New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-25
BURNING THE FLAG.
SEBASTOPOL'S SECESSION AND ITS
STRANGE PUNISHMENT.
From The Chicago Times Herald.

From The Chicago Times Herald.
The story was told me years ago floating by
Dead Mans Slough one hot afternoon in June.
The slough is a bayou Of the upper Mississippi
Fishermen sometimes find cOrpses there attached
to their lines.
See" said Bristow. the story teller. pointing
TO a bay on the western shore Of the river. Sc
bastopol was there Once-a bloody town mat
went out in the night. How do know who lald
i out or what became Of those who were there!
! Perhaps the river swallowed it up, perhaps the
lightning blasted it out l wasn't there. But
right where the waters breaking on the bank
now tn town stood, and because the bluffs ana
the hills bound it in they call it Sebastopol and
the sugar and wheat boats come and go, and the
women and children kdded about the streets
and the men waited for the town to make en-
/ all millionaires. All towns in that Sioux and
Winnebago country were gold mines in those
days-days when every body had dream
! ~ boat throws out her lines one night and ties
! up. and when the captain comes ashore ana the
/ best Of the town was going down his gully ne
tells how the South is for secession and gong
! to quit the North. He says In the cotton heIiS
men We're working with guns by their sides. ana
| that there new flag, one with stars ana
! bars. what was put up over the other win
! stars and Stripes And il was all about the mig
ger Sebastopol didn't for niggers; there
! wasn't one in the town, and those what come
! up On the boats stayed on en- when at SeDasto.
! pol. one what come ashore they put at loot OF
! a Hill with the oak and the elm 50 thick you
couldn't SEE the top. and they started him on the
| climb up with the hounds after him. And 1t was
! music 10 the ears below when the hounds
| reached him and the yell u his despair was shut
| off with the yelp Of the dogs Did he get away
| Nobody went 10 see. He didn't come back' Dut
| the dogs did
Fifteen hundred miles away from Washing
! ton SehastOpol learns of secession ana decides
! it'll 20 out of the Union. too ana on vote
/ there was seventy-one men for destroying the
/ town flag what was a proper banner OF stripes
and stars There was one man. Nermonter'
whose name was Jessup. who voted for the flag,
/ and he got his notice that night 10 follow the
| Niger over the hills. only they dldnt set the
! dogs after MIN. He takes his rifle and he goes
To the top Of the highest bluff what oyer.ooks
! SebastopOl. 50 high UP he could look USht
down INTO tn town. and he sets right there an
night ] heard as how when morning CONE some
| people. maybe women. sees him kneelinS as II
| h. lad prayers u say
! Ten o'clock that morning the town folk
| all meet IN the little square what was the land
! ing place for the boats. and there's some WOOD
/ piled up there and over the top Of the wood
two men stretched The old flag. And theh' 70
show they wasn't afraid they brings out H.
! tie girl all dressed in white. ana She mas HtIe
torch and she puts hat to the wood ana 1t l'sh'a
! up. Perhaps m ten or twenty minutes the ild5
and the wood is all gone. and SebaStopol -
| satisfied that It's seeded. The men was So ok
cited they didn't work. and the women hunE
J about the doorWays and wondered what MouIu
come next. Somebody said as how IN S2uIL
| was going 10 taxi everything along l!e ~
| from E'Orleans 10 -. Anthony ana as no"
Jeff Davis would be- king. Some OF the 9eoaS-
! topol people knew him. because ne pe+h Al
/ Fort prairie du Chen when ne was III the i'e9U
while they were all Specializing. somebody
! looks up 10 the top Of the hill where Old JessuP
! Mad gone and there they sees the stars anu
STRIPES waving from pole, ana JeSsup stdHu-
/ ing by it, leaning on his gun and looking down.
| Nobody knew how he got the iaS-suppoSe ne
must have had it in his kit for long tlHle-
II wasn't a big flag. but big enough foi All -
| bastOpol 10 see II and get redhOt Had. me
mon goes for their guns. the women got INSIDE
the houses and there's going to be trouble sure.
| Tb.r. was inst one way to get up 10 JeSsuo,
and that was a straight climb through the brush
TO where he was \ couple Of men took a shot
AT him from the town. but he never moved, ana
| the first fellow that got anywhere near MN
| Jessup gave him warning and shot him dead.
| That stopped The others, and they went 10
! speculating They speculated all day ana nlSht.
| and for several days. but Jessup and the nag
| didn't move until they got ready 70.
| when they did 90 nobody saw, ana me next
word what comes 10 Sabastopo that the
| Regulars at Fort Smelling had been notihed or
| what the town had done, and there was going
| TO be trouble SebastopOl laughed. but just IKE
a woman what has the lung troupie not p1u,
| but coming slow and gradual the town fades
away This family goes and that one. the JOCKS
break away the flood comes. the houses tumpie
| in the timber wolves get nearer. there : iresh-
| ct Lake Pcpin backs up, ana one morning
| there amt anything where S"bastup"I - .'u'
| sand ana wood grass and some birds and squr-
rels OF course. God does some queer things.
| and don't never NEEDLE with His business
| It's enough for me 10 know that Hes AROUND,
| saving wood but | just have kept thinking
| ever since / knew about that dag that some-
| Almighty and he put out His hand and lald X
upon the town. and that was enough.
| The boat swung outward TO avoid sandy bar.
| and We passed from sight n the town upon
| which the whitening blight ~ an unKnoWn
power had fallen. after the destruction of the