Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1892-11-10
1seIntnttt Chronicle.
THURSDAY. NOV. 10, 1892.
The Old Pioneer.

but every city or village over twenty
five years old has an "old pioneer"
He is an aged man, walks with a cane
has a bent back and scant gray locks,
and he is entitled to to the unbounded
respect of all citizens.
Many little privileges are accorded the
Hold pioneer" He can open the cheese
box in grocery and help himself, hook
apples, reach over for peanuts, have the
head of the table when the iremen give
a banouet, and if he crawls under the
canvas on circus day none of the circus
men strike at him with neck-yoke.
And if the "old pioneer" says that it's
going to be hard winter, soft winter,
a cool summer or a rainy fall, it would
be like entering den Of lions for one
to rise up and dispute him. He predicts
political events, prophesies revolutions,
remembers all about how the Free Ma
sons killed John Morgan, and conhdent-
lv expects a column notice when he
drops off.
met one of the old fellows the other
day on the cars. He assured me that
riding on the cars was far more pleasant
than making a journey on horseback,
and he said that the country had i'm
proved some since he used to carry the
mail between New York and Chicago
was looking right at him, but he never
blushed as he said that he used to make
the round trip on horseback in five days.
l was wondering how he could have
done it, when he went on to say that
New York contained only eleven houses,
and Chicago only four, at the time he
acted as mail-carrier. l remarked that
mails must have been light in those ear
ly DAYS, when he replied:
"Llghtl why, bless you, my son, neV-
er had less than fourteen full mail bags,
and sometimes as high as twenty
L expected to see him struck dead in
his seat, but greatly to my surprise, he
continued to live right on, the same as
if he had never told lie.
"Ever have any fights with the Indi-
ans In those early days?" l finally In
quired.
"Injun fghtsl Well, L should say l
had few-hal hal ha! l wish you could
90 home with me to old Chemung coun-
ty. I've got seven dry goods boxes fill
ed with Indian top-knots-seven boxes
left; and I've been making horse blank
cts and door-mats out of my pile FOL
over forty yearsf"
'Is it possibleF"
ayes, it is. 1 don't say this to brag
but you asked me plain question, and
1 answered it. suppose 1 killed ii ,87S
Indians during my early life, though
won't say that these are the exact hg-
ures. 1t might have been II ,874, or only
11,872-I am getting old and can't re-
member dates very well"
"Ever see George Washington" l
asked.
sSee George Washington" he echoed
-"why he boarded in my family over
four years"
"He did?"
"Yes, he did"
"When was that?"
"Let's seel Well, 1 don't remember
Just when it was, only l know it was
quite awhile ago. Yes, George boarded
with me, and I've got bill of forty dol
lars somewhere against him now. He
was little hard up for cash when he
left u.s."
"Did YOU ever see William PENN"
asked after awhile.
"Bill Pennl hal ha!-why, l wish
had as many dollars as the number OF
times Bill and l have slid down hill to-
getherl His father lived in part of our
house for eight years, and Bill and
were like brothers. could lick him, and
he knew it, but we never even had
cross word between us. Poor Bill! When
1 read about his being blown up on
steamboat 1 said to myself that I'd rath-
er have lost brother"
waited a good while and then in
quired:
"Were you in the Revolutionary WARP
"The Revolutionary war! why you
must take me for boyI" he replied
"Why, was the irst man to jine! There
was a week when the Patriots didn't
have any army but me, and there was
80 much fighting and marching that l
almost got discouraged.
Then you must have met General
Lafayette?"
"General Lafayette! Why, on the
morning of the battle of Bunker Hill
Washington, Lafayette, Bill Penn and
myself weIe playing four game
of eucher in an old barn just outside Of
Boston, Lafayette was killed just as ht
was dealing the cards!''
81 thought he went back to France
and died"
"No, sir"
"But history says So"
81 don't care plum for history young
mani Didn't his blood scatter all ovel
me, and weren't his last words address
ed to mel l guess know as much al
any history"
"What were his last words?"
LAST words? Well, sir, he didn'
have time to say much. A cannon bal
struck him in the body, and all he sait
was Don't give up the shipp Poor Laf
He was little conceited, but when hi
borrowed dollar of you it was certain
to come back"
"You never saw Christopher Colum
bus, did your" 1 finally asked, deter
mined to wind him up.
He was staggered for moment, bu
then recovered and answered:
christopher Columbus! Well, nc
never did. Ny brother used to talk
good deal about Chris, but never hap
pened to see him. They say he didn'
amount to much, after an-used to ge
tight on election day, kept fighting
dog and race-horse, and was alway
blowing round what he could do.
was always careful of my character, an
they can't say of me that ever associa
ted with low folks"
Mr.. W. NJ. TERRY, who has been i
the drug business at Elkton, KY, for tn
past years, says: chamberlain
Cough Remedy gives better satisfaction
I. Il L