Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-09-09
BURNING TIE [LIG.

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The story was told nie years ago float
ing by Dead Mans slough one hot after
loon. 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, ''Sebastopol was there once
"a bloody town that went out in the
night. How do l know who laid it out
or what became of those who were
there? Perhaps the river swallowed it
up. perhaps lightning blasted it ont.
wasn't there. But right where the wa
ter's breaking on the bank now the town
stood, and because the bluffs and the
hills bound il in they called ii Sebastcpol,
and the sugar and wheat boats caulc
and went, the women and children kid
1ed about the streets. and the men waited
for the town to make 'em all milliouail es
All towns in that Sioux and Winnebago
country were gold mines in those days
days when everybody had a dream.
"A boat throws out her lines one night
and ties up, and when the captain comes
ashore and the best OF the town was
going down his gully he tells az how the
south is for secession and going to quit
the north. He says in the cotton fields
men are working with guns by their
sides, and that there WIS Il new flag. one
with stars and bars, what was put up
over the other with stars and stripes.
And it was all about the Niger. Sc
bastopol didn't care for niggers; there
wasn't one in town, and those what come
up on the boats staid on 'em when at
Sebastopol. One what come ashore they
put at the foot of hill with the oak and
the elm so thick that you couldn't see
the top. and they started him on the
climb up with the hounds after him. And
it was music to the ears below when
the hounds reached him and his yell of
despair was shut off with the yelp of
the dogs. Did he get away? Nobody
went to see. He didn't come back, but
the dogs did.
Fifteen hundred miles away from
Washington, Sebastopol learns of seces
sion and decides it'll go out of the Tn
ion, toO, and on a vote there was II
men for destroying the town flag, which
was proper banner of stripes and stars.
There was one man, a Fermonter, whose
name was .Jessup. who voted for the
flag, and he got his notice that night to
follow the niger over the hills. only he
didn't get the dogs after him. He takes
his rifle and he goes to the top of the
highest bluff what overiooks Sebastopol.
so high up he could look right down into
the town, and he sets there all night. I
heard as how when morning came some
people, maybe women, sees him kneeiing
as if he had prayers to say.
"Ten o'clock that morning the town
folk all meet in the little square what
was the landing 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 then, to
show they wasn't afraid, they brings
out little girl all dressed in white, and
she has little torch. and she puts that
to the wood, and it lights up. Perhaps
in 10 or 20 minutes the flag and the
wood are all gone, and Sebastopol is
satisfied that it's seeded. The men was
so excited that they didn't work. and the
women hung about the doorways and
what would come next. Some
body said as how the south was going
to take everything along the river from
New Orleans to st. Anthony, and as how
Jeff Davis would be king. Some OF the
Sebastopol people knew him. because
he'd been at Fort Prairie du Chen when
he was in the regular army.
while they We're all speculating some /
body looks up to the top Of the hill |
where old Jessup had gone. and there !
they sees the stars and stripes waving !
from u pole and Jessup standing by it. !
leaning on his gun and looking down. |
Suppose he must have had it in his kit !
FOR long time. 1t wasn't big flag.
Dut big enough fof all Sebastopol to see !
t and get redhOt mad. The men goes
'or their guns. the women get inside the
louses, and there's going to be trouble
sure. There was just one way to get
up to Jessup, and that was a straight
limb through the brush to whore he
vas. A couple of men took shot Mt
lin from the town, but he never moved.
md the first fellow that got anywhere
lear him Jessup gave him warning and
hot him dead. That stopped the others.
md they went to speculating. They
peculated all day and night and for sew
raj days, but Jessup and the flag didn't
move until they got ready to-
'NNhen they did go. nobody saw them,
nd the next word what comes to Sebas-
opol was that the regulars ut Fort
Smelling had been notified of what the
own had done, and there was going to
e trouble. Sebastopol laughed. but just
Ike a woman who has the lung trouble,
ot bad, but coming slow and gradual,
he town fades away. This family goes
nd that one, the docks break away, the
ood comes, the houses tumble in. the
mber wolves get nearer. there's fresh
t, Lake Pepin backs up. and one morn
lg there amt anything where Sebas
Dpol was but sand, wood grass and some
irds and squirrels. OF course God does
ONE queer things, and | don't never
leddle with his business. It's enough
Or me to know that he's around saving
-ood. but | just have kept a-thinling
YER since l knew about that flag that
,mehow what Sebastopol did didn't
gree with the Almighty, and he put out
is hand and laid it upon the town. and
nat was enough"
The boat swung outward to avoid
md bar. and we passed from sight of ,
le town upon which the withcrius
light of an unknown power had fallen ,
fter the destruction of the fag.--New