The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1885-05-27
A STRANGE TALE.
SAVED ER0M DEATH BY A
WHISKY FLASK.
An Incident IN the Life OF MP. A. d.
Fant a Young Stockman OF
This City.


a group OF gentlemen were oonyers-
ing few evenings since upon the gen
eral uncertainty OF life, and Of the many
narrow and almost miraculous escapes
from death which were on record Some
of them have benefited personally by
them.
After the relation of an anecdote by
one gentleman who had been a soldier
In the late war. and whose life had been
saved by comrade bayonetlng his adj
yersary Just as he was facing death, Mr..
a. d. FAINT, Young stock buyer, re-
marked
"Gentlemen, whisky bottle once
saved my life in very curious manner.
/ was farming In South Carolina at the
time, and We worked n great many
negroes as hands 1t was II
few years after the war. and they
were lust beginning to feel their free
dom. and were often very surly about
their work. or at least some of them
went through with 1t with very bad
grace. Particularly SO was this the case
with one OF them. a great Swapping mu-
latto man Of about iive-and-twenty
wears, whom my father had brought AZ
youth from Cuba some years before.
Although earning good wages he did not
like work and would shirk whenever he
could do so. | was overseer Of the farm
Mt the time, and ~ the old practice OF
the lash had not vet gone out Of fashion
| occasionally Piled II. and more than
once used it on this fellows back. The
last time struck him | was very angry
and laid several cutting blows on
His broad back. and ! shall never
forget the look OF deep hatred and
malice with which the fellow answered
my lashing. lie spoke not a word and
seemed to work much better for several
DAYS after that, and began to think my
punishment had cured him Of his lazy
habits. About n week after this occur
renee, one night after great day at
cotton picking among the negroes,
there was to be a dance given at one OF
tho cabins, In an open space under the
trees. sauntered down to the spot In
| company with one of my old chums
from Charleston TO look Mt the festivi-
ties. | carried Hat bottle of whisky In
| the inside breast pocket Of my coat
We had not been there but little while,
/ sitting In the partially lighted shade Of
| a tree. hen felt u blow on my left
! breast that Knocked me against my COM
! panion. Looking quickly up | caught
| sight of my mullatto friend whom had
| whipped. lie was stealing of rapidly
| through the crowd. then felt trick
! ling sensation and discovered that | was
! wet with what ut first thought was my
] blood. and this was partially con-
| nrmed by the discovery nj my
side OF keen-edged heavy skinning
| knife, such as Is usually used In butch
ering hogs. 4 further Investigation re-
suited In the discovery that the knife
| had only struck the bottle of whisky in
| my pocket. and had broken the flask
! instead Of penetrating my heart. 1t
WIS the spilled whisky trickllng down
my shirt that at first thought was my
| blood. The negro was never seen on
| that farm again after that night. Al
! though blood hounds were sent out to
| trail him, they never returned, and we
| came upon their dead Carcasses several
hours after they had been killed.