Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-10-20
DAILY. STOR Y.
THE PILOTS STORY.

better III coward. I've butted up
ag'in fortyficatiOnS, and I've legged it
To get out o the way o shot and she'll
The boat 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 Il Fourth
OF July pinwheel.
But | don't have to draw OH myself
for an argument. | was Il stars and
bars boy myself. I'll take one o your
fellers. as brave a man as ever fought
under the stars and stripes. Dye see
that bank over thar? | remember Il
day when there was good deal dom
on that bank. 1t was about fOu' years
after the close Of the war, and the car
petbag business was humpin. The
gineral idee of Il carpetbagger, both
north and south, was Il low down cuSS
without any decency whatever. Some
OF 'em was. But Major Machinery was
a different sort. He had risen from the
ranks in the Union army, ana when the
war was over, bein' only twenty seven
years old. he concluded To settle i'll the
south and grow up with the country
after its new birth. There was a lot of
no'the'n officers TUX that fever, and !
reckon they all come to grief.
The major bought Il plantation over
thar. He didn't pay much TO it. 70 ii
wasn't wo'th much. His neiGhbOrS
tried to drive him out in var'uS ways.
but he was good pluck and refused 10
be driv. One day when l was pilot o
the Talladega we come tioatm' down
we're Just as were doin' now. and.
roundin' 10, putin her nose upstream.
we tied up at WHAT boat over thar
10 deliver the mail. l wanted To git
some toOaccer, SO | tole the capn Id
Rke the mail bag up. He tolc me TO go
ahead, and, rollin' it under my arm
fo' thar wasn't much in til struck
out l found big crowd on the bluff,
and they follered me to the postotfice
| handed in the mail bag, and just then
in walked Major Machinery. There was
one letter in the bag, and that had the
majors name on it. The postmaster
handed it 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
ma Or, who had seen all the tiShtin' 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 tripped him. The major
stumbled. but didn't say nothin'. He
knowed it was intentional. but if he
said anything there he'd have to fight
for his life. There was II man he had
on his plantation in the crowd and two
or three south'n UnioniSts that had set
tied thar 10 he under the majors wing.
When the man that had tripped the
major saw it didn't move him tn give
EN- Il chance 10 kill him he roared out:
"'YO' Yankee carpetbasGcr, what Il
yo' mean by carryin' off the mail with
yo'? We don't want no hogs down
we're"
The major whipped out 4 revolver
and stuck ii under the mans nose so
quick that the Teller fell back. and the
major went out. He hadn't been gone
more'n Il 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- get at him to get him out a their
way. and pretty soon it was Il stand off
between the two factions. ! got out
o the way o the fyin' bullets. As
was maxim off heavy man that had
been shot fell on me and knocked me
down. 1t occurred to me that it would
be well TO me to lay whar | fell
leastawayS there's no Use TO kill 4
dead man, an l concluded I'd be dead
fo' awhile. till the shootin' was over.
Il didn't see nothin' more-I didn't
want tO-but the major. hearn' the
fracas. went back, and he and his little
gang KEEP the fire eaters at bay TO
some time. Then most of the majors
hackers was killed. AS | was tellin'
yo, / didn't see nothin' that was gOin'
on till there was nothin' but Il few
stray shots left near me; then | got up
and made tracks TO the boat
"Everybod 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 Embossed the cables. We driftcd
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
minute l was at the wheel. Her stern
was just touchin' the shore when l
rung to go ahead, and we steamed out
into deep water.
Putin her nose downstream, l |
looked back at the scene of the fight |
and saw the major comm on the dead
run with a crowd an eighth of Il mile
behind him, all firm at him. l sig
nailed to stop her and would "a sent |
a boat TO him, but there was no one
to send. When he got opposite us he
took to the water, and when he reach
I'd us one of the hands pulled him in.
He was the wo'st used up man |
ever saw. He stood OH deck lookin
pack at his plantation, where he had all |