The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-07-02

not including stops for treatment OF
snake bites.
We had very choice party Of young
people, headed by Miss Lizzie Joseph
King the principals energetic daughter,
and Major Dawson and Captain Phillips,
two carnations of the academy and pinks
of chaperons also Mr.. Elan, the rail
way guide, philosopher and friend; Miss
Vinton, the botanist and buggist; Miss
Hunter, Miss Mary Pretlow. Mrs. Har-
per, the prize taker on pickles and jel-
lies; Miss Croker, the entertaining
reader and elocutionist, and others whose
names cannot spell properly.
Gayly we started at O'Clock by car
rage for the canal, which is perhaps
two miles from the town. We got aboard
the Jennie Wilson, and with the shrek
of a whistle from the off niger or the
jib poop we began to glide softly from
our moorings in the tail grass.
For the first few miles one wonders
what Tom Moore, the gifted Irishman,
found to write about, for we glided along
through grassy meads and tall weeds,
but anon we found ourselves in the cane
brake and the hush of vast 100, 900
acre silence. Now and again the deep
silence would be broken by glad cry
as fragrant magnolia and cool moe
casin, with red petals, were gathered,
and as the snake fell, with a mellow
plunk, shrieks of delight were echoed
from the deep, somber wall of giant
gums.
The Dismal swamp was owned after
the Revolutionary disturbance by George
Washington. who cut down good many
of the large trees with his little Ratchet.
He formed the Dismal Swamp Land
company and dag the Washington ditch
to raft timber TO market on, and the
dark sarsaparilla colored streak of wet
ness is still there.
The Dismal swampis vet the paradise
of hunters, and in Lake Drummond there
are fish as long as an oar. caught one,
but it had just been born and was only
81 inches in length. was told that If
I kept it long enough il would grow TO
be as big as an oar, but only kept II
till the conductor the next day asked me
TO please go into the secondhanded car,
and decided to cast my little fish aside
Friends are to me far more valuable than
fish, and man is by nature social being.
A Mr. Hosier escaped arrest BY the
federal government in 1868 and fed 10
the swamp. He swan the Elizabeth riv
er with his clothes tied IN a bundle or
his head Finally he reached Lake
Drummond. and there decided 10 swim
across. a distance Of seven miles. / do
not know why, but possibly it was for
the excitement Of being on the other
side, for il was Just the same on one
side as the other En- route he lost his
clothes and was met by huge serpent,
but pulling his revolver from his pocket
and pushing il into the serpent's back
teeth he blew Of the creatures head
and escaped. bot when he landed Mr..
aosier met Up with bear, and being II
q nude state ne hated 10 take fall OF
the bear catch as catch can. 50 be ran
away, which might be called nude de-
parture. But the bear overtaken him.
as the oolored brother says, and Dir.
Hosier turned upon Kim with knife
which he had in his other packet, and
feeding this weapon to the bear soon
had the sad comfort Ct closing MS eyes
IN death.
Being naked. he decided 20 skin the
hear and wear the pelt, fog the red noss7d
brier and poisonous DO hush. As deadly
as . ra,slesn4ke, were making sad IN
lads upon his Complexion n places
Putting On the bearskin GA hisogn bare
skin, he approac'-i hns r.. e aa:. est