The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-05-20
STEAMBOAT FRANK.

What place was that" asked q tall,
aristocratic planter. as the steamer
pulled away from the landing into the
.dusky river.
"r,erry's Landing" said the man be-
meath the black slonch hat, who had just
stepped aboard. Good place to leave;
nothing but swamps."
How far to Davis plantation"
Bout three hours. Another burned
swamp. Stop there"
Yes. Got a plantation back from the
river a piece. Swamp is right through.
Three hours, chi"
Yes. Didn't suppose there was land
enough along there to plant one"
oh. it's ali right when you get to it.
Going to be dar.;, amt it."
Should say SO. Got a good pilot.
though"
First rate. Do you play"
Sometimes. if the game's good. Who's
in it?'
Nobody much. Drummers and such
like. Oh, Wheeler of Richmond. Know
him.
mo; who is hey'
Not much: cotton edger. Safe game"
"All right; I'm in. That sprays little
wet, amt it,"
Rather; let's 90 inside"
What's the limit?'
Two hundred. Have a cigar?'
"Yes, thanks. Here we are"
ANY room here. gents? Whew! it's
cloudy"
"Yes, lots of room. Hello, colonel:
come in." says a voice from the smoke.
Bring out the drink, niger. | say.
colonel, what you're going to haveT
Little whisky-rye."
Rye whisky there, niger. Hold on,
there-I want another card. All right.
Don't your friend take anything?
Don't know; you had better ask him."
iii take the same, stranger" from
beneath the hat"
"All right. How do they run. colonel?'
Fair to middling. Haven't been up
for some time. What's the newsy:"
Nothing much. Queer about Nichols,
wasn't ity"
Eyes: how did that ~happen:"
"Well there are several stories going
around. Some say they put up a job to
do Steamboat Frank, and he got the best
of them. Comm in, colonel"
Yes"
"You, stranger"
Eyes"
"All right. Never did think much of
that Teller Nichols anyway"
'Same here; bad eyes"
You're right. How many do you
want? Three. Frank killed two, didn't
he? Who was the other fellow"
Don't know. Some n from Texas,
l think"
Il raise you So" here broke in a
Spanish accent from the lower end of
the table.
Hello, Sig! Right in it, ell? I'll have
to raise you. How did that killing come
off anyhow? Know anything about it,
Wheeler"
"Oh, easy enough, from what l hear.
They got to playing a pretty stiff game,
and Frank took all the money. They
were hard losers and tough men gen
orally. They accused him of cheating
and started the row. and he simply wiped
them out"
"And they were not the first ones that
he has wiped OFT either"
mo, you are right. If all the reports
are correct, he has q pretty long list back
there, but they do say that know him
that he is as square as a die and wouldn't
kill a chicken without he had to. but
when some n comes along and takes
him for a mud fiat or sand bar the way
things jingle around that locality is 9
caution to Christmas bells in a great
city"
And then he branched out into severa
amusing anecdotes regarding him; of hi:
heavy games and ugly scrapes; Of Iii
cool nerve and ready wit; how upon one
occasion a Texas ranchman had. by hi.
loud and braggadocio manner, contrivet
to offend the more quiet tastes of Steam
boat Frank; had been backed over tht
taffrail of a boat with a cooked r~evolye-
intentionally near his nose, and aftc.
being towed for a mile or two was a
last hauled aboard again and contained
less starch and more gentleness of man
ner.
"But there is one fellow who has 60
in on Frank, who don't allow any tim,
for fooling. He is a big New Orlean
gambler called Blazer"
BLAZER? You don't tell me-" said tn
colonel. 81 know him; hard lot, the,
say"
Eyes, you're right, and they say he i
the man who has driven Frank from tn