The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-04-28
RAYNORTHROWN
THE GUERRILLA CHIEF AND THE Al
LEGGED MRS. FEB WHITE.

had been trading war stories with Zeb
White, the postum hunter, of Tennessee as
we sat at a table together and smoked our
pipes when he said:
''What made it bad fur our wimmen
folks yere doorin the wah was the guerrillas
who used to go sloshing about and Robin
and burnin both sides alike. In this nay
burhood was a Teller named Abe Raynor
who had about 20 men with him, and he
did nuthin but ride about and bluff and
rob the wimmen. Now and then, as in
the case of my ole woman, he found some
body who'd stand right up and defy him,
but befo' he got through with it he driv
most everybody out and left the cabins on
fire behind 'em. AFTER my ole woman had
defled him two or three times he got mad
and swore he'd drive her out at any cost,
and jest about that time 1 got furlough
and come home.
''When I heard what Abe had been up
to- I wanted to hunt him down right
away, but he was purtendiu to be good
Confederate, and it wouldn't jest do to
kill him off. I thought over it fur awhile
and then got a plan. One day when I
heard he was down at the Corners with
his gang had the ole woman dress me up
in her clothes and then sent her of up
stairs to hide I had no whiskers in them
days, and when got dressed up in female
clothes didn't pear much like a man.
was at work in the kitchen when a gang
of a dozen guerrillas rode up to the cabin
and Abe Raynor got off his boss and
kicked the door open and yelled:
q Hello, thar, ole woman! Do yo want
to pack up any of yo'r traps befo' 1 sot fire
to the house?'
g What's the row?' sez as goes to the
door.
g We've come to burn yo' out
g What fur?'
Jest to keep our hand in
g But I'm fur the south and my ole
man is in Gineral Lees army. Reckon
yo' dasn't burn down no cabins over the
heads of good Confederates.'
He said it didn't make no difference to
him, kase he was a bigger man than Gin
eral Lee, and his plan was to burn all the
cabins around yere, SO as to disappoint the
Yankees if they got up so fur. begged
him not to burn me out, but he only
laughed at me. Bimeby 1 seq:
g Abe Raynor, I'm lookin fur my ole
man on a furlough, and if he finds this
cabin gone he'll hunt yO' down
g 'Zeb White couldn't hunt down rab-
bit, SEE he as he laughs in my face.
90 NIebbe yo' don't know him..
g Mebbe I do, and if he was yere I'd
nail him to a tree by his ears and he'd cry
like child. If yo' wants to save anything
from this house, yo'd better be mighty
spry, kase we can't stand yere all day
chinnin with woman
'' a be Raynor,' SEE I, I'm only pore
weak woman, but I'm the wife of Zeb
White, who kin whop any man in this
yere kentry. Seoms like yo orter be will
in to gin me show
e 'Wha$ sort of a show?'
:" III tackle yo' single handed, and if
can't flop yo' this cabin may burn. If yo'
ain t a coward, yo'u gin me a show.'
g I amt a-fghtin Of wimmin, he SEE,
as his men begun to laugh.
g Then yo're afeared of me?'
''That reused him up, jest as had
counted on, " said Zeb, land arter a 1ettle
mo- he promised that if could lay him on
his back he'd let the cabin stand That
was what I wanted, and 1 stepped out
thar on that clear spot and told him was
ready. He took off his coat and flung down
his hat, and seed that he meant to use
me rough. We danced around bit, and
then he Gums fur me- was ready fur
him, and he was on his back befo you
could count ten. 1t was a far fall, and
all the men said SO, but the critter got up
mad. He'd bin downed by woman and
felt cheap, and he said he'd heV another
try at it. was willin, and when he cum
agin gin him the back heel and a flop,
and he went head over heels and plowed
up the airth. When he got up, he was the
maddest man yo' ever seed. The boys was
a-eheerin me and laughin at him and he
wasn't gwine to hev it that way. He
looks at me bit and then sez:
g Mrs. White, if yo' was a man, I'd
whop yo'.'
90 3Yo' needn't mind my sex, seq I.
&c I think I'll cuff yo'r ears to Farm yo'
manners
q If yo' think yo' kin do it, cum on
''The gang cried out that it WASH t IA r
to fight woman, but Abe was mad clear
threw, and he cum fur me. let him play
around fur few minits, and then jumped
i'll on him and picked him up and throwed
him over that stump. He cum down on
his head with a crash and it was Jest half
an hour by the clock befo' he was able to
climb into his saddle and ride off. He'd
hev burned the cabin quick huff but the
men said it was ia T bargain and sided
with me-
"And was that the last of the affairP'' I
asked of Zeb, as he paused.
''No, not exactly, " he replied. He went
away that day, but he'd bin licked by
woman and it ranked, and he couldn't
abide it. The blamed critter thirsted fur
revenge and one AFTERNOON he cum back
yere alone to git it. My ole woman seen
him sneakin in the brush over thar, and
SO dressed up in her clothes agin and sot
down yere to smoke my pipe and wait.
Purity soon he showed up, and, wall1in up
to me- he SEE:
g Mrs. White, cum along with me-.
g What fur?'
g 'Kase I'm goin to tie yo' up and switch
yo' and hev music while the cabin is burn
in
"'Abe Raynor, yo' go on and don't fool
with me or it'll be the wuss for yo'.
4" Wuss be durnedI SEE he, and he
makes a grab fur me and lifts me up.
When I was on my feet, 1 lets out fur him,
and in five minits he was a licked man.
tied him hand and foot and licked him
with switch till I was tired. Then
sent fur some of the gang, and they cum
and took him off. When they had cum,
one of 'em SEE to me:
q Mrs. White, did you do this all alone
by yo'self?'
&C 1 did, sah'
- It e. me see yer hand