The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-05-02
DIDN'T KNOW THE WAR WAS ENDED
4 Portion of Missouri Twenty-Five Years
Behind the Time.

A lew Gays ago an OLD man made
small purchase of William Cook, who
handles a butcher shop at No. 2,20l
Clark avenue, and rendered ia payment
hundred dollar bill Confederate
money Of the issue bearing a litho-
graped picture of Jeff Davis, says the
St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Mr.. Cook
scanned the bill a moment, and then
the stranger, wondering what the man
meant. At first it occurred to him that
he was dealing with a counterfeiter
and started to call an officer. On-s
cond thought he considered that the
man was insane or thatsomething other
than fraudulent intent actuated the
stranger, as the very face of the bill
would betray it across the street. Co
ing back, he studied his customer for
few minutes, and this is what he saw:
An old, dinlinutive man, dressed in the
old fashioned homespun butternut, with
hickory shirt, neat but slightly thread
bare, and one Of the real old kind silk
hats, with the nap we'll worn away.
There was luxuriant growth of hair,
that had grown down to the neck, and
had started back up again, forming
sort of trough, met at the front sides by
the ample whiskers, so dense that the
spring sunshine could not penetrate
them. That of the countenance Lett
visible was somewhat shrunken by age
but had the smoothe, milk and wate:.
appearance peculiar to an old man who
had never been exposed to the weather
and cultivated his countenance-in
fact, it was one of those faces which
Carlyle characterizes as being so SUI
premely healthy that the dirt will not
stick to them.
"I'd like my change, mister, finally
said the old gentleman, unaware that
he was being utilized as an object lesson
in physiolognony.
"Im sorry" replied Mr.. Cook, "but
this bill is worthless"
The old gentleman stared in amaze
ment and profered no reply as the bill
was handed back with the remark, mo,
sir, that is Confederate bill, and value
less"
Finally he reached out a delicate
hand for it and sald:-''You must be
mistaken, sir. There's Jeff Davis, own
picture on it."
But the Confederate money is use
less now. Ever since the South surren-
dered there has been no chance to re-
deem it and no one would take it,"
1.-THE South surrendered? L don't
understand" and the old gentleman
was more nearly dumfounded than
ever. "Why the South, man." he re-
marked after pause. Then he explain
ed that he had just got the bill among
others in exchange for farm which he
had owned about forty miles back from
Lincoln, Mo- He had been teaching
school, he said, for thirty-five years in
the back country there, from one "dis-
trict" to another, and be had always
understood that the South had gained
its point. He had sold his farm, got
part of the money in Confederate cash,
and would have taken all, he said, but
that he wanted to 60 to St. Louis, and
having understood that it had been
ceded to the Union, took some United
States gold, as he wanted to make a
grand tour on the cars, which he had
never seen.
Haven't you read how the war
closed in the newspapers" queried the
butcher.
"Law, me, I haven't seen news
paper for nigh thirty years. You're
fooling about that bill-it must be all
right"
Sergeant Worcester and patrol Off
Ger were standing on the opposite cor
ner, and to them Mr.. Cook referred the
schoolmaster, saying he would abide
their decision. The stranger accosted
them, and they recounted to the inno-
cent pedagogue synopsis of United
States history for twenty-five years.
The old gentleman had to lean against
brick wall for support. He was so
frank, and evidently so unsophisticat-
ed, that they let him go his way in
peace after he had paid the bill in gold.
He left munching piece of bologna.