The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1894-12-15
ANsE M'LAuRIN.s NERVE.
He Was Not to be Put Out by Crowd
of Fighting Men.

He Was Not to be Put Out by Crowd
of Fighting Men.
YES said a tall, lank Mississippi
backwoodsman to Washington re-
porter, as the senator from that state
passed through the lobby of Wizards
hotel, 81 been a-knowing 'Anse' Nc
Laurin for a mighty long while-call
him 'Anse' cause can't get my tongue
twisted round that senator business
, yit. He'd ruther you'd call him 'Anse'
anyhow, / reclxon-makes him feel
more sorter homeiike. Yes, l know
the whole family; he's got eight as
strappin' big brothers as ever you saw;
one of 'em is railroad commissioner of
our state, mother one is district attor-
ncy, and all the rest of 'em is lawyers
'cept one, an he's a doctor. He's got
nine cousins, too. just as right men as
he an his brothers is, and, let me tell
6ou, them eighteen is q mighty hard
team to hold when they git punched
togetner. 'Anse' is got bout the cool
est head on him ever saw, an I've
seen some mighty cool ones in my
time, too, let me tell you, an gritty
ant no name for him. -
Tell you what I seen him do down
in the piney woods once. 1t was way
OF in little town bout twenty miles
to the nearest railroad station, an you
know what cote week is down in my
country?-great time for all the folks
around to git together and swap lies
bout their melon an cotton crops.
Well, it was cote week then, an they
was trying Teller accused of being one
of gang of burglars that had jest
bout cleaned the town out an every
body was powerful excited over the
case. 'Anse' and all the other lawyers
in town was prosecuting the Teller, an
the prisoner had TO or five city lawyers
from down to jackson defendin' him.
'Mongst them was one slippery-looking
cuss from down in Texas that went by
the name of Mustang cause he looked
so kinder wild like bout the eyes.
This Mustang chap was always
a-wranglin' an a-puttin' in his mouth
when he didn't have no business a-doin'
IL, and once, when 'Anse was on his
feet addressin' the jedge on pint of
law, this Teller kept on a-interruptin'
him till 'Anse' got mad an tole him to
sit down, he had the floor.
1.-The Teller lowed he had the floor,
too. an was a-goin' to talk all he
wanted to- 'Anse' never said nothin',
jes' KEEP on talkin', an the Mustang
KEEP on a-puttin' in till another lawyer
on 'Anse's' side got mad an shucked off
his cote, run around an grabbed hole
of Mustang an hollered: Here's
nuther one got the floor; let's see whose
a-goin' to keep it. Then sich another
fight you ant never seen the like of;
everybody got TO fighting; some on one
side, some on tn other. All 'Anse's
brothers pitched in an some of his
cousins on the jury took hand. The
prisoner squared off an broke loose at
everybody that came anywhere near
him. Fact is, the floor was bout four
foot deep in fightin' lawyers, jury,
sheriff, an everybody else that could
take hand. All this time 'Anse' never
quit a-talkin'-jest KEEP mountin' the
pile as it growed bigger After while
somebody hollered: For Gods sake
don't shoot in herer Then you oughter
see the niggers begin to run. They all
run to the windows to jump, but
'twan't no use, cause the windows was
bout sixty feet of the groun', an they
sorter run to 'em an stopped like
baIky horse.
when they seen there wasn't no
chance for 'em to get ont that way they
all made a break for the door an
started down the steps, but they were
in such a hurry to git out they couldn't
wait to walk-they jist rolled down.
After awhile the lawyersall got kinder
tired fightin' an some Teller from I'M
der the bottom of the pile said: o,
-, let's quit this - foolishness and
git drink So the whole crowd fled
out to the bar room, got drink, an
came back an went peaceably on with
the trial. Bout night a gentleman
came ridin' into town an said he had
met some niggers a-runnin' down the
road bout three miles out without no
hats an shoes an maxim for the woods
like the devil was after 'em. He
stopped 'em an inquired: What's the
matter, boys? They jest kept on rum
MIN an hollered back: u, my Gawd,
boss, don't go in dere. Dem McLaurins
is a-fghtin'.'
YES" repeated the Mississippian,
"'Anse' is got mighty cool head,
cause durin' that whole fussin' he
didn't never break his gait-jest KEEP
on a-tallkin' an arguin' that pint of
lawn. Y. Sun.
Not Surprising.
A young woman, lately returned
from Europe, was talking with friend