Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1889-05-08
RIP VAN WINKLE REDIyIvUS.


A Missouri School Teacher Finds Out
War is Over.
Yesterday, Just after dinner, IN old
man made a small purchase of William
Cook, who handles q butcher-shop ut
No. 22O1 Clark avenue, and rendered
in payment a 800 bill, confederate
money, of the issue bearing q litho-
graphed picture of Ben Davis. Mr..
Cook scanned the bill q moment and
then the stranger, wondering what the
man meant. At first it occurred to
him that he was dealing with o II
terfeiter, and started to call an officer.
On second thought he considered that
the man was insane or that something
other than fraudulent intent actuated
the stranger, as the face of the bill
would betray it across the street. Go
ing back he studied his customer for a
few minutes, and this is what he saw !:
an old, diminutive man, dressed IN the
old fashioned homespun b%utternut,
with a hickory shirt, neat, but slightly
threadbare, and one Of the real old
kind of silk hats, with the nap well
worn away. There was a luxurious
HIUWtl VI uulI tAdt uuo kkOWh No
to the neck and started back up again,
forming q sort OF trough, met ut the
front sides by the ample whiskers, so
dense that the spring sunshine could
not penetrate them. That of the coun-
tenancc left visible was somewhat
shrunken by age, but had the smooth,
milk and water appearance peculiar to
an old man who had eve been ex-
posed to the weather and had cultivat-
ed his countenance-in fact, it was one
of those faces which Carlyle character
ICES az being SO s%uprcmely 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 les
son in physiognomy.
"I'm sorry," replied Mr.. Cook, "but
this bill is worthless
The old gentleman stared in amaze
ment and proffered no reply as the bill
was handed back with the remark !:
"No, sir, that is q confederate bill and
valueless."
Finally he reached out q delicate
hand for it and said: "You must be
mistaken, sir. There's jeff Davis own
picture on it.
"But confederate money is useless
now. Ever since the south surren-
dered there has been no chance to re-
deem it, and no one would take it,"
"The south surrendered? / don't
understand" and the old gentleman
was more nearly dumfounded than
ever. "Why the south, man?" he re-
marked after n pause. Then he ex-
planned that he just got the bill, among
! others, in exchange for q farm which
he had owned about thirty miles back
from Lincoln, Mo. He had been teach
ing school, he said, for thirty-fve years
in the back country there, from one
"deestrict" to another, and he had al.
ways understood hat 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 90 to st,
Louis, and, having understood that il
had been ceded to the union, took SOM
United States gold, as he wanted te
make a grand tour on the cars, which
he had never seen.
Haven't you read how the wa
closed, in the newspapers?' queried
the butcher.
"Law me, / haven't seen paper To-
nigh thirty years. You're foolins
about that bill-it must be all right
Sergt. Worcester and q patrol Office
were standing on the opposite corner
and to them Mr.. Cook referred TIL
schpolmaster, saying he would abid
their docisinn. The stranger accQstea
them, and they recounted to the limo
cent pedagogne q synopsis Of Unitet
States history for twenty-five ye1Fz
The old gentleman had to lean agsira
a brick wall for support. He WaaS
frank and evidently " unsophisticate.
that they let him 60 his way in peso
after he paid his bill with gold, an
he left munch;ng a piece Of bologna
81, Louis Globe Democrat,