The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1906-11-21
THE PILOTS
.....|TORy



n brave mans cornercd he amt any
better n n coward. I've buttcd up
ag'ln fortyllcatlons, and I've legged 1t
to get out o the way o shot and SHE'LL
The bont was moving swiftly down
with the stream, and the pilot was now
pulling the wheel with all his strength,
then letting It fly around like Fourth
Of July plnwhcel
'But don't have TO draw ON myself
for nn argument. | was n stars and
bars boy myself. I'll take one o your
fellers, NJ brave man ns ever fought
under the stars and stripes Dye see
that bank over thar | remember n
day when there was n good deal don'
on that bank. II was about fou' years
after the close of the war, and the car
petbag business was humpin'. The
glnernl ldee of carpetbagger both
north and south, was n low down cuss
without any dccency whatever. Some
Of 'cm was. But Major Machinery was
II different sort. He had risen from the
ranks In the Union army, and when the
war was over bcln' only twenty y-scven
years old, he concluded to settle In the
south and grow up with tho country
after Its new birth. There was lot of
no'thc'n officers TUX that fever, and |
reckon they all come to grief.
"rhe major bought plantation over
thar. lie didn't pay much To- It, To- II
.l,t,
tried to drive him out In vnr'us ways,
but he was good pluck and refused to
be drlv. One dny when was pilot o.
the Tnllndega we come ilontln' down
yere Just as we're doln' now, and,
roundln' 10, putin her nose upstream,
to deliver the mall | wanted to glt
some tobacccr, 80 | tole the cap'n I'd
take the mall bag up. He tolc me to 20
ahead, and, rollln' II under my arm
fo' thar wasn't much In lt-I struck
out found II big crowd on the bluff.
and they follcrcd me TO the postoiiice.
| handed In the mail bag, and lust then
In walked Major Machinery. There was
one letter In the bag. and that had the
majors name on It. The postmaster
handed II out to him.
THAT made the crowd mad. One
man said that yo couldn't expect moth
In better from Yankee gov'ment than
to deliver only letters To- Yankees. The
major, who had seen all the lghtln' he
wanted In the late war, tux his letter
and went out, or, ruther, he was goin'
out when one of the crowd put out his
foot and trlpped him. The major
stumbled, but didn't say nothln'. He
knowcd II was Intentional but II he
said anything there he'd have to fight
for his life. There was man he had
on his plantation In the crowd and two
or three south'n Unlonists that had set
tied thar to be under the majors wing.
When the man that had trlpped the
major saw It didn't move him to give
'cm a chance to kill him he roarcd out:
"'Yo' Yankee carpctbaggcr. what d.
yo' mean by cnrryin' Off the mail with
yo'? We don't want no hogs down
| ycrc!
"Ihe major whipped out revolver
and stuck II under the mans nose so
quick that the fellcr fell back. and the
majer went out. He hadn't been gone
morc'n few minutes when they Jam
med the man that wo'ked on his planta-
| ton ag'in the wall and he hit one of
'em on the head. The Union men tried
to 'set at him to get him out o their
way. and pretty soon It was stand off
| hnt hn tNp.. u..tin \ NJ
o the way o. the nyin' bullets. As
was maxim Off II heavy man that had
| been shot fell on me and knocked me
| down. 1t occurred to me that 1t would
| be well fo' me to lay whar | fell
leastaways there's no use to kill n
dead man, an concluded I'd be dead
fo' awhile, till the shootin' was over.
81 didn't soc nothin morc-I didn't
want to-but the major, hearin' the
fracas, went back, and he and his little
gang KEEP the fire eaters mt bay fo
some time. Then most Of the majors
hackers was killed AS | was tellln'
| yo', didn't see nothin' that was goin'
on till there was nothin' but n few
stray shots left near me; then got up
and made tracks To- the boat.
Everybody on board had left the
WHAT boat, and some Of 'em had lock-
ed themselves In staterooms. The
deck hands had all tumbled into the
hold, and the cap'n had hid In the pilot
house. | run aboard and, SEEM no
one, run out to the WHAT boat ag'in
and unloosed the cables. We drlfted
off, and, yankin' the engineer out of
his hidin' place behind the engine,
tole him to be ready for signals as soon
as l got to the pilot house. In half a
minute was at the wheel. Her stern
was Just touchin' the shore when
| rung to go ahead, and we steamed out
| into deep water
Putin her nose downstream,
| looked back at the scene of the fight
| and saw the major comm on the dead
run with crowd an eighth of a mile
behind him, all firm at him. sig
aaled to stop her and would a sent
| boat fo' him, but there was no one
10 send. When he got opposite us he
| took to the water and when he reach