The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-14
THE RED CAPTAIN.
A Man Who Repented After Half a
Town Was Burned.
From the Americus (Ga.) Republican.


From the Anlericus (Gn) Republican.
About forty-fve years ago, a very wealthy
Young man lived in flourishing Southern
city. He had Travelled over Europe in
search of pleasure and to perfect one of the
finest Quotations ever bestowed upon a rich
mans son. He had tasted every draught of
pleasure that is held out by the siren, and
had returned home, and exclaimed in the
language of the preacher, ''that all is
vanitym
He was courted by the matchmaking
mothers as the one man to make "Our be-
loved daughters true husband, but he
turned aside from woman as from a noxious
reptile He fell slave to strong drink,
| and nearly Knocked at Christianity.
| One night, after heavy debauch, he was
sitting in his room at the hotel, all alone,
thinking of the past and all its vanities, and
the future with its woes; while the howl
ing winds without told Of terrible time the
the poor were having. His chosen
comrade sat beside him on
table-a decanter of liquor
and he took a long look at it, He had
been on terrible drunk for nearly three
weeks, and as he looked he saw q writing,
horrible serpent licking at him in the bottle.
HI turned, and still in the dark corner of
the room there was larger serpent, whose
darting tongue played like lightning from
his carvenous mouth, filled with long, spike
like teeth. And everywhere he turned his
startled eyes he saw snakes, moving,
writhing, kissing snakes, and they
were all making toward himself. He
turned to his beloved decanter for a
drink, but he fell back into his chair
with a cry of dismay. His decanter was
gone and a small man, all dressed in red,
was sitting on the table. He held sword
of fiery brightness in his hand and pointing
at the man shouted attention. and he
jumped from his chair all attention.
SDance," shouted the little red captain, and
at it went the poor fellow with n will. He
iumped about and danced all over the horri-
bic. Kissing, squirming snakes, which bit,
and twined and crawled around him, while
he shrieked and cursed till the
household was arousing. Becoming in
furiated he seized the candle and
hurled it at the imp in red but it missed
and fell on the bed Then he heard his tor
mentor shout Forward march," and out
of the door, naked, into the cold winter
night he went, marching over the cold
frozen ground. barefooted, he went at the
command of the little red Captain. Out
about a half mile from the hotel, at that
time. stood an old chestnut STUMP ON the
side of the road. The Captain drove his
prisoner 10 JllS STUMP, hLpuuOOu ~ "hN
INIT him to dancing Back in the city
the clangor of fire bells were heard. and
while the north wind was blowing a
hurricane a fire was kindled in the
drunkards room, that swept away half the
town. While this fire was burning, the
little red Captain sat on the stump, and had
his vS victim dancing around it, barefooted
and naked, all the time. A red round circle
was marked around the stump, made by the
blood cut by the frozen ground out Of the
moor demented victim. Late the next day he
was found nearly dead at the foot of the
stump. and taken to a house. where he was
tenderly nursed In the spring he was man
again. But he had lost all his property and
was poor He turned his attention to school
teaching, married a most excellent lady,
who helped him in his profession, and many
times he would tell his scholars of the ter
riple times he had with the little red Cap
taIn.n Ever after that fearful night he alb
stained from the use Of liquor, and never
fell again into the delirium that filed ms
brain with the torments Of that ureaqIui
place. where the victims Of the Red Cap
| fainu will find their home.