The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-04
now BILE NrE was pEcErvEp.
An migrate Who PaImed Himself ON as John
the Baptist

Letter in Denver Tribune.
was imposed upon once in way despise /
do not say it because it was the first time was
ever imposed upon, for it was not To be inn
posed upon seems to be my sphere Eight
years ago. while | was doing some
assessment work on the old Boomerang
claim on Mill creek, our camp was startled
by the appearance of a man with hopeless
droop in the knees of his pantaloons, and indi-
cations of an intense nervous strain on the only
suspender he wore There was something
about the man that Instantly caught and re-
tanned the interest of the spectator. 1t was the
suspender Unconsciously we looked at it with
horror and apprehension, for it might give way at
any moment
He was small man with dafs red eyes. They
seemed to be all the. time fl 5ating about in
sea of unshed tears. He did not wear good
clothes His raiment had originally been
that of rather below the middle
walks of life. This original owner had EVIL
IDENTIFY worn them along for years below the
middle walks of life, and then he had thrown
them away. After reasonable delay this gen.
tleman had gone to the rag pile and appropriated
them. We were not vain in our own personal
appearance in the camp in those days, but when
we saw this man and his shabby bark we felt
more content with our lot.
/ can still see John the Baptist, as he called
himself, in the clear. red light of mountain
sunset in July, as he wound up the crooked road
that crossed and recrossed the little irrigation
canal He wore full beard with cracker
crumbs IN III, Out Obu6fWlS0 p0rl6ctly pain III
was one of those long reddish boards, with little
iecks of sunshine and other natural penomena
in it. It was the kind of beard that an old
Etruscan Mormon generally banks up his wind
pipe with
He WAS a meek man with a retreating manner
and a forehead of the same style His ears
hung low on the side of his head and little tufts
of red bunch grass grew out of each. They
were pale ears with little bronze freckles on
them, and he wore small eardrops IN the puffy
bottom of each lobe.
He wore Derby hat 1t was not the kind of
Derby hat worn so much now It was about the
first one that was made, and it had wire run
through the brim to hold 1t in shape. 1t was not
jaunty hat 1t was rather what might be
called plain, unassuming hat that didn't intend
to brag or boast, but was willing TO let It's work
show for itself
His other clothes were plain also. He was not
vain of them. He simply wore them out of de-
ference to the statutes in such case made and pro-
vided. The coat had flowing sleeves to it, and it
was held in place at the throat by the use of o
tenpenny nail. His pautaloons were once
gddy and checked but now they had
lost all spirit and all hope. They dropped
like q forgotten political boom. and they
chung to John the Baptist because there
was absolutely one else on whom to cling.
These pantaloons were simply the wreck OF
former grandeur; once proud and naughty, they
were now used simply as an evasion OF the law;
once sprightly and springy at the bottoms they
were now the saddest OF all pictures. pair of
battered, neglected, baggy, plaid pantaloons.
plain In front. looped over one shoulder, and
caught at intervals by bull dogs.
This man was said to be a little warped intel
lectualiy. but [ didn't notice it. OF course. 1t
was a little eccentric for him to come into camp
and register as John the Baptist without giving
his surname, but most all Of us wore nom de
plumes there in camp, and so we were not in
quisitive about peoples home names. There is
nothing that feels easier to eat and sleep in dur
ing hot weather, nothing that has less tendency
to bag at the knees or bind under the arms than
Mother Hubbard nom de plume. Sowe all
wore them
John the Baptist preached in camp on the fol-
lowing Sabbath and we all listened II him. He
talked modestly about himself Now and then
ne referred to the Creator, but only incidentally
prayer, and. with better clothes on, would
have made quite an impression as the
champion of the Legislature. Soma Of
his petitions to the throne of Grace would have
read all right in the Congressional Record, but
still he wasn't man who seemed to accomplish
anything with his prayers. While he was good,
all-around, extemporaneous speaker. at such
time his petitions never seemed to get any
further than the clerk of the committee on Gre
dentials.
had faith in him, though, and gave him my
other blue flannel shirt which he needed sadly.
especially when the days got pretty hot and he
wanted to take off his coat and run around in
his shirt sleeves.
4No man Can successfully iodl drUubu q mining
camp in his shirt-sleeves unless he has shirt.
so John the Baptist wore my blue shirt and put
his long. weary legs under my grooming board.
and slept on my floor In low, cultural tones, and
borrowed my gun, and scratched the stock against
the rocks, and jammed the barrel in trying to
fish tarantula cut of q crevice with 1t, borrowed
some money of me and went over to town.
He never came back to the old Boomerang
claim, but returned to his large and airy asylum
at Mount Pleasant. Ia, as the guest Of the
State.
presume he is there now, wearing my blue
flannel shirt and doing the forerunner act.
1t was two weeks after he went away before
learned the truth. Then Buck Brammel came
up TO my cabin and said
bill, you remember that party that claimed
to be John the Baptist, and used your smokin'
tobacker here for two or three weeks, and went
away fortni't ago~ Well he was no more
John the Baptist than be. They say he played
the locust and wild honey racket all through
Nebraska, and downed 'em in good shape, but he
was no more John the Baptist than be. He
was another man. BILL NYE.