Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-12-14
CONVICTED BY 4 MONKEY.
HIS DUMB EVIDENCE SENDS 4 MAN TO
THE GALLOwS.

A Woman Accompllcs Seat to Prison fol
Lie The Murdered Man Was the Ownel
Of the Mon ey 50 csayIscIag Evidencs
Furnished 10 Court BY the Similar.
Louisiana has just furnished sen
sation In Jurisprudence that has never
been equalled In modern history said
Julius McGreath of New Orleans.
What do you think of n monkey as a
witness In a murder trial? Oh, that IL
not all Of 1t. for his testimony led to
the conviction OF the man and woman
charged with numbering his master.
The man was sentenced to be hanged
and the woman has been sentenced to
the penitentiary for life. The evidence
In the case was all purely circumstan-
tial-except that given by the monkey,
for IL ever an animal spoke that mon
key did.
1T is simply one more tragedy Of the
old Mississippi, whose turgid waters
have been Redeemed more than once
with human blood. The story sounds
more like narrative of the ante-bel-
lum days on the river, SO replete Is 1t
with incidents reminding us of bygone
times.
Perhaps you know that the house
boat has not quite disappeared from
the Mississippi. AS usual thing they
start i'm below st. Louis, fitting out
either at Memphis, Cairo or some other
point not too far from the scene OF
their operations. They are equipped
with groceries, provisions, small farm
ing Implements, notions, calico prints,
in fact everything which one would
expect to find in the in rhe stock of Il
country store. They drift down the
current of the river, stopping at ham
shrewd bargains with the Inhabitants,
who sometimes find the inland store
too far away, or too poorly stocked to
get what they want.
Sometimes rude sail is hoisted
when ii Is desired to cross the river,
but this is not often done. The tub
like craft is steered and half propelled
by means of long sweeps or clumsy
oars, from the stern. 1t is wonderful
to see the evOlutions the houseboat will
perform when the sweep Is in the
hand of an experienced riverman.
These travelling empOriums used to do
a thriving business IA good many years
ago. but lately the railroads and other
auXiliaries of civilization have forced
them to the rear. 1t Is very rare
thing to see one nowadays. They be-
long to past epoch.
"A few months ago a man by the
name of III. y. Aackerman, more fire.
quently known as Bill Alderman,
came down the river in one of these
households. He was n shrewd fellow.
and had realized that there was little
profit i'm Il mere huckstering enterprise
His scow contained a regular MENACE
RE, consisting of trick ponies, perform
ing dogs, monkey and n merry-go-
round. l have forgotten where he
came from, but he stopped ut every
town and village along the Mississippi,
and he made money, for the country
a
most anything serves to furnish diver
sion for them.
AT one of the landings, about 100
miles above Baton Rouge, he picked
up man and woman who gave the
name of Starr, claiming to be man and
wife. Alderman said that he needed
help in his show, and agreed to give
the pair certain percentage of the
profits, the woman to do the cooking
and the man to help with the perform
ance. The trio led n sort of Huckle-
berry Finn existence, going wherever
they desired, stopping to fish, and
tying up to the bank at night.
1T would be hard for the average
person to understand the attraction
such an entertainment, poor at the
best, would have for the people who
live along the banks Of the stream.
In many cases railroad does not
come within fifty miles Of them. and
about the only amusement they have
is to watch the steam packets going
up and down the river. The majority
of them never saw a circus, and few
of them have ever been inside the
smallest theatre. Ackermans show,
with its -go-round, its ponies and
dogs capable of performing unheard-of
tricks, set the rural denlzens wild with
delight. =. II. Barnum's name would
not have been one-half as great tails
man as that of Alderman. He abso-
lutely owned the community wherever
he went.
1.-THE prize of the whole combination
was Jocko, the monkey. Ponies and
dogs were ordinary domestic animals.
but this simian, with its almost human
face, was something irresistible. 1t
furnished the people something TO talk
about for days to see him leap from his
masters shoulder take off his cap, and
make his tour of collection. Jocko was
devoted to Alderman. and was his con
slant companion. Alderman never left
the boat without taking his pet with
him. for Jocko would have been incon-
solable in his masters absence. The
monkey had more fidelity than dog,
and was a most intelligent representa-
tive of his species.
1.-The houseboat continued down the
river, and its approach was heralded
by word of mouth, for Alderman de-