Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-05-07
lsTORY or NIKE FINK.
. rlatboatnan Of the Ohio valley IN
Harry Times.

arlington Ky.) letter in PhiIa. Times.
clustered about Washington are as
ciations Of the most interesting histor
n character. Nearly every one OF its
houses was once the home Of a man
woman with national reputation,
a volume OF "reminiscences might be
saned here. Its history belongs to
past and there are but few living
ninders of that glorious period. In
! of the Oldest, quaintest and most
turesque houses lives Uncle John
igler. He is ninety years old and
sry morning, rain or shine, he rises
b the lark, seizes his long hickory
A and trudges sturdily down the
sd pike to Maysdale, returning be-
enight falls. He is majestic physi-
wreck not yet gone to pieces--six feet
inches in height and still erect
oe has shrunken and weakened his
WIS and sinews, bat in the days that
,eak Of no arm was so strong, no eye
xeen, no coarage so sublime as his.
rmed by the generous fire of his ma.
Bourbon he loves to talk about the
and to newspaper man his stories
always Interesting: He was the
tner Of Mike Fink, the king of the
t-boatmen.
linked fortunes with Mike at a,
request" he said to n aand
e's an interesting it'll .,a,y- no,' '
ed with the partn, .rsh;n, y NOn'
e dropped hi" aead forward. refac.
J, and .,nout disturbing his rev.
pus .ncd the bottle and glass To-
aim, Mechanically he filled the
er and for moment held IL to the
i, admiring the warm, rich color oil
liquor. Then he tossed the contents
At gulp.
It is good liquor" he said, smack.
his lips, "and the taste carries me
to the old days when / ran flat
on the Ohio. / was a good man
}, a very good man, and had no fear.
ed to winter at Maysville and one
on Il don't remember the date
my boat INTO Limestone creek and
all snug for cold weather. The
come early and great many fiat-
men made their quarters here.
Fink's boat lay just below mine.
d heard OF him, but we had never
We flat boatmen worked hard
made money during the summer, and
spent it right royalty when we laid
or the winter. We had frolics every
and dances every night. This sea
fun had hardly begun when it come
y ears that Mike Fink had boasted
ywhere that on his boat was the
rife shot, the best fst-fight.
the best runner and the
wrestler in the OHIO valley.
asn't leng before a chance was CIV
be to partially test the truth of his
enge. Imet his runner, his wrest-
nd his fighter all in. one day and |
ned the three This made Mike
mad and he arranged 1T for us to
pur skill with the rifle. About a
a fterwarSl we met at barn raising
{ kep.ton's Station, and after the
was finished we settled down To
sport Finally Mike challenged
30 shoot with him. I accepted and
ybody gathered around to watch
You see, Mike didn't belong In
sville, and great deal depended
he result. If he won it would dimin.
Alayville's glory, and il | was sue
I'll (haying already defeated the
pion fighter, wrestler and runner)
ould lay claim to the proud distinc-
of owning as her son the all-round
pionl
ike had been drinking, but / knew
was coming and hadn't touched a
When / stepped to the mark
$ M first shot was as cool as
hd my muscles were under perfect
oil. / made two bull's-eyes out of a
bio three. When Mike stepped up
aised his rifle he tossed his head
fully, but the liquor had affected
srves and his first shot was bad
DE loaded his ride neryonsiy and
g It took long, steady ann. When
lied the trigger great shout went
q everybody crowded around me.
ii missed the bnll's-eye and / was
hampton. / was right proud OF my
vement and celebrated the victory
mixing more liquor than was good
e. Mike felt his defeat keenly and
ipanied by his friends left for
When i returned was told that
as still unwilling to acknowledge
was the champion. He admitted
had distanced his feetest runner,
n his most expert wrestler, whip
is ablest fighter and fairly defeated
marksman.
can beat me shooting, he said,
can whip him with my fists.
hen l heard this you may depend
u / was pretty mad. / would
united him up and settled the
that very night, but my friends,
ng my condition, prevailed upon
go home. The next morning we !.
old. / came into town at AZ .oni
ock and went to bos. mans
store, kept by jew WI >re 7 feIt
certain I'd find him s.dike sure
p he was there, wi. n three Of his
1.-The three ] had nIready defeated
were seated a.eound a great big
'ose' and entering the store
'ne y" Il behind me and put the
my <ocket. Fink and his friends
% their feet and / bowed Ia
very politely and wished them all
SAINT morning. stepping to the
sr called for five gill bottles OF
nd when the storekeeper set them
invited the ex-champions to drink
me. All came forward, and,
ing the neck off one of the bottles,
ed about thimbleful Of rum into
and, raising it, said
entlemen, / am the champion
:, the champion wrestler, the
non runner and the champion
rot in the Ohio valley. / drink
ealth
ks eyes flashed fire and raising
n glass he replied:
beg your pardon, sir, you're a
arp
III that ne dashed his glass TO the
nd we clinched. Never ! recken,
oaattle more stubbornly contested.