The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1905-07-21
A Story Of Reconstruction
Days in the State Of
louisiana.
Z. DITTO

During the clark and gloomy" days
of reconstruction (exact dates not re-
membered) Henry Clay Yarmouth
was governor and Junius Brutus
| Pinchback, colored, was lieutenant
governor of Louisiana.
A rather funny episode happened.
Governor Yarmouth took occasion
| to visit his old home in Illinois, and
according to the then existing law
his absence from the state made the
gubernatorial chair vacant and void.
1t happened that Pipchback was alb
sent from the state at the same time.
| As soon as his friends found out that
the governor was absent they wired
| him the information, and told him to
| hurry back home and he would be-
come governor. He Lit out for home
at once.
/ In the meantime the friends OF
! Yarmouth, getting wind of affairs.
wired him the condition of things and
| urged him to hasten home or he
| would lose his Office. He took rail
| and hurried home as fast as the
schedules would allow, but when he
! reached the northern part of Missis-
| sippi, about Canton, he found that
"Pinch' was ahead of him and at the
| rate he was travelling would reach
! New Orleans in advance of him. So
he made arrangements for an engine
| and coach for three thousand dollars,
| with the understanding that he was
| to be landed in New Orleans in Civ
| en- number of hours, which would re-
| quire speed of sixty miles an hour.
| Pinchback was ahead, and so jubil-
| ant that he concluded that he would
wire his friends of his good fortune,
| so he got off at station for the pur-
pose of doing so. But things do not
| always turn out as we anticipate, and
so it happened in this case Luck
| was against the lieutenont governor,
for while he was in the telegraph of
flee some one slipped up behind him
and locked him in, and when he got
out his train was gone and he was
left disconsoIate.
On came Governor Warmouth's
train, and in passing he saw pinch"
walking up and down the platform,
impatient and forlorn- He ran out
and hailed him. '.Pinch'' waved at
him and said:
Governor, your star is in the as
| cendant.''
"No,n replied Yarmouth, mot
| mine, but the state of Louisiana's."
| The train made the time a. agreed
upon, but not screw nor tap was
left whole.
A funny incident occurred on the
/ trip. When the train was made up
and ready to leave Canton there was
| a man, his wife and sister-in-law,
who thought they would have some
fun, perhaps, and asked the conduc-
tor, whose name was Fitzpatrick. if
they could go on the train. The con-
ductor told them he had nothing to
do with it. and they must ask Gov
ernor Yarmouth.
The governor readily gave his con-
sent, so they got aboard, but soon be-
came anxious and restless, and asked
the conductor to put them off, which
he refused to do. They even got on
their knees and prayed, and told the
conductor that they owed note in
the bank at Jackson, which was due
that day, and if they could not get
| off it would be dishonored.
The conductor said: "Look here,
| if you will acknowledge that you are
scared I'll let you off,"
The man replied: 'Scared? I am
| the worst scared man in Louisiana
The conductor slowed up and let
them off. ALI during this trip Gov
ernor Yarmouth sat unmovable and
undisturbed, smoking fragrant Ha.