The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-09
In HOTEL CORRIDORS.

''I never knew the real value of a writ
of replevin until saw it put to use down
in Arkansas" said a man who was inter
heard of its drawing power when issued
for horses and household articles but I
saw it put to an entirely new use down
there. There was an old farmer-if YOU
can call a man farmer who lives in the
country and puts in his time hunting
while he lets his land go to waste-Iiving
near a place where 1 stopped and he had
daughter who was fair to look upon as
Arkansas crackers daughters usually
are. The daughter was IN love with a
young man who was rated as 'Wus than
useless by her father, but the young man
was in love with the daughter and that
settled it as far she was concerned.
The father refused to give his consent to
their marriage and the lovers were hav-
ing hard time of it. according to their
way of looking at it The young man was
a nephew of the man at whose house I
was stopping and he appealed to his uncle
for advice and counsel and he got it. His
uncle advised that he bring the girl to
his house, have the preacher on hand and
get the ceremony through before the
adopted and the young man drove over TO
the girls home which was about ten
miles distant, and got her, having prev
iously arranged the matter through a
mutual friend. This was in the morning.
next day he proceeded to take a few steps
himself. The old man was not on to all
the C@arves of law, but he had a marked
respect for the fetching power of a writ
of replevin, so he at once went to JUS
r eT5 for the girl e d ian oonsder
that the law Of the land by the marriage
had taken his daughter from his charge,
although she was oid enough to marry
without his consent; he looked upon her
more as a head of stock than a human
being and was not mucn IN the habit Of
being disobeyed anyway, so he took the
steps that he and his friends considered
legal he appeared at the house with the
constable and a shot gun They served
the writ and took the girl back home.
There was a great commouon when the
girl was gone and the young man and
the uncle .hitched up and drove to the
county seat, where they got a lawyer and
the sheriff and, after going through a lot
of legal proceedings. went to the fathers
brought her back; but there had been a
fight in which the father got a few shot
in his leg and the constable received a
broken head left the next morning and
but I expect it will furnish sufficient
family heirloom in certain sections of the
country"
''There is nothing that will make
mans flesh creep or cause the cold chillS
than will the howl of a wolf at night"
remarked one of a group, who were tell
fornia for several years and did a good
deal of roughing it, and I think that the
account of the wolves. I had heard coy
otes howl many times in this state and
the howl they let out is weird enough to
make man think a lost soul is wailing,
but the great chorus of select singers of
the wilderness that L heard night in
1nyo county put every previous experience
In the shade We were mining out there
another camp where there was to be a
wedding and a dance. It was about Is
trip much as we had not had any fun for
some time. There were probably fifty
people at the dance and as many more in
the camp, which was long ways from
any place. They had two fiddIeS and a
Everything went along all right and We
We're enjoying ourselves until about II
o'clock when we heard the wolves howl
ing. l went out and IN the darkness could
see cleaning eyes in every direction. I
knew at once that they were wolves and
coyotes The noise they made was hor-
rible. When the music stopped the beasts
quoted down and not a sound was heard;
but the instant the fddles started they
began their unearthly chorus. The
longer the dance kept up the more wolves
came and Joined in the din. It seemed to
be musical feast which they considered
was gotten up for their especial delecta-
ton and they showed their appreciation
of the treat by turning out in numbers
which, if registered at one dollar per head
at a box office would have made the
manager of a prirna donna happy for at
least a week They always quit when
the hddles did and began with them. The
of the big gray wolf made a combination
that was something frightfu1 to hear 1t
got so loud that the dancers could not
hear the hddles and everyone became
frightened. To glance out in the night
and see the thousands of cleaning eyes
was not calculated to make anyone cheer
full. 1t took the dancing spirit out of
half an hour, thinking they would go
away satisfied with what they had heard.
but they didn't bulge and when the music
started again a wall, howl and yell went
up that put a quietus any further
attempt. 1t was about l o'clock when
we gave up the dance and we staid there
until daylight waiting for the wolves to
leave before we did. I have attended con-
certs where I would gladly have well
coined wolves or anything else that would
have caused the music to stop. but that
was the only experience ever had where
wolves took such an active part. An old
timer who was present said that he was
sure there were at least 5000 wolves there
and if 1 am any judge of numbers, I don't
think he missed it. When we got back
to our camp the boys said they had heard
the racket and that was Is miles away
They were telling hard luck stories and
relating Individual experiences of being
up against it. when a fieShy man who
looked like he had never missed meal
in his life, broke in with: You gentlemen
you probably have, from your standpoint,
but 1 think / have been as much in need
of rich and generous friends as any one.
When [ first started out in life to make
my own way I was about twenty years
old. had been having easy time of
it from the first day I could remember.
as my father was well fixed and was very
liberal with me- He failed in business as
LIEUT.. PROF. RICH