Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-01-30
A HUNTIN' LU-LAH.
UNCLE MOSES RECALLS DisAP-
pE.RaycEoF DIR. LIGHTFooT.
A scornfuI Bride-A Challenge from
the Ole Boy-The Doctor .Outfoots
the Devil and Wins HIS Bet-sntan
Claims His own.
Claims His own.


page McCartv In Philadelphia Times.)
''Ole Doctor Nick Lghtfoot. dc owner
OBJ dis plantation oh Dancin' Pint, were
a wicked sinner" said Uncle Moses, IAN
folks do say how he hab some sort o
contrack wild de evil one TO drain de
swamp out dry in one day an night. or
de Doctor got to glib him his soul. Bout
dis time Mars Nick were sparkin' OF a
rich young lady cross Jeems river. niece
oh ole COIN Evans, an her folk say de
Chickahominy plantation amt nothin' but
a swamp an bad luck to it. too. kase de
I.u-Lah is de haunt oh de place lit lone
de spirits OBJ de dead soldiers. Time OBJ
de war de Union generals dissuade young
cullud niggers to 20 to fight for dey free
dom, but one tell me dat an say, Boss,
you ebber see two dogs fight ODER &c
bone an he say. 'Ya'as; an l say. You
clint nebber see de bone fight, Is your And
he say, No. and / say. Boss. | IS de
bone; an he laT and git on his horse and
ride off.
de Lu-Lah Is q creetur, part spirit
part human, and part debbil, what foler
de cullud folk ober here from Afriky
when dey use to cotch 'em ober dar and
brung EN- to old Virginny to wuk fer
white folk IN de con field; and de white
preacher low it better fur zen, cuz dey
larn de ways OBJ de Lord. All d,-same,
when you once see de Lu-Lah IT jis de
same as bein' born wild de call in de eye
whar make you see witches and evil
spirits, and keeps de shepherd from
bringin' de Niger TO de Lord. So when
de Lu-Lah 'suade young Niger to run
way dey sometimes come back wild dey
eyes mos popped cut ob de hade like
dey gwine to de mad lunetick 'syium at
ole Williamsburg. He var a jack-o'-lan-
tun dat white folk call willer wisp, cuz
none but de ole Satan or his imps can
burn q willer bush dat always grow by
de water side. Plenty oh trouble all
round here bout de Lu-Lah and how he
coy niggers wild dat JACKIE -lantun tell
dey foller and foller and git stuck in
de swamp, or leastways git lost and amt
heard oh no mo.
..Arter a while Mars Nick jist tired OBJ
hearin bout de Lu-Lah, an one night
he dun take too much peach an honey,
an call Tom, his body sarvint, an say,
Tom. I'm gwine TO cotch dat Lu-Lah or
die in de attempt so you load my gun
wild buckshot an load her up good and
he turn round to de long skeleton what
he kept hung up In his doctor offs, an
say. ole chap, when L git like you, it's
time nuff to repent and go to glory
TON. he fall down on his marrow
bones an say, Mars Nick, l been follerin'
you like a coon dog all my life. but TO de
Lawd don't tell me to so arter de Lu-
Lah cause sho as you bon to die he
gwine to cotch yo' TO- you kin cotch him.
Mars Nick he say: Tom, you amt
need TO be scared oh nothin when you Is
long oh me. cause twixt you an me, the
debbil is fren O. mine. So Tom brace
hisself up and foller his master out in de
midnight, an 1t were de dark ob de moon,
too. to go huntln' de Lu-Luh. Next
mornin' Tom cum arunnin, wild his eyes
mos popped out OBJ his hade an say, 'to.
de LaWd. de Lu-Lah done cotch Mars
Nick
""Pear like de doctor sot Tom to watch
fa' de Lu-Lah and presently, Toms teei
chatterln' same like a niger crackin' de
bones TO de banjo. Tom holer out, Here
he Gums, Mars Nickp an roll off de los
like n turtle when he see de steamboat
comm, an Mars Nick see de Jack-o'-Lan-
tern, let laase wild bofe bar'ls. de gun
buss, an he roll ober in de sand.
bout breakfas' time de doctor he cum
back. an he were all bruk up i'm his mind
an mad, so ne could hardly talk, but
say how his gun done buss. cause sane
got I'm her mouf, 'scusln' oh dat he haC
done cotch de Lu-Lah.
Den de doctor invite all his frens an
dey set on de porch wild dey feet concoct-
ed up drinkin juleps all day an wher
dey joke him bout de Lu-Lah an dc
young lady what wouldn't hab him, he
git mad an say, Gentlemen, L aini
scared oh nothin'. debbil or human, an
bet you / cotch de Lu-Lah an de lady
bofe.' So when Colonel Evans cross dc
river to git on a big frolick, de doctor git
hissef up fine as a fiddle. dancin pumps
an tail coat, an make Cyrus and Cicero
pull him ober I'm his boat. And he take
an cote de young lady agln, but she ainl
hearin' at him, cause he amt got nothin
but a swamp plantation. and de quality
folks up ole Jeems river say how dat
amt nothin'.
He start back, cross de river In Dc
midnight, an II were dat dark dat deJ
can't see nothin' but de light at de house
and Cicero and Cyrus keep pullin' an
pullin' till dey low dey amt nebber gwinc
git home, an presently de boat scrape on
de san, an sho nuff il were de Jack-o'
Lantern way down on de pint stead o
az de house landn'. De doctor jump out
an draw his pistol an say, Boys, hol
on here; / got dat Lu-Lah dis time; but
Cyrus holer out, 'Hallyluyah, Lord come
down and dey pull out In de river wic
al dey might, and get loss in de dark
We'll. to de 'sprise OBJ de whole planta-
ton. Mars Nick come back next mornin'
smllin an happy, and call me whar were
de boys and all de niggers, an he say
Moses. dis here am Sunday, but you take
and study how 10 put in big crap O
corn, for I'm gwine to plough
up de swamp sab, an when you
see time TO pull fodder come, ] brina
you young mistis what will be
de ornamint oh de plantation. an
you hear no more bout de swamp an
de bad luck Oh de place. 70 $40 as yol
born TO die. I cotch dat Lu-I.ah las night
II low dat de doctor is out o his minC
all long OBJ huntin' de Lu-Lah, but keeI
studyin' an keep up a mighty thlnkin
what gwine to happen from all dis pro
jeckin' wild de debbil, when, TO de Lord
bout shutdown dere come up a hurricar
dat broke de biggest trees, TUX de rum
off de cabins an blow de water out d'
river tell you mos see de bottom, anf
next mornin de swamp Is dry as bon'
and when de tide fetch de water bach
in de river It don't come up in de SWAMI
no more from dat day 10 dis.
"Dr. Nick had bet dat he win De youni
lady an he feel powerful proud when h'
see de plows goin' into de long rank grass
OBJ de dry swamp; niggers amt here NJ
mo of de Lu-Lah and dey feel powerful
good. too, seem how dey gwine 10 make
big crop an de marster 10 marry .
rich young lady. Neber were such Z
good year and de frollick We're CRANE
when de doctor bring his bride cross d.
river and dere WAS pickin' de banjo anl