The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-12-03
The Death of Old Crum.

ayes, we made up our minds to shoot
I'm, said Capt. Sterne. Eye see 'es ben
the cuss O. the range fur seben year, an
all the cow whips south of the Sante
Fe River don't jostle i'm. So we jest
decided to make up crowd an 60
down in Bayroot an shoot ole Crum in
lis tracks. Gityour boss ready, an put
Ieben blue WHISPERS in each bar'l O.
your gun, fur ole Crum's tough 'un."
Eager for the sport was not long in
getting ready, and in the yellow light
of languid September morn we rode
out into the pine barrens
"What about ole Crum?" asked.
"Well, Ill tell we. Many years ago a
bunch O cattle what belonged to the
ole Crum stock tuck to Bayroot Swamp
one dry summer, an went as wild rs
Ducks. Cattle frequently goes wild in
this land O. swamps, maiden cane.
ponds, an scrubs, an saw-grass. After
4 long time all O the bunch wus gith-
cred an shipped off to Cuby but one
old cow an brindled bull cyalf. We
never couldn't catch up with that ole
COW; I've seed 'er dash headlong into a
cypers swamp where itloo,led like it nd
bog cat with shingle tied to it's foot,
an bendin' down the low saplins as
she went, she'd be lost in two minits,
with that ERE cursed bull yearlin' at 'er
heels.
That us ten years ago, an fur three
years that ole cow ha'nted Bayroot an
the Big SawGrass like something be-
Witched. She wouldn't hardly ever
stay long with other wild cattle, but eff
she hecrd the crack Nv cow whip she'd
make a break fur the swamp, an it 'us
goodnight, Ephrum, when she started.
At last Their come powful wet year,
an BayroOt Swamp an all the rest O.
them woods us flooded. Thinkin' it
good time to break up them wild cattle
we gathered crowd, an after weeks
raid we got 'em all hemmed in big pen
an KEEP 'em till they wus conquered.
That ole Crum cow wus among em,
an when the waters fell SOS we thought
we could manage EN-, we started the
drove lords Tampa. We got along
splendid fur awhile, but suddintly es
We wus passin' a deep swamp, that ole
row dashed off at gallop, follered by
t.4ree Oh four O. the boys, at the top
Nv Their speed. We popped our cow
whips yelled an whooped, an spurred
our bosses, but the ole cow beat us to
the aidge O. the swamp where Their wus
deep lagoon O. water. The bull year
lin, now three-year-old, went neck
an neck with 'er, an into that black
water they both plunged.
"We wus so astOnished at the fool
things, that we set on our HOSES and
watched 'em as they floundered, half
wadin', half swimmin', till they wus
nearly across, when the ole cow reared
up with wild heller, an then COM
menced strugglin' in the water. We
knowed then that the caters had 'er
an in a few minits she wus gone
AAc Oltil hCP vi, CldiuUcIcu OUT
'mong the bay-bushes and flags, an with
q snort he shuck the mud fom is
brindled skin, an disappeared in the
swamp.
eve managed to git the others
straight, an KEEP on to Tampa. Every
body thought the bull 'ud go up the
spout. Nobody didn't have no notion
that he could miss starvin', drowndin',
or Citing ketched by the caters, but e
did.
mex spring wen we commenced
TO gether cattle, sever1 Nv us seed
glimpses Nv i'm, but we never could
git closer than quarter Nv a mile.
He soon got severl other young cattle
toiled of, an once e ever got one,
all the devils in Europe couldn't git
1t back agin. Sump'n curious bout i'm
too. He never wouldn't have nothin'
to do with no common cattle, but all