The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-28
stories of the Late Buck KiIgore.

Stories of the Late Buck KiIgOrc.
There are men in every quarter of the
union who viii regret to hear of the death
of Judge Constantine B. Kilgore. at Ard
more, Indian territory, says the Washing
/ ton correspondent of the Lousvile-Couri-
/ er-Journal. For eight years Buck" Kill
gore was a notable man at this capital.
| In person he was the typical Texan. Above
! s feet tall, about sixteen stone in weight,
/ above the average congressman in ability,
| above the average man in sincerity,
straight as an Indian and strong as an
| OK, Buck" Kilgore was a marked man
| wherever he appeared. 1t was the kick
! ing down of the door leading from the leg
| islatve chamber to the House lobby that
gave him notoriety. 1t was Characters
| tic of the man. He wanted to go into the
| lobby, the messenger shut the door in his
| face; he knew he had right to go into the
| lobby without asking the consent of Tom
| Reed or any other man. He raised his
foot, clothed in an enormous cowhide boot,
and kicked the door down and went his
way. The notoriety that attached to him
on account of the act was always dis
tasteful to him.
Except Dick Bland and Amos Cummings,
there was no more democratic looking man
in congress. The boys on the avenue
called him Buck and after he kicked
the door down every gamin in Washington
was ambitious to shine his boots. Many
of them boosted of the honor who drew
on their imaginations, as George " did
when he claimed to have borne conspic-
uous part in the battle of Waterloo. Kill
gore did not have his boots shined every
day. When he first landed here he took
rooms on G street, not far from the cap
itol. After breakfast he went out for
stroll. A colored boy proposed a shine
whats your Nance asked Buck"
George Washington" replied the boy
IT'S an honor / did not expect" rejoued
Kngore; you can pitch right in" During
the whole session Buck would walk
half a dozen squares to give that boy the
job of shining his boots.
During the war he was ordered home to
assist in gathering up some deserters. One
evening about dusk he was out in the
country in quest of a deserter who had
been off the Layout" for year. He was
very hungry and very weary He called
at a house by the roadside and there he
found a woman just taking from the spit
a nicely broiled chicken. The SAVIOR of
the fowl made him ravenous. He had a
Mexican dollar in his pocket, which he
had carried for years and to which he was
much attached, but he was bound to have
that chicken, and he pulled out the dollar
and proposed a trade-the coin for the
fowl The lady said the chicken was for
a sick friend and that she could not sell it,
But" she continued, III jump you for
it,"
What do you mean?" said Buck.
Il mean that we will see which can
jump farthest from this door sill out into
the yard, and the one of us that beats
shall have both chicken and dollar"
'All right; that suits me exactly" said
Buck. The dollar was placed on the dish
beside the chicken and his gun was leaned
against the wall by the door, and Buck
a nd 1ot,
leap of over twelve feet. He recovered
with difficulty, and when he turned to the
door there was the lady with his cooked
gun IN her hands, with the butt against
her shoulder and her finger on the trig-
ger
Now, you just firt the gravel down
that road, young man, or I'll made buzz
yards food of you before hell can SINCE
a gnat," she ordered
There was shoot in her eyes and chuck
and balP' in the gun. SO Buck ''firted
the gravel" his bosom swollen with i'm
potent rage and his mouth overlooking
with eloquent profanity.
BY this time it was dark Over in
field Buck" spied a gin house. He went
to 1t and climbed into the loft, laid down
on the floor and soon was fast asleep.
After time he was awakened by voices
down below. He listened and made the
discovery that one was female voice
was relating the jumping" episode to
her companion, who gave vent to peal
after peal of laughter. There were the
chicken and his dollar which he could see
by the light of the tallow dip. Peering
about he saw his gun also. There was a
big hole in the floor of the loft and Just
as the man took hold of the dish to eat
the chicken Buck plunged through that
hole and seized his gun. Before they re-
covered from their establishment Buck
roared out: Madam, you just flirt the
gravel back home, and as for this gen.
tleman he and / will fiirt the gravel to
the office of the provost marshal. He is
the deserter L have been after for a
week.
There was shoot in Bucks" eye now
The woman left. Buck" recovered his
dollar, ate the chicken and before mid
night surrendered his prisoner to the pro
vost marshal 1t was work a journey
across the continent to hear Buck" tell
the story.