The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1891-11-27
Ghe1emorrA-S Star
HE Used NAILS.
. ses~r Who Frightened Forty Thousand
Soldiers Very Badly.
as City Times.

Il e e SAID Inc veteran as he
twisted his feet up on The veranda
railing and gazei lazilv At The >tn
sci, "Ihai they are making whole
lots oftalk in The newspapers now
adays about Smokeless and MORE
less powder. Why, we were talk.
ing about the same thing when !
was in Prices army.
"You know we were away down
in The brush in Southwest Missouri,
where we were all cul of from the
world and couldn't gel any news
from the outside. Well, the story
cot started somehow that the Yam
KEGS had invented a g powder
IA kind that burned with no
smoke, no flash and no noise.
Pretty soon they were talking
about it in every regiment, worry
ing over the thing, and reyivlng
The devilish ingenuity OF the Yam
kee. There was nothing 10 talk
about, and yon know how il is in a
big body OF idle men.
There was one fellow that took
great stock in the noiseless powder
story. 1t bothered him all the
time. This was Bill Oliver, of Col.
Wins,on's Second Missouri. Bill
came from up here al Platte City.
lie was a blacksmith, a strapplng
great big fellow, strong as Il horse.
He weighed, Ireckon, 200 pounds.
"One black night Bill wa PIT
ont in the brush on ticket duty.
Now, he waSJgs. as gritty a fighter
as ever you saw in line on either
side Of him, bit tell you. my boy,
set a man out in a dark thlcket all
alone and the enemy known to be
near and supposed TO be every
where. it takes all the starch oul
Of the best of them.
$50 Bill was lrembly and Shaky
and saw Yankee sharpshooterS
everywhere.
Nov, in The same regiment they
had ii daredevil, harum-scarum
fGol-Reub Hill. This Reub Hill
was the kind OF a specimen every
regiment .has-a peStlierouS prac
teal joker-a nuiSalce that every.
body liked. Here wasa rich chance
for one Of Reub's little Jokes. Soon
as Bill had got settled at bis post
Reuben loaded his pocket with a
dozen or so Of big wrought iron
mails, and out through the dark he
circled 10 get in front of The picket.
He hid ina sasSalras bush about
100 feet from The big blacksmith
and looked out.
''rhere was Bill tIptoeing up and
down his beat like an elephant on
rickely bridge, lodging and
whirling every time a grassh0pper
chirped or Il horse back in the
camp snorled. lie was getting
badly scared. Reuben picked mp Il
right ragged nail and flung ii Just
as hard us he could jerk.
"You know what Il Vicious
screeching a nail makes when you
throw it that way? No minnie
ball ever sounded wickeder. Ii
goes: 'Wis-u-uII.u
"Reuben let 90 another Of his
nails, and a third just rs quick as
he could throw. They weni whirr-
ing bloodthirstily toward William,
and one of them ripped through the
leaves over his head, SCATTERING
lwig and bits Of leaf all about.
"rhere was no doubt about il
this time and Big Bill, us he let his
musket off wildly III the air, chars.
e. Tor camp, Suffering, putting,
yelling, tearing up weeds and sod
and boiling INTO trees. His trail
looked like The track OF a young
cyclone. Into the camp he plung
ed, over men and tents, musker
stacks and cook trenches. 1t is an
actual fact that he ran over a little !
foraglng pony that was tied to a
Tree ana couldn't get out of the
way, Knocked the poor b, at down
and crippled it for a week. His
Roadway vas terrific. lie finally
brought up full tilt against alough
little hickory sapling, which he ran
down like a mouse, landing uu in
the leafy top with his hands claw
ing at The boughs.
Poor BITS heat s;opped
with a big thump like a sledge
hammer and Reuben, away off IN
the thicket, heard him catch his
breath as If some one had dropped
a bucket Of ice water on him. His
big hulk dropped in the weeds like
a sack of sand, and for about a
minute there was not The sound o!
a breath. Then the big pcke'
mutiertd shakily 'Sho, l. gettin'
sSeery as a woman with thiukin'
of them Yanks an their new
tangled powder And he col uc
and began TO YEARLY walk his beat.
"He walked every man lis The
regiment. Down the line went
shouts and bugle calls. Within
ten minutes every one of Prices
10000 I;en was in line of battle
staring into The darkness for the
enemys advance guard, listening
for the purr of their silently fired
bullets.
"Ot course The enemy didn't
come, but the men lay ON their
arms all night.
"Keuben was foo iickled over
The way Bill tore through the brush
TO keep quiet. Next dag ever, |
man IN The army had the Story.
But it did not take well with the
ofieors o,rpor,lss ,,,.rI .a,,.l