The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-12-04
YALLER JEANS JUSTICE.
A Story of "reminiscences of the
Days Before the War.

sitting on the hurricane deck looking
over n beautiful and seemingly endless
spread of sugar cane land, when some
one standing me remarked:
"You were never along here in the
sure enough days Of s~teamboating, !
reckon"
l looked Up and saw a tall man, to
whose appearance coming age had lent
a sort of distinction. His clothes set
upon him with an air Of genial dis
arrangement, and his eyes, / noticed,
were moist with the dew Of recollection
as he gazed far away over the fields. I.
took me but a second thus to estimate
him, and my answer to his question was
prompt:
II was never along here in the old
days"
"Oh, well, then. you don't know any
thing about it. You only catch now a
poor shadow Of what was once a glorious
substance" He seated himself beside
me, relighted his cigar. which had gone
out, and thus continued:
"A man that was never along here be
fore the war don't know thing about
ifc. In those days the Sjats were pal
aces, and man in general was 50 accom-
modating and polite that he'd fight you
in q minute. Now the boats are futter
mills, and man, instead Of being gentle
manly and accommodating, will curse
you, sub. | own a plantation mp the
river. but it don't amount to anything
now"
lis the land worn outr' / asked.
sOh, no; lands just as good as ever,
but the conditions that made life there
enjoyable have all been changed. Why,
sub, / knocked q fellow down the other
day, and hanged If he didn't sue me for
breach of trust"
For whaty' / exclaimed.
For breach of trust. ! tell you. He
had me arrested and hauled up before
what Is known in our country as a yaller
jeans justice of the peace. The fellow
stated that he had trusted me or he
shouldn't have been hit; said that if he
hadn't trusted me he would have lodged
in time, and he therefore thought that 1
should be dealt with for breach of trust.
The yaller jeans Justice said he thought
so, too, and hanged If he didn't fine
me S."
why didn't you appeal the caseg' 1
asked.
"Oh, well, you see, I'm not in the
law business. / just horsewhipped the
justice till the dust flashed out of the
yaller jeans and then i let the affair
drop. l tell you," he added, after "a
brief pause, 1--WE used to have great
times along here in the old gentlemanly
days. l remember one evening a sort Il
preacher came aboard at a landing just
about here. He was a simple man, with
a meek smile that seemed to have been
mortised into his face. l soon got ac-
quainted with him and learned that,
aside from being a preacher, he operated
a plantation and had some little money.
Among the passengers was one. of
the shrewdest gamblers l had ever
known, and when he found oSt that the
preacher had money he began to lay
plans for catching him. l went to the
preacher and told him. That's all
right, said he. In this life it is but
natural that the wolves should be after
the sheep of course you will not play
with him. said /. 'Oh, / don't know
he answered. Il have worked very
hard and am off for a rest, and if he can
aid me in getting what l seek all right.
Some of the greatest of English clergy
men, you know, have been quite expert
at cards, and although l am not a great
clergyman, yet l am an Englishman,
and am game for any sort of innocent
amusement that may be flushed up
But that man Nickerson, said l, refer
ring to the shrewd gambler. win beat
your oh, possibly, the clergyman re-
joined, but he can't beat me out of
much. Perhaps | might win from him.
Don't think that / am an easy victim,
my dear sir. / have had a great deal of
experience, and ann not SC very easily
picked up
well, sir" the planter continued, she
didn't dodge that gambler at all, but
actually sat down to q game of poker
with him. OF course the preacher lost,
but ne was shrewd enough not to bet
very high. The minister came up to
me with his smile mortised in a little
deeper, and said: Well, he Is pretty
sharp and / have lost about a hundred
dollars; but how are we to preach against
an evil unless we know the ways of that
evil? In truth, aside from any attempt
to peep behind the mask of evil, l am
fond of playing cards, and if | should
create any other impression l should be
g hypocrite, and a hypocrite is worse
than a gambler. Do you wish to play q
gamer l played, and away late that
night when the preacher got off at Camp
bells Bend he carried 2.000 Of my dol
lars with him. l don't know that he
ever saw a pulpit. for | found out after
ward that he and that fellow Nickerson
We're partners. Oh, yes, those were
great days, when people were gentle and
polite. Why, If a man had to kill dog
then he did it in an easy and gentleman
ly way. A spirit of etiquette seemed to
pervade the atmosphere.
But now / warrant that if you should
get into a quarrel with some man on
board this boat he would be brutal
enough to haul off and knock you down
with his fist. There mustcome a change,
though, sooner or later. Society can't
stand the uncouthness of the present era.
The customs that came in after the Wal
robbed rs of our good breeding. When
every man carried a pistol for the pur-