The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1906-02-17

der. Later. they bought forty or
| fifty yards of fuse from quarry
, man back of the cemetery. One
dark night. whilst the town was
asleep, and only cats and dogs on
parade, Crutcher and Tate stole
silently To the State House yard,
loaded the old cannCn heavily with
! powder. then ralnmed and rammed
it with sod and rags till their arms
nched. Attaching the fuse to the
"touch hole,' they unrolled it to
the gate, lit the end, and then fed
waiting a long while and no sound
coming to their ears they felt
something had gone wrong. Per-
haps the fuse had gone out.
They got up, dressed. and started
to the square. They had gone only
a few steps when tremendous ex-
plosion occurred. Every glass win
| dow within square OF the State
I House was shattered. People ran
on the streets. Everybody was
alarmed. Was it an earthquake?
Had meteor fallen? Crutcher
surmised it might be tho first blast
of Gabriel's trumpet. He and Tate
had joined the crowd and were in
nocently surmising what the noise
could be. The old cannon had
kicked over in the tall grass and
disappeared, leaving no evidence
of where the uproar came from.
Next day, many farmers came to
town TO inquire about the terrible
noise. The mystery was uneX-
planned for many years.
Col. 10 n n. Crutcher and Bill
dad Jones were visiting a charming
lady, who lived west of the city.
Jones was monopolizing the young
lady's company more than was
pleasing to Crutcher. He was there
nearly every night, we'll dressed,
fine looking, talkative. The young
lady smiled on him. Between Bill
dads home and the residence of
his charmer, lay big mud hole
spanning the road. Crutcher knew
that mud hole. He knew its depth.
He also knew the nights when Bill
dad would pass on the way TO love
hn Al L. 49,,
dark. he stretched grape vine
across the mud hole. from trees on
either side, and just high enough
to reach man on horse back. Then
he hitched his horse in thicket
TO one side and lay down behind
the fence and waited.
He had not long TO wait. for love
is no laggard. Bildad came along.
riding fast and whistling, for his
heart was light. The grape vine
worked we'll for the rider was
swept off and into the mud. AS he
waded, swearing, towards where
Crutcher lay. the latter's heart
heat like trip hammer for fear he
would be discovered, but his con-
cealment was secure, and as Bildad
returned home i'm sorry plight,
Crutcher spent the evening undis-
turbed i'm the agreeable company of
the bewitching damsel. His mirrh
was excessive. however, as he re-
membered the plight of the hero of
the n nd hole, and he was forced to
explain that it had no unkindly
meaning for her own dear self.
Col. John Crutcher. afterward
mayor and alcalde of Bellepoint,
was also the hero of Watermelon
fiascO or ambuscade. The town
boys planned raid by night on
! Sneed's siX-acre watermelon patch,
west of town. Crutcher, a country
lad then, was employed to notify
them when the melons were ripe
and to pilot the party. Crutcher con-
tidentially let the Sneeds into the
secret. They promised not to tell,
but gathered guns and provided
powder. On the night fixed, when
the melons were ripe, Crutcher led
the town raiders by private path