Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-21
IN HoTkt4 CORRIDOR s

zone Of the most peculiar sights I ever
Witnessed" said e. c. Holbrook of Ca1etts-
burg. eKya ..ESsSas my home a few days
before left. The frst Hood tide had just
gone down, which IL a very important event
10 my section. Catlettsburg is at the mouth
Of the Big Sandy river and on the Ohio
RIVERA short distance below the mouth of
the .Guyandotk. Ia large area of timber
country is dependent upon these rivers and
their tributar4As.e "A number Of RATS came
down. some Of which broke apart. Sitting
astrids Of large log, with a pole In his
hand to- protect himself from floating logs,
was raftsman, AS he came opposite
where was startling on the river bank. he
shouted: DO you want to buy logs?''
"'Where are they? / asked.
I'm on the ,fust one. The others are
comm jest behind me. I didn' hev time to
git them tied before the river come up and
they started; SO come without them:
II learned afterward that he had ridden
that he succeeded in catching and saving
his entire raft"
I'm the little town OF Catlin. ILL.,. there il
no hotel" said A. B. Bell of Chicago at the
Raleigh, land travelling men stop with the
leading merchant there. 1 sold him a bill
of goods, and. missing the train, had to
stay all night. The old gentleman is a
very Gevout Christian, and thinks that he
is especially gifted in prayer. He holds
family prayers every evening, and in case
he has gdest, the stranger Is expected to
join in these domestic devotions.
II had been told of this popularity, and
was, therefore, not surprised at receiving
an invitation to walk into prayers as he
termed 1t. We knelt, and my host began
one Of the most elaborate applications I
ever heard. He plead for the heather in
foreign lands, then for the rulers OF the
earth, then for the government or the
United States, the state of Illinois, and
after long session narrowed his .nterces-
sions to the neighborhood In which he
lived. -,,..-5
There were several unregenerate citizens
WHO required especial personal attention,
and was beginning to get ravenously hun
cry and my knees ached when noticed
very pretty parrot on the mantei. The bird
was evidently beginning to get uneasy. too,
and became interested in its antics. Soon
it put its head; over its shoulder and said
in loud, angry tones. oh, shut up
Il laughed, the prayer stopped, and sub
order was countermanded, but have al
ways been glad the parrot interfered."
'In north Georgia the championship of
a mountain county in the game of check
ers is well worth striving for said D. T.
1T brings with it more honor than almost
any Office within the gift Of the people
could bestow. I knew the champion of
Union county. He had held the high posi-
ton for many years. and was ready to do
battle anywhere with any one. He was
called squire" the title being bestowed
wholly upon account of the checkers, and
was looked up to with reverence by the
people. although the great man was SO IL
literate that he could neither read nor
write.
"One day a mineral prospector went into
the county to look-over the gold mines that
had once flousished there. but been aban-
doned, and in an unguarded moment the
squire played checkers with him. It was
at the county seat on county court day,
and almost every man in the county was
there. Ten games were played. and the ex-
pert won every game. The squire went
hcme. and his neighbors ioked him about
1t. Within week he left the place where
he had lived for sixty years. where ne was
born, and went to Rabun county. He could
no longer live in Union county,
'Strict honesty is said to be rare virtue"
said l.. P. Tromten at the Arlington, but
l found an example of it a short time ago
that is worthy of commemoration. 1 drove
from Mt. Sterling KY. to. Frenchburg, the
county. seat of Mehifee c6unty. which con-
sists ,of'but little more than the court house
and hotel. 1 stopped at the latter all
might and the following morning, having
transacted the business that took me there
l was ready to return, and called for my
horse The animal was hitched and brought
In front Of the hotel. He had evidently been
we'll cared for, and, after paying my bill to
the landlord, 1 gave the boy who attended
the horse, lad of sixteen or seventeen
years, quarter. He took it and asked:
What is this for?
." For YOU 1 replied.
He handed 1t back to me with the re-
mark: The landlord pays me for this
Il told him he could keep the quarter, and,
looking back from my buggy. 1 saw him
rubbing the coin first upon one coat sleeve,
then upon the other
For pure, unadulteratei politics YOU
want to go to a country district" said
Judge A. c. Durborrow of Nashville at the
Riggs. "Out in a small country town every
body talks politics. Some one is always ia
vored with the Congressional Record, and
he loans it to his friend He ia a man of
great Importance in the community to be SO
remembered by the Congressman from the
district, and the fact that he receives the
Record confers upon him great honor He
and his friends read every word in 1t, and
they remember it. They maot at the store
to discuss the silver or tariff question, and
every argument ever made In Congress Ia
repea ted in these remote communities. Pol
tiles is passion with most of them, and it
is remarkable how many Of them can give
the Presidents, Vice Presidents and cabinet
officers for many years past. They can tell
the views of leading men as expressed in
Congress upon every public question, and
the statesman who changes his position
never realizes the sensation he creates in
backwoods districts. 1t is scarcely noticed
in cities, but in the country it is national
calamity to his followers when he alters his
views"
"Wiid Bill, the famous shot, was very
nearly blind" said A. T. Blanton of Chey-
enne at the Riggs. HE seemed to shoot
by instinct rather than sight. One time
at Sidney, Neb, when that town was the
terminus Of the Union Pacific railroad
Wild Bill and Buffalo Bill were both in
town. A party Of English tourists came
along, and in the presence of w. F. Cody
we're talking of their skill with pistols. I
can bring a man who is almost blind who
can beat YOU remarked Buffalo Bill. Bets
we're made and Wild Bill brought over
His eyes appeared as though he could not
see out of them at all, and it was an easy
matter to get additional bets.
They repaired to the edge of town. and
placing fve-spot Of cards on board, Bill
SteDDed hack thirty paCes and shot o,,t tho