Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-08-25
THE REAR GUARDS TALE
BILL NYE WRITES OF THE COMFY
ISLAND RELIEF EXPEDITION.
Emin Tutewiler Would Have Been Re-
Iieved If He Hadn't Taken the Four
O'Clock Boat for Home-The Explorers
Set Right Before the Public.
Copyright by Edgar W. Nye.l

O'Clock Boat for Home-The Explorers
Set Right Before the Public.
copyright by Edgar w. Nye.l
SO many conflicting stories are now
af1oat regarding the conduct of the rear
guard of the expedition which started
out last July for the relief of Emin Tute-
wiler, who was supposed to be some
where in the jungles of interior Coney
Island or Far Rockaway, that / make
bold to write this defense of myself and
our party in order that history may, as
Emerson says, give us fair show.
Early in June we received permission
from Mr.. Joseph Cook, of Boston, to ex-
plore the interior of Coney Island if we
would give it back again, and l began to
look about me for suitable company of
men to assist me. My first selection
consisted of Mr.. Owen S. Kinney, whose
middle initial sometimes adheres to his
behindest name, but who is loyal gen.
tleman whose clothes fit me. | owe him
much which | cannot ever repay, but he
agrees to let me off if / speak kindly of
him in my writings.
| was also so fortunate as TO secure
the services of Eli Fl. Jaggs, professor of
Workmanship at the Central Park Acade-
my of Equestrianism; also the author of
"How to Overcome the Riding Habit
cloth fifty cents, paper two bits. He
was secured partially because of his po-
itical influence and also because he is a
thorough connoisseur of spoopju.
He said he would go cheerfully Be
side these two also invited Mr.. Sawdorf
Aston laice, of Lennox. He is not large
physically, but he has brain which is
what might be called n teeming brain.
When he is thinking real earnestly, if
you go quite close to his brain you can
hear it purr. never saw such a brainy
cuss rs he is. His thoughts sometimes
rumble like a telegraph pole, he thinks
so hard. | selected him because | want
ed bunch Of picked men, and any one
could see that he was picked man to
Just look at him. He seemed somehow
to have been picked too soon. He took
banjo with him.
That also was picked. Before we had
fairly started he got everything about
him to harmonic by having his pockets
picked.
Ny next Thought was to procure the
needful food supply for our long journey,
and obtain permission of my paper to
draw on it whenever | needed any
money. | also wrote an editorial re-
garding my sagacity and things, leaving
it to be printed ON the day of my de
parture.
now began to look about me for food
and whang whang, jingsang and color
ed beads to be used for purposes of
traffic. Ny first purchase consisted of a
small hamper of Rockford cheese, which
is an anti-scorhutic and also insures alb
solute isolation to its happy possessor. l
fully believe that the Rockford cheese
giving it the Anghcized spelling, for /
am always kind To the Rockford and
Limburger cheeses, never laying Il hand
on eyether of them otherwise than in
kindness i say that the Rockford
cheese, aside from the Excelsior stencil
works east of New ark, has no living
rival And / would also add that its
dead rivals would do well to look care
fully after their laurels. So | got a
hamper of this cheese with a little
damper in the top which / could open
whenever wanted little solitude.
lalso procured some biltong and small
mill to use in grinding mealie, against
the time when we should be beyond the
reach of Acker, Merran IL Condit's de
livery wagons l took with me in my
inside pocket a small autograph album
which l purposed getting Emin Tute
wiler to write into as soon as we had
relieved him. | said little to my chief
who had preceded me via Ocean Grove
and Cape May; but it was my idea while
he was thus leisurely scouting through
the game country and tracing the
sources of the Passaic to quietly slip il
and relieve Emin Tutewiler myself, thu,
compelling my chief to play the real