The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1886-11-13
JOHN DEMBY'S FIGHT.
His Great Battle With Ben Price Down
in Maryland Before the War.


pile. but when the smile deepers and
broaden> into il laugh which can be
heard trom the cracker bakery down
to the terryhoat SkilIiynt, trouble takes
to the woods. On week nights Dem
by guards the money and bonds stored
in the big safe If the First National
Bank, SAYS Il writer in the New York
Sun. When the bell in The >teeple of
the Baptist Church on the hill warns
the pious to get INTO their meeting
clothes i, Is DENNY that is pulling the
rope. This sexton and night watch
man combined is coal black in color
and helculean in size. He isn't as
strong 4 man as he was ''beto' he wuz
sQuoze 10y the kyars,' but his AIMS
still contain muscle enough to knock
together the heads of two ordinary
men. One Sunday morning Il short time
ago, while tolllng the bell, and with
the sun shining through u window-pane
and imparting "a Crimson religions light
to his dark face, he told the fo,lOwin.
story.
'Dis fight wat I'm tellin' We about
come off down in Ceci! county, Mary
land, long time befo' de wah. | wasn't
no slave. | was just a natural niger:
father bought me beto' | was born. i
had dis fight wild Ben Price. He wua
a cracker, he wus. Wasn't no man
around could lick Ben. He was tai
and slim, bnt just tough as a hickory
eaplin'. H. cud knock humble bee
off a clover blossom wild a pistol bullet
at 20 yard>.every shot an dar want a
man in %de,,county cud stand in front of
him !; Deed dar want. Ben an l
growed up togedder on his fathers
farm. We rassled an stole water mel
Ions long O each udder till Ben he got
to feelin' his oats an wearing il white
shirt an putin lie on his hair. !
WASH t.nothin' but IL hired baud den.
Dem times Fused to run around nights
a good bit. toolin' wild de gals and sich.
Had to be to work at sun up. One
mornin' l got in de feel late. De mare
she baked an I cut a srrout O. leather
wood an la,hered her. Putty 1901
'long come Ben.
"'Josh,' says he.'yoa bin lickin' dat
ar mare, says he.
81 hev,' says I. cause I was mad.
an l didn't care fur Ben Price or no
other liyin' man, then. l was mad, |
wus.
"'Come way from de boss says he,
cause We got t fight
81 told him he might better be home
wild his wife den foolin' wild me. De
next mint. honey, he jumped an fotch
ed me a lick behind de ear dat knock
ed me on all fo's. Den he jumped in
front o me beto' l cou!d git up, cotch
me by de neck, an fed me in de face
while l WIZ cIawlin' on my hans and
knees over tie de fence. When | cotch
hol o de fence l clinched an slung
him. l tried to git OIL top of him, but
he jist drawed back his brass-heeled
boots (de fancy felle2s wore brass heels
on deir boots den, scooped out on De
sides, like the hifalutin' gals w~'arsnow),
an kicked me squal' in de face. Things
wus gittin despit chile, now l tell We.
My mnut an eyes WIS full O. sand, an
my face wuz all cut t pieces. Den ne
got up asin' an l scoot him up agin'
de fence. Both of US wuz all de time
poulticin' each udder. All Of a sudden
he got in on me wild hi. right dat
cracked my jaw an landed me clean
over de fence into dc blackberry bush
es. He was right over on top o. me
fore | cud git up. Den l got him. l
hol' his long black hair dat hung down
his back in long curls, an | bucked
him, BIN! His hans was plnyin' all
over my face. kind o. slantin' blows
dat TUX the skin off every time he hit.
But l KEEP pillin' his head down to me
an buckin' him right in de face till he
backed away from me. l seq Z: Cum
right on, Massa Ben. eff We want. any
mo- He says l 'kin lick We. Josh,
eff yell stop dat sheep buckin'.' But
Tor bonorn coDoluSo1 1osh n a 10