The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-11-08
ANSE M'LAURIN'S NERVE.

les said a tall, lank Mississippi
packwoodsman to a WASHINGTON re.
porter, as the Senator from that
State passed through the lobby of
Wizards Hotel, II beer a.kncwinp
AN e. gMcLaurin tor a mighty long
while-call him 'Anse' cause l can't
GIT my tongue twisted round that
senator business yit He'd ruther
you'd call him 'Anse' anyhow, |
reckon-makes him feel more sorter
homelike. Yes, l know the whole
FAMILY: he's got eight as strapin' big
Dfothers as ever you saw; one of 'em
Is railroad commissioner ofour State,
mother one is district attorney. and
all the rest of 'em is lawyers 'ceb 1t
one, he's a doctor. He's got nine
cousins, TOO, just as right men as he
an his brothers is, and, let me tel!
you, them eighteen is d might hard
team to hold when they git punched
together. 'Anse' is got bout the
coolest head on him I ever saw, an
I've seen some mighty cool ones in
my time, too, let me tell you. an
gritty amt no name for him.
''Tell you what l seer him do down
In the plney woods once. 1t was way
off in a little tOwh'bout twenty miles
to the nearest railroad station, an
YOU know what cote week is down
in my couatry?-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 a teller accused
OF being one of a gang of burglars
that had jest bout cleaned the town
out. an everybody was powerful ex-
cited owe the case. .Anse' and all
the other lawyers in town was prose-
cutting the Teller. an the prisoner had
TO- or five city lawyers from down 10
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 wildilike bout the eyes.
This Mustang chap va always a
wranglin' an a.puttin' in his mouth
when he didn't have tnO business
a-dOin' it, and once, when 'Anse' was
on his feet addressin' the ledge on a
pint Of law, this teller kept on aim
tcrruptin' him till 'Anse' got mad
an tOle him to sit idOwn, he had the
floor. I
THE Teller flowed he had the floor,
too. an was a-gOin' to talk all he
wanted to- 'Anse' never said moth
in, jes' Keep on talkin'. an the
Mustang KEEP on a-puttin' in till an
other lawer on '.AnSe's' side z t mad
and shucked off his cote, run around
an grabbed hole OF 'MuStang,' an
hOllered: Here's nuther one got the
t.oor; let's see whose a-gOin' to keep
it. Then SIGH another light you amt
never seen the like Of; everyb body got
TO tightin': some on n side, some Oh
tn other. All 'Anse's' brothers
pitched in an some of his cousins on
the Jury took Il hand. The prisoner
squared off an broke loose at every.
body 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 a
hand. All this time 'Anse' never
quit a-taikin'-jest KEEP mOuntin' the
pile as it growed bigger. After Il
while somebody hollcred: For Gods
sake don't shoot in here" Then you
oughter see the niggers begin to run.
They all run to the windows to jump,
but 'tWan't mouse. cause the windows
was bout sixty feet off the grOun'.
an they sOrter run to 'em an stopped
like a balky horse.
When they seen there wasn't no
chance for 'em to git out that way
they all made a break for the door
an started down the steps, but they
was in SIGH a hurry to git out they
couldn't wait to walk-theyjist rolled
down. Alter Sawhlle the lawyers all
got kinder tired tightin, an some fell
Ter from under the bottom Of the pile
said "Oh, -, let's quit this -
foollshness and git a drink" So vhe
whole crowd filed out to the bar
room, got a drink, an came back an
went peacefully on with the trial.
Bout night Il gentleman came ridin'
into town an said he had met some
niggers a-runnin' down the road
bout three miles out without no hats
or shoes an maxim for the woods like
the devil was after 'em. He stopped
'em an inquired: whats the mat.
ter, boys?' They est kept on runnin'
an hollerod back: oh. my Gawd,
boss, don't go in deere. Dem Nc
Laurins is a-tightin'.'
"Yas," repeated the Mississippian,
".Anse' is got a mighty cool head,
cause durin' that whole fussin' he
didn't never break his %gait-jest KEEP
on a.talkin' an arguin' that pint OF
law"