The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1890-12-20

Bost-wrsehsrs. Cat Threats and Hishwaynsn
Of Early Dsgs On the Hlssissippi-Ths
Cash Creek, Stack Island and
Island 81 Gangs.


The traveller along the Mississippi
river nowadays can sometimes see
things that will make his hair stand
on end. He may see mate chase a
roustabout into the river. Some OF
the gentlemen at little riverside
landing may get into a dispute. aud
then few bullets will fly around.
Perhaps a disinterested person may
catch bullet 1t isn't often that such
thing can be seen ut the present day.
but they had some pretty lively times
years ago. saw one case OF genuine
piracy while going down tho river,
says a writer In the Chicago Herald.
The City OF Baton Rouge stopped ut
Blackhawk Landing. Miss, 10 put Oft
some freight. A few minutes before
the boat backed out an Italian came
along with large basket OF bananas
and other fruit. There was about sixty
deck passengers on the lower deck. and
ono OF them called the dago aboard
and was buying cents worth OF fruit
from him when rouster slipped up
behind the basket and took something.
The Italian turned to stop the thief,
and the crowd made dash and clean
ed out the basket. 1t was probably
the quickest sale for the amour tsof
profits on record. Then the crowd
chased the Italian ashore, and just as
the boat was leaving belated rouste err
grabbed the basket and jumped on
board. When the boat turned the
bend half mile down the river the
banana-seller was standing on the
bank shaking his fist The average
deck passenger has us little regard for
the property rights OF others as the
rouster has. Among these passengers
on the City OF Baton Rouge was n poor
Italian woman. One morning she
came to the cabin with p0lyglot
tale OF woe. While she was asleep
some one had cut through her dress
into her pocket and had taken $3.50
all the money she had. Some OF the
passengers gave her some money, and
the smile OF sunny Italy came back
into her wrinkled and long unwashed
countenance.
In the. good old river days" they
used to have pirates on the river.
They travelled singly or in organized
gangs. There was class known as
boat wreckers. among whom Colonel
Plug" the commander OF gang OF
pirates on the lower Ohio, was promi-
nent character. Colonel Plug ante
dated the steamboats,. His head.
quarters were In or about the mouth
Of Cash Creek, just above Cairo. and
he had gangs on the Mississippi.
Plugs name was Fluger, and New
Hampshire had the honor OF giving
birth to him. He was supposed to
have keys to all the warehouses from
Cash Creek to Louisville, so that he
could use the warehouses when he
wanted to. He had keen sense OF
honor-about some things. He had n
beautiful wife, and 1t was once rumor-
ed that his lieutenant, mine Eyes"
was unduly familiar with her. Plug
challenged him to fight with rifles.
Each was wounded, after which u
reconciliation was effected over a
bottle Of whisky aud Plugs wife was
declared to be immaculate.
AS compared with Mike Fink,
Colonel Plug was mild-mannered
gentleman. Mike was celebrated,
among other things, for the amount OF
whisky he could hold without spilling
any Of 1t, and even to this day it is
the propdest moment in the yfe OF u
river tough when some one says ''you
can hold as much whisky us Mike
Fink" Mike considered himself u
humorist. When he told something
for funny story, or said anything in
tended to be funny, 1T was always
laughed at, because the man that did
not laugh got licked. He spoke OF
his robberies as practical jokes. II he
met traveller when he was In jol-
ing mood he would rob the wayiarer
Of his trousers and drawers and let
him go his way.
But there we're real pirates on the
river-men whose sole occupation con-
sisted in capturing cargo boats and
killing any one that resisted. At one
time trade was so much interfered
with and the dangers to life were so
great that the governor general OF
Louisiana issued an order excluding
single boats from the river and allow
ing hotillas only. which were strong
enough to repel the pirates, to navi-
gate the river. That was century
ago.
r..