The Opelousas courier., 1896-01-11
When the Slate Was Made,

hitchin post.
When the Slate Was Made.
Did you ever hear tell of how Bile,
s~croggins win a great race in a clos,
hnlsh and got to be high sheriff of the
county? If you never did you ought t.
know, cause that was way back there in
them good old days what YOU read
about, when they say everybody toted
fair and square with everybody, and
American politics was as honest az
American sunshine.
When the campaign opened up that
year there was only two candidates in
the field for sherif-Sam Nettles and
Andy Lucas-and I was for Lucas till
the COW come home and the evenin
stars sung together. Both of them was
good men, you .understand-daylight
Democrats and game to the bone-and /,
was pull Dick, pull devil as to which
was which and who was who. They
fought over every inch of the ground
and had the fight and the fun all their
own way clean up till the convention
met to make up a ticket and pin it to
the old flag.
About ten days before the convention
was to meet Blew Scroggins come over
to my house one night and give it out
to me that he had a little scheme which
the same he wanted to lay down for my
consideration. We could talk it over
between ourselves, he said, and if /
thought the trick would win it was a go.
So after supper we went out to the horse
lot and had a long private confabula-
ton.
"Rufe Sanders" says Blew, comm
right on down to rock bottom at oncst.
II am goin to be the next high sheriff
of this county. / reckon maybe you
hadn't thought about it before, but it is
in the cards jest that away, and if you
will go in kersnooks with me, and we
play the game clost and steady we can
cut the pot and swipe the winnins."
But you amt out before the people
as q candidate, Blev," says I, land the
convention is comm off next week.
How can you win when you amt entered
for the race and nobody don't know you
are goin OF the track? 1t raley looks to
me like as if Sam Nettles and Andy
Lucas have got the go and several leaps
ahead OF YOU"
Don't be givin yourself any worri-
ment about them little things, Rufe,"
says Blew. "You are plum right about
Sam and Andy havin the 60 on me in
the start, but where the race is wide
open and free for all, with straight
heats, best two out of three, it maybe
mought come to pass somehow or some
how else that the hindmost horse could
sweep the field and swing down under
the wire first. / have been plannin and
schemin and thinkin this thing whilst
you and Sam Nettles and Andy Lucas
was all sleepin tho sleep of the unjust,
and the general opinion around Rocky
Creek is to the extent that whensomever
a man takes down his old musket and
starts gu. Il shoot Blew Scroggins for a
fool ne is jest simply yelpin on the
wrong trail. I have done been and
fixed up a slate to run in on the county
convention, and Rufe, let me tell you,
ii the ~hamestring holds, and the
breechin don't break and the traces
don't fly Up, I am goin to pull it through
like a daisy in the spring. And if the
slate goes through without a smashup
it will stand about as follows:
"Blev Scroggins for sheriff.
candy Lucas for first deputy.
"Sam Nettles for second deputy.
"Simeon Collins for county Judge.
sBud Newton for tax collector.
John Andrew Milligan for tax as
SCISSOR.
s.Will Tom Pickens for county clerk.
RUFUS Sanders for county commits
sioner."