The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-10-16

the boat passed from under, the chair, |
with the man still in it, was left dang |
ling from the dead limb.
He was so overcome by fright that |
when he was being extricated he was
unable to afford the least cooperation,
and had to be handled like dead man.
The water of the Wachita is unfit for
drinking, and good water is scarce all
slong its course. To make up for this
deficiency boats trading up that stream
usually carry numerous casks of cheap
kind of claret wine, which is free to the
passengers in moderation. The deck
hands and roustabouts, who are not
included in the claret ring, banker
after it, only, perhaps, because they
are excluded from it, and would
probably grumble if compelled to drink
it. But they were determined to have
it, and "where there is a will there is a
way" is an old saying, and they hit on
most ingenious device for tapping the
claret casks. These were stored in
little room Oh the upper deck near the
pantry, Immediately over some of the
hunks of the deckhands, and the device
was small, thin gun-barrel with the
breech-pin taken out and the muzzle
filed into saw-teeth, like a surgeons
trephine. In the still hours of the
night they bored in the flooring under
one of the casks, the gun-barrel was in
serted and the cask trepanned, the wine
running through the gun-barrel into a
bucket held beneath. Two casks had
been emptied in this way before the
trick was discovered, and Captain d.
was so much amused at the ingenuity of
it that he forbore making any inquiries
after the perpetrators.
After ascending the Wachita some
distance, very singular feature of the
river is reached, it doubling back and
forth on itself six or seven times, form
inc what is known as the Thirteen
Points" The turns of the bends are so
sudden that no boat beyond certain
length, and that a short one, can pass
through Captain DIS boat touched
the shore at both stern and bow all the
way around at every turn. The dis
lance around these points must be about
forty or fifty miles, and after the last
one the river makes final double until
it comes within a quarter of mile,
overland, of the first one. Midway be-
tween those two points was house of
entertainment where passengers usually
got off and spent the time playing bill
lizards and nine-pins until the boat
made its tedious trip around, which is
number of hours. Enclosed in these
coils of the river were many fine planta-
tons, each of which had its landing,
and that is said to have been the reason
for not cutting a canal across the mar
row isthmus, and thus shortening the
passage.
Just below the Thirteen points was
plantation that would be noted any
where as thing of beauty. 1t was de-
signed by the late Judge Bly,, and was
the favorite residence of himself and
family for many years. Every thing
that could charm the eye in architect
ure and horticulture seemed to be there,
and it was the nearest approach to an
earthly paradise of any place | ever be-
held, either in this country or Europe.
| 1t appeared almost like a Dissertation
for such an Eden to be inhabited by
ordinary human beings Whyit should
| have been located in such an Out-of-the-
way place, and amid such surroundings,
is one of the mysteries past diyining.
There was no life or activity anywhere
near it, and except the passengers OF an
occasional boat, no one outside the
| family and friends to see it. There were
little villages occasionally along the
banks, if collections of half dozen or
so small houses could be called such
| They were all much after the same
fashion. We had some freight to de-
liver at one of them, but found no one
authorized to receive it, One man was
seen standing lstlessly on the landing,
and he said every one else had gone on
bear hunt. From a conversation with
him it appeared that this was no unusual
thing: that the stores were all left open,
and if a customer wanted any thing he
helped himself and entered it on a slate
left upon the counter for that purpose.
In answer to question he said that
theft was of very rare occurrence, and
when any fellow was caught at such
deviltry, quick work was made with
him; the citizens held a meeting anC
took it out of his hide with hickories.
had often heard of Arcadian simplicity
but this little town furnished the only
instance of it that ever fell under my
notice.
Arkadelphia is situated about sevent,
miles above Camden, which is the usua
head of nayigati on on the Wichita. |
can be reached by boats semi-occasion
ally; that is to say, when there are con
siderable frcshetS. 1t was one of thes
occasions now, and Captain ID. took hi
, boat up there to get a lot of cotton tina
was awaiting cheap transportation. Tn
= land opposite the town was quite high
, nearly on level with the tops of tn
t steamers chimneys, and between it AM
, the river bank was a slopng beac
, about fifty feet wide. The high land i
| level and was covered with a dens
! growth of small cane as far as the ey
, could see. A canebrake is an object c
= singular interest to spectator who see
' one for the first time, creating an in