Wichita eagle., 1888-01-14
THE OLD SHERIFF.

men Of his neignborhood reposed when they
/ went away TO the army, saying: "Look after
my people, joel" He was one of the men
| who showed their heroism by not going to the
,.rmy, though be had no such cruel ordeal to
go through with as Davenport had. He was
an acknowledged authority, so far as any
authority was acknowledged, and he aud
Beelzebub were to be seen at any hour Of the
day, or the night either. if there was a
/ whisper OF danger or disorder on any of the
! plantations within his reach.
1t was while he was regulator that Joel
/ Harvey made what LIE calls his marrow
! escape" 1t was all escape from matriInony.
| He has encountered almost every sort Of
peril ct one and another time of his life, but
he still declares that tie Widow Mason came
nearer vanquishing him completely than any
| thing else of earthly mould ever has.
! Although the office of sheriff was virtually
extinct for the time being he still occupied
the room in the ground floor of the court
| house on whose door in gold letters on a panel
Of black tin were the imposing words.
"Sheriffs Office" The court room proper
was Immediately over his head, but he sell
dom penetrated there now. 1t had fallen
into the hands Of the Ladies' Sewing society,
which bad taken out a contract, seemingly,
to clothe the entire Confederate army with
jackets and trousers and shirts made out of
all sorts of material from brocatelle window
curtains down to bed ticking, and with a
violent departure from all the established
canons OF tailoring. Box after box Of these
hastily and patriotically constructed gar
n,ents Sheriff Harvey had been called upon
to ship for them. Shipping thing in those
days was fraught with difficulties and uncer-
J
in these days So whenever the sheriff was
requested to come up stairs to where all tho
Inatrons and maidens Of the town were sew
ing, and shipping, and folding, and packing,
it was foregone conclusion that there was
another box for him TO ship to the victims Of
all this unskilled labor.
The Widow Mason was up there on one of
these occasions, not sewing nor cutting, nor
folding. nor packing. simply crying quietly
in one corner and pouring her woes out into
tho ears Of the only woman who seemed to
have time to listen to her. This was Mrs.
Judge Baker, but she, too, turned a deaf ear
on the little woman when Sheriff Harvey's
head loorned above the chattering crowd and
hurried forward to give him minute instruc-
tions about tho shipping of the box to the
Redfield Rifles in Richmond. Mrs Baker was
the president of the society.
"Poor child" she said, nodding her head
backwards toward the Widow Mason, "she's
in q pucker So afraid the cotton burners
will find her cotton that's hidden out in the
woods She says she made Dempsy, her
driver, mad this morning, refused to let him
have coffee three times day, believe, and
he helped hide the cotton, and she is sure he
will tell. He threatened to show it to them
the next time they visit tho neighborhood.'
Joel Harvey made no comment, but that
night skiff shot across the river at point
considered quite safe from molestation from
the gunboat, and lying in the bottom of it
was man with his hands tied behind him
md bandage over his eyes. He was united
and turned loose in the woods on the opposite
side and advised to 60 to Vicksburg without
delay. The next day Joel Harvey drove out
to the Widow Mason's sitting on the front of
q wagon. There were two men with him.
They had come to move the Widow Mason's
cotton to another spot in tie dense forests
that surround her place, SO that in case
Dcmpsy concluded to return instead of going
to Vicksburg, as he had been advised, his in
formation to the cotton burners would be
worthless
The Widow Mason would gladly have re-
warded the handsome sheriff for bis zeal in
her behalf by marrying him. Widows have
p way of making their intentions palpable
without detracting from their fascinations.
Old Harvey is of the opinion today that if
the marine brigade had not raided the town
Just about that time and carried him off a
prisoner, Mrs Mason would have been Mrs.
harvey and he would have been nobody. He
considers that the brigade was an instrument
IN the hands of Providence for that occasion
only. They really did not want him, but, to
quote old Harvey himself once more. "tEey
had gotten so used to picking up vauables
wherever they landed, that, having exhausted
the other movabieS, they took him, meaning
to return and get the court house next time"
But having taken him, and really not know
ing what TO do with him, they forwarded him
from hand to hand until he found himself at
Alton prison. There were lot of fellows
there that he knew, men who had been cap
tured as scouts on the battlefield, men who
had been picked up by the wayside. sick and
worn. They wero hungry and gaunt, and
woe worn and heart sick Harvey saws he
hung his head before them for very shame,
because he was neither hungry, nor gaunt,
nor heart sick, nor woe worn. But he did
the only thing he could do for them, sold his
gold watch and aided materially to their
comfort.
He never suffered much from that mys-
terious Ilalady called heart sickness. Old
Harvey has always been an optirnist. When
tie war frs: broke out, though he was not an
original seceSsionists, he held himself in readi-
less to do whatever should he assigned him
to do He was quite sure it was all for the
best The conflict was i.repressible, and he
rather rejcced 10 think that il would be over
and done with during the years when he
could lend most practical service. lie was n
rstalist III his way, cnd the fGtalist has an
inward source Of serenity that stands him in
good stead in disjointing times When Vicks-
burg fell. OF course Harvey was not glad OF
out it WAS really merely a question Of time
VIXEN il must surrender, and just think of
of the Iumberless precious lives saved by the
cessation IF hostilities. When women com
planned in his presence tsnd there were 50 few
available men TO whom they could complain
In those days that tie regulator had TO hear a
good many walls OF toe uumberiess hard
ships the war had entailed. he aroused them
to very ambitious pitch b. his absolute re-
joicing over the fact that now the resources
Of the south must be developed, and this war
was going TO prove in the long end a great
blessing 20 them all 1t made not the least
difference that the majority Of his cheerful
prophecies came to naught. They had . good
effect for tie tiI.le, and Mrs Judge Baker
declared il IL had not been for Harveyis re-
msiuiog at home during Tie war tie women
would al! either have gone mad or died o; the
blues, Old Harvey can never be brought 10
see hi2lsslf in The l,gnt Of a bsnsfacter, pas.
or present. lie considers his war record some
thing 10 be very much ashamed of, and saws