The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-08-29
NEWS OF A RUNAWAY

Trumpet Blast OF Freedom, SAID the Colo
mel, Il announced in the paper that the
Blast would be pleased to have its patrons
send in or bring in any items that would
be of interest to its readers in the way of
news or local happenings The request
didn't meet with any very enthusiastic re-
sponse but one day resident of the Wild
Gander Ridge district having come to town
with some wildcat scalps and bearskin
or two, dropped in at the Blast Office.
"Any news out Wild Gander way that 1
can put in the paper this week." 1 asked.
Well, no, said he, feeling of his chin
and looking at the ceiling as if trying to re-
call something of the kind | had mentioned
mot perticlar There mowt'a been some
thin worth while putin in, mebbe, about
runaway I had t'other day, if anybody d
been hurt or anything had been smashed
or broke. But nobody want hurt, and
nothin want smashed or broke, so it amt
hardly wuth while mentionin' it,
Oh said l. I don't know. guess we'd
better make little note of it. Even com
monplace incidents like that have an inter
est to lcSal paper. How about the run
away?
CT don't see what's the use, as long as
there want nobody hurt and nothin' broke
or smashed said the Wild Gander Ridge
citizen, but if you want to print it, all right.
The boss | was drivin' want noways skit-
tish but he got skeert and run away, jest
the, same Me and my little boy, who's
a-comin' three in the spring, was in the
wagon. l stopped and got out at the big
spring to git drink.
"1 hadn't any more than stopped over
at the spring, when / heard my horse give
snort, and away he went down the road.
| up and took after him, and seen my boy
raise up in the wagon to jump. If he had
ever jumped he'd more than likely hurt
himself to make it worth while to put it in
the paper. But he didn't jump. He was
riz up out of the wagon as it passed under
the limb of tree that hung out over the
road, and he hung there, wrigglin' in the
air.
90 T hurried on, and when got there and
took the boy down, or, leastways, when he
was handed down to me, found him skeert
little, but he hadn't scratch. The black
snake that had reached down from the limb
of the tree and throwed a coil around him
and riz him out o the wagon jest as he was
goin' TO Jump want not more than ordinary
size, at that.
"'After l found that the boy want hurt
any. [ scooted on in the wake of the horse
and wagon, and come up to EN- standin'
right on the edge o Crackfoot ledge, on the
top O. which the road runs for mebbe 30
rods as it makes the bend into the lost
medders. If the horse and wagon had gone
over that ledge they'd a dropped more than
50 foot, plumb down, and then there'd a
been somethin' most worth while telegraph
ing to you to put in the paper
"'There they hung, right on the edge.
The snake that had 'em snubbed there
must "a see them coming in time for him to
take a hitch or two of himself, from his
neck down, around sapln' that stood at
the upper side O. the road, SO as he would
hold fast when he throwed out has lower
parts and lassoed couple of spokes IN the
hind wheels O. the wagon as the horse was
plungin' by Anyhow, the snake made the
snub and the lasso all right, and fetched the
horse and wagon up all standm,, right on
the brink o. that precipice.
"I backed the horse into the road, and
the snake let loose. There want as much
as splinter on the wagon or crack IN
the harness; so, you see, as there wa n t
nobody hurt and nothin' broke or smashed
I don't see how it's worth while a men
tionin' of it in the paper.
"It mowt "a been worth while even II the
snake that had saved the horse and wagon
from goin' over the ledge had been as long
as | thought he was at first, but he wa I.
He was stretched across the road, from
the tree to the wagon, Il foot and IL lnehes,
but when he let loose O. the wagon ne
snapped back to only eight foot and an
inch his natural size, the STRAIN on MN
havin' sort O. stretched him out consld-
er'hle IF he had been as long as 1 thought
he was at first he'd "a beat by more than
a foot the snake Sol Lickplosser shot 7 otner
day and that would "a been somethln
worth putin in the paper, sure enough
for it'd "a made Sol madden hungry Wild
cats. -, >, ~
worth while putin that runaway IN the
naper. anyhow, if only the bear that rlz up
in the brush by the spring and skeert the
horse in the first place had got all o my
coat+ail as he reached out for me when
started after the wagon, but he only got
litfle niece of it; so, takin' that runaway
all in all, | don't see as it's worth whlle men,
tionin' Of it, bein' as nobody wa MT hurt ana
notbin' Want broke or smashed.
"The Wild Gander citizen rose and SAID
he Guessed he'd go and look around town
a little. but he paused as he was gong OUT
and said: i'll. o,,t
tim in the paper betwiXt this ana my neA Nt
gatberin' O wildcats I'll drop IN and post
you 1.osa moth.
ing worth while happened IN the " ~
Camden Ridge district, and was sorry i 10
o,,an tba account of his runaway, lnsignlh-
oavt os ;ts details we're, served the Trumpet
Blast Of Freedom a good turn thaV wees