The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-09-02
CHAPTER II.
1.-THE turtles left off borin and auent to
bltttin heads"


"Ihe turtles left off bori1 and aUeaat to
buttin heads"
This Pike was called Bud. He
opened by saying: Scents, can't tell
you fish story, for 1 never keered q
durn bout fishin. might tell you some
stories of gator shootin in Florida, cock
fightin in Cuba, rattlesnake and porker-
pine fights in Mobile and sich like things,
for I was alters a dry land sport and
better at gittin up dog and peccary
fights and them kind of games than any
thing elst. made mighty well for a
good while travelin with two fightin
peccaries that picked up in Texas.
had fightin coon to ketch the colored
brother, a fightin armadiller from Hon
duras and other SIGH rackets, but my
greatest show ventur was made down in
Orleans.
Scents all, though don't look it now,
l was onct in fair way to be bigger
man in the show business than old Bar
mum. Ny great exerbition was the
edercated turtles. For nigh onto six
weeks my show drawed powerful-was
all the rage. All over New Orleans was
seen in big letters, The Edercated Tur-
ties; the Greatest Livin Wonder of the
Age
81 had my hall crammed every day
and every night. Larned professors
wrote long articles bout the almost
human intelligence of the giant soft
shelled turtle I was making money
hand over fist when an accident hap
pened that busted my business-but of
that you'll soon hear.
"My show was a beautiful one and
highly Instructive as it said on my
bills. 1t was my pride to give an exer-
bition. With light rattan cane in my
hand I'd appear on the stage, take my
place near the footlights and relate how
I'd led the life of hermit six years on
Florida Keys and at Tortugas, ederca-
tin my four turtles, which I'd Matched
out in my bosom from the eggs, and
which, as would be seen, had now at
tanned a length Of nearly five feet. I
had long speech that newspaper fell
ler wrote out for me for six bits.
cat last, when I'd worked up the
audience to sich pitch that the cries of
'Trot out yer turtles and the whistlin
and stampin drownded my voice, I'd
face about, flourish my rattan and at
the word of command two of the turtles
would come marchin in from opposite
sides of the stage. Then they'd lumber
along down to the footlights, run out
their heads and make bow. Then the
other pair would march in and take
their places between the first, likewise
bowin.
"Music then strikin up, the turtles
would get up on their hind legs, take
their places and dance a French four.
They'd also do double shuffles and pat
juba, which fetched all the nigs. They
played leapfrog, made pyramids and
wrastled; also their drill with wooden
guns was very pleasin. The big thing
after all was the boxin match at the
wind up. That alters brought down
the house, but it was that which at last
busted the whole business.
"One Sunday night, when two of the
turtles was hoxin and the other two
actin as seconds, the glove contest all at
once turned into reg'lar fight. To the
astonishment Of all the whites, and to
the delight of all the niggers, the tur-
ties on a sudden left off boxin and went
to buttin heads.
"Only few dashes was made afore
off went the head Of one of the turtles,
and the other was butted clean out of
his shell, exposin to view two little
naked darky boys.
"a howl went up from the audience,
and seein that rush was likely to be
made for the stage, gave the word to
my turtles and we all skipped by back
door, rippin the little nigs out'n their
shells with my jackknife.
Next day the papers gave the whole
thing away. They told that to the back
shells of turtles had been added artifi-
cial heads and necks, that the belly part
was too flaps of cotton cloth sewed to
the edges of the shells, and painted to
initiate shell, and fastening up in front
with small, we'll concealed hooks and
eyes. They had it about right.
"But for the papers hlowin the thing
| would have taken my show up the
river as far as st. Louis, and likely clean
on to New York.
"In gittin up this show the worst of
the job was findin little darkies of iist
the right build. They had to have long
necks and small heads to play the part
of turtles. The masks were all the skins
of turtles heads greatly stretched and
fitted with glass eyes, and the boys Wore
turtle slippers tanned till as soft as kid
glove. The animal suffer who got up
the rig charged two hundred dollars for
it, and warranted that no deception
could be detected from the front, nor
would there have been any trouble but
for the fight between the two little nigs.
The buttin busted out the show.
"A curious thing was that in gittin
up the show, when l first stripped one of
the little nigs to fit him into his shell
noticed peculiar scar on his back. I