The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-02
THE CATFISH TAVERN SCARE.
How Party of College Boys Put Some
Life Into a Mississipni VILLAGE.

| THE CATFISH TAVERN SCARE.
| How a Party of College Boys Put Some
Life Into Mississippi Village.
1t was the summer vacation of my
sophomore year in college that l, with
| five Of my classmates, visited the Scott
| boys. They lived at Yellow Banks, a
| quaint old town on the Mississippi
river, fifty miles south of Rock Island.
In 1S49 it was a fourishing place of
three thousand souls, and many were
the wagon trains that stopped there for
supplies before starting across the
plains for Pixies Peak. But those
thriving days had fed and at the time
we were there the old town numbered
scarce five hundred inha bitantS 1t was
full of old ruins, relics of its prosperous
DAYS.
We had been there but few days
when time began to lag on our hands.
''Pl tell you what It is, boys" began
Jim Peterson, one day when we were
returning from swim in the river, IF
we don't stir up some sort of excitement
we'll be fossils by the time school be-
gins"
We were all agreed on that point and
we began to consider the question of
creating the desired stir" AS we left
the river and started up town we passed
an old ruin of hostelry that in years
gone by had been known as the Catfish
Tavern. 1t had stood tenantless since
'61, rank Unison weeds grew all around
it, the windows were gone, and it had
the CHASTITY appearance OF haunted
house.
Here's magnificent opportunity for a
sensation" said Rufus Scott pointing
to the dilapidated old ruin. We were
all of the same mind, but what was it
to be?
''If we could only unearth some hor-
rible murder of long ago." said Bob
Scott, and then we filed into the Cat
fish Tavern to discuss the question.
1t didn't take long to come to a con-
clusion. A crowd of sophomores might
be stalled on a problem in spherics, but
never in mischief
That very night we wrote what pur-
ported to be the confession of a dying
desperate in mining camp in Colo
RADIO
In Sc he had, so the confession said,
murdered a man en- route from the gold
fields of California and buried him in
the cellar of the Catfish tavern. Then
it went on and gave the particulars of
the crime, including the comments of
the town marshal, who was supposed to
have sent the confession.
The confession was taken to Sage
town, five miles south, addressed TO the
postmaster at Yellow Banks, and mailed
on the train.
In the meantime we stole an old
skeleton out of DR.. Parks office, and
late at night buried it in the cellar of
the old Catfish tavern, where the dying
desperate had laid his victim. 1t was
in sandy soil, so we had little difficulty
in covering up our tracks.
At noon the following day the diurnal
mail arrived. We were all in the COM
bined store and post Office, and so were |
score of town loafers and old bad |
beenS"
The old postmaster-I say old, for
there was nothing new in the town
received his letter. He read it and then /
the confession. He was amazed He
reread it and then came out and read it
to the crowd. Then there was stir /
such as the old town had not seen since |
the war. Inside half an hour half the |.
town knew all about it, and Sheriff An
derson with spade, followed by the .
excited throng, made a bee line for the /
Catfish tavern.
1t was rather dark in the cellar. but !
in few minutes he came out with his |
assistants and exposed to the anxious /
crowd lot of human bones. The eff |
feet was more than we had bargained /
for. Some wanted to ring the church .
bells and call out the entire town. /
Others favored telegraphing to the gov
ernor, but no one seemed capable OF /
acting. At length Sheriff Anderson di-
rected Walter Scott to go for the cor
oner.
A jury was called. An inquest was
held which lasted three days. Every
citizen in the town who had been there .
in So testified. All remembered some
thing of the mysterious disappearance
of A mysterious stranger about that .
time. 1t impressed them deeply then
and they had always believed a foul
murder had been committed in the Cat
fish tavern which would 'out" some
day. The skeleton and confession
showed they We're right.
Well, the verdict was that an I'M
known man had been murdered by an
man in 1856 in the Catfish
tavern. 1t stands on the records of the
I L. =. - l-r-
The skeleton was taken TO the pot
ters field and buried. But that very
night it was dug up and replaced in DR..
Parks otice.-Chicago Inter Ocean.
A CLEVER PICkPOCKET.