The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-11-23

1t to the city upon Q mere request and
 urges that some steps be taken towards
 bringing back the interesting relic.
 "Old Quindaro," as the gun was
 called was landed on the levee here
 some time in the spring of 1857, along
 with lot of arms and ammunition
 consigned to the New England Immi- grafton society. This was, of course, in
 the days of John Brown, James Mont
 gomery and Jim Lane, men whose very
 names recall stories of border strife
 and warfare. It was the intention to
 use it in the underground railway
 which had then just begun operation at Quindaro, and it was stored away with
 other war supplies in a secret chamber
 of the old warehouse. The gun was
 not mounted; so when John Brown and
 Jim Lane sought to use it in the fight
 against the slavery party in Missouri l they found that they were no better off
 than they were before the gun came.
 So it rusted away in the warehouse un-
 til party of raiders from Wyandotte
 got possession of it and dragged it
 home with them to fire a salute in hon.
 or of Lincoln's election to the presiden- cy. After this it's initial appearance,
 it remained in inoecuous desuetude un-
 til the breaking out of the rebellion. When Colonel Van Horn made up | his battalion he needed artillery" said
 MT. Carpenter, 'sand he sent to Wyan- dotte for Old Quindaro.' The gun was still unmounted but, nevertheless, it met with immediate favor in the eyes of (Hbfic lao tingent, to whose care it was to be in-
 trusted. They dragged 1t down to
 Henry Kaufman's blacksmith shop, at
 Main and Fifth streets, tied 1t with
 ropes and wires on the top of store
 box and then hoisted it into farm
 wagon. Then It was rammed with
 powder and filled to the muzzle with
 scraps of iron, rivets, old horseshoes
 and nails Two mules were hitched to the wagon, and old Chris eyed his handiwork critically, after filling the
 bowl of his long German pipe and giv- ing the big saber that curled back over his shoulder an extra flourish. 'Ten- shunn cried Chris. Why, tamnashun Ndon't you come 'tenshun der? I don't know, do your Chris pipe was about out and he stopped to pull 1t into life. 'Mein herren, dis is one big tag for you; we moi forward by der front vorbi to charge der enemi dis great gun init who lie In dem burg off der Randolfspitz;' again he swung his curved saber and puffed at his pipe der riber gegen- gueber. Forget not when der Herr Butcher marched dam Waterloo on nor when Friedrich der Gross slug dem fienden at Llegnitz and Torgau;' again | there was long puff at the pipe, Go on init yer tam mules.
 The line of march was down Main | street to the river, with Captain Van | Damn home guards in advance, the mule team behind, and the drum and | flies playing .'The Girl Left Behind | Me" The ferryboat indeed the host in attachments on the Clay county side. There was another roll call and in- spection of the gun. Three log huts in which it was represented the enemy was intrenched came into sight The invaders halted q half mile away and the gun was ordered into action After much fuss and noise the mules were turned around and the gun aimed at the huts. For fear that retreat must be ordered, they were not unhitched from the improvlsed gun carriage No one appeared to think for one instant that Missouri mule might be dis turbed by the report of gun,
 Chris sighted the piece. I see dat place where dem shrapnel will play der he'll jus so good as if me were 1t and it
 
 70 charge when I pfire dem gun init. Ready init yer?"
 There was a chorus of Va 'yya,' ya,' from the ranks.
 Chris climbed up on box and lit he fuse; there was flash of light, a 'eport that reverberated for miles along l he Missouri valley and a cloud of moke that enveloped everything. But 'bove the din of warlike sounds arose he yaw-huh yaw-huh of the fright .ned mules, 'Ach himmsels and Her Z iottis' of the troopers The. mules had eaped with the report of the cannon md were tearing back over the road with the tongue and front running ,ears of the wagon, and after them in ngoriouS flight rushed every man ex- ept Chris. He had fallen on his back n the dusty road and lay there for ome time stunned. He finally raised 2 imself up cautiously and looked |, round. It was as still as summers | vening, the smoke had cleared away, r nd, to his disappointment, he saw the hree huts still standing, apparently | nscathed; but through the trees there ( vas vista made by the shower of old 'on. On the ground lay the gun, reed from its bonds of ropes and wire, nd down over the Harlem flats he T aught sight of the fleeing mules and ne retreating squadron.
 :" Cum back, cum back" he yelled. z Iein Gott in himmel would yer left CT artillery?'
 His appeal was in vain. There was l othing for him to do but to curve his :, Id saber over his shoulder and, with |I g much dignity as his lame back ould permit, bring up the rear. The ( ext day a squad went over to Ran J olph and recovered the gun and the q md part of the wagon. They looked T 1er the ground and into the huts, but | 7 'uld find nothing to indicate that the S lemy had ever been in that part of e country. z "The wreck was hauled to a shop at le coQer of Twelfth and Main streets, /