster cuts
in the target galleries.
Anyhow" she continued, merrily, 81
thought the Inen were trappers, you know,
going out to hunt So l asked one OF them
if be found many rabbits
"'Rabbitst' be said. with frown like g
railroad tunnel. Rabbits, woman and be
seemed TO get madden at every second.
Crest God, rabbits don't go; Pm huntin' for
men,
"'Grest goodness said, frightened to
death, we can't spare any bat one or two
chorus singers. You can take your. choice,
sir You see, was afraid be would change
his mind and go to hunting women. / started
to go back to my seat, when ust then anoth-
or Of the men leaped TO his feet in the aisle,
and, pointing his gun ward me, shouted:
" Stop therep
"Of course stopped. l never was so scared
in nv life. ] said to the man:
"'Oh, I'll stop, sir; you needn't be afraid
Of me; didn't mean anything, sir
az amt talkin' to you he said, and then
saw he was looking over my shoulder aud
| turned and saw Mr. Carleton coming in
the door from the smoking car. 1t seems
that Mr.. Carleton had bottle of butter
milk IN his nip pocket and was trying TO
pull 1t out. l couldn't zee what harm there
was IN bottle of buttermilk, but Captain
Sam GGines, of Frankfort, told me that 8
bottle filed with buttermilk was enough TO
arouse Rowan County men to tremendous
pitch of desperation. Somehow they regard
1t as dead waste of bottle. While the
men were occupied with Mr.. Garlic
ton I asked one of the brakemen
who they were, and be said they were the
Rowan County bandits. Bat don't believe
a word of ii. They didn't have any ribbons
in their hats and there was not glimpse OF
silk tights anywhere. They didn't have
even q guitar, and they didn't look like they
had been shaved for a month. Why, il Mr..
Carleton looked like those men when he
sang Fra Diavolo' wouldn't 60 on with
him. After il was all over / went up TO one
OF them and asked him il he was a real ban
dit and il be could sing Fra Diavolo' He
looked at me moment in the moot ungen.
tlemanly manner and growled out:
No, Iaarm, / amt no bandit. I'm a
wolf from the head waters Of Bitter CIick,
wbar the higher you 60 the bitterer the
water and the hungrier the wolves. don {
sing; howl when it's my night
~ knew at first that they were not ban
| dts" concluded Miss Fielding. with look
OF absolute conviction, because I've seem 50
many bandits, you know. l don't know
/ what they were. They were not wolves
| either, and it was easy enough to see the man
was lying about that | don't know what
| they were, but I'ra real glad they let as Oh. !"