The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-24

then the outlaw who had been acting a.
captain came into the cabin and said:
''Now, then, ashore with you, and i
any of you attempt to play US any trick
ping! goes bullet through your skull.
''What do you intend to do with us2'
asked our captain.
ASK no questions, but come along,
was the stern reply.
We were covered by four or five re
volvers, and there was no show for re
sistance Two of the outlaws preceded
US, and the others brought up the rear a.
we marched ashore. We walked up tht
shore, which was very spongy for about
hundred feet, and were then turned
aboard of an old house boat. This craft
was in such a dilapidated condition that
it was plain she had been there for two
or three years, and once inside we saw
that she had been used as the headquar,
tiers of the gang. The cabin of the boat
was one long room, with an old stove
and few articles of kitchen ware in one
corner. There were several old chairs
and wreck of table, and the gang had
slept on straw which had not been re-
newed for year.
Daylight was just breaking as we filed
into the house boat, and we could now
get palmer view of Our captors. If the
State of Arkansas held more villianous
gang we never had the honor of an intro
duction. They looked more like wild
beasts than men, and every other word
that fell from their Ii ps was an oath. The
house boat had once been provided with
windows, but now only the sashes re-
mained. The boat was afoat, and tied
to trees by grapevines. The captain
of the outlaws followed us aboard, and,
standing in the doorway, with cooked
revolver, ne said:
snake yourselves at home, gentlemen
and I want to say to you that any
move to break out will result in some
body's getting killed."
The door by which we had entered
was the only door to the boat, the other
having been stoutly closed up. AS the
outlaw withdrew he fastened the door
with paddock, and we heard him moving
off in the direction of the steamer. Indigna-
tion, disgust, and feeling Of revenge took
possession of us for the first hour. Then
the colored cook set to work to get us
some breakfast, but it was little stock
we had on hand. There was part of a
bag of meal, jug of molasses, and few
pounds of bacon. No one would eat be-
yond few mouthfuls, and we then held
a council of war to plan some relief from
our embarrassing situation.
By peering through the cracks and
crevices in the stern of the house boat
we could see the steamer and note the
fact that the outlaws were getting up
steam. 1t was probable they intended to
leave us as soon as the Sprite could take
them away. As the black smoke poured
out of her stack we become deeply ex-
cited. It might be possible that one of
the fellows was an ex-engineer, but this
was not at all probable. If any one among
them thought himself smart enough to
run the engines without having had any
previous experience, the gang were has
tening toward calamity. The engineer
remembered that the water in the boiler
was very low, and as we watched the
fires increase we saw commotion among
the outlaws. Steam was making so fast
that they had become alarmed. If they
knew enough to try the water cocks, they
did not understand how to start the pony
engine and renew the supply. Pretty
soon steam began to escape from the
safety valve with loud whish, and then
the lender of the gang came running up
to the house boat and commanded the
engineer to come out.
This action had been anticipated, and
the engineer had been posted as to his
line of action. He walked out and was
ordered aboard the Sprite to set things
to rights. It did not take him long to
understand that none of the gang knew
how to run the engine. He drew the
fires, and after the steam went down the
boiler was filled so full that no further
effort could raise a pound
of steam. He not only did
this while pretending to put things ship
shape, but he made it otherwise impossi-
bic for the steamer to move herself out
of the bayou without practical engin-
eer aboard When he had finished his
work the leader of the outlaws had some
thing to say to him. They had captured
the boat with the intention of running
her down the Mississippi and up some of
the tributaries to point where she could
be sold. The idea was foolish one, of
course, as telegram from any point on
the Arkansas would have put hundreds
on the watch. These outlaws, however,
seemed to think that if the Sprite could
get couple of days the start of us it
would be impossible for us to overhaul
her again.
The idea was to win the engineer
over to join the gang, but he indignant
ly spurned all proposals. He likewise
held out against threats, and this so an
gered the outlaw leader that he drew his
revolver and fred full in the mans face.
The bullet struck the engineers scalp
and plowed it up for six inches, and,
as the blood poured ever his face and he
fell like one dead, the villain turned
away and left him in the bushes, never
doubling that he had made sure job of
it. This was about 10 o'clock in the
morning. The engineer was stunned for
quarter of an hour, but as his senses
came back to him he made no move
ment. He had been taken down the
bank of the bayou several rods from the
steamer, and was entirely out of sight un-
less he stood on his feet. While his
wound was severe one, he determined to
remain "dead" until the time came to get
even.
The outlaws held another consultation
after the shooting, and again the fires
were started under the boiler. All the