Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-10-25
The PILOTS
...|TORy


Il was in the late OupleaSautneSs,'
said the Mississippi pilot, land it's my
opinion that all this thing called hero.
ism depends on circumstances. When
a brave mans cornered he amt any
better n n coward. I've hutted up
ag'in fortyfications, and I've legged il
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 Fourth
OF July pinwheel.
But l don't have to draw on myself
for ali argument l was n stars and
bars boy myself. I'll take one O your
| fellcrs, as brave man as ever fought
under the stars and stripes. Dye SEQ
! that bank over thar? | remember a
day when there was good deal dom
on that bank. 1t was about fou' years
after the close of the war, and the car.
pctbag business was humpin'. The
gineral idec Of a carpetbaggcr, both
north and south, was low down cuss
without any dcccncy whatever Some
of 'em was. But Major Machinery was
different sort lie had risen from tho
ranks in the Union army, and when the
war was over, bcin' only twenty seven
years old, he concluded to settle in the
south and grow up with the country
after its new birth. There was Il lot Of
no'the'n officers TUX that fever, and |
reckon they Ill come TO grief
"Thc major bought n plantation over
thar. He didn't pay much fo' it, fo' ii
wasn't wo'th much. His ncighbors
tried to drive him out in var'us ways.
but he was good pluck and refused to
be driv. One day when | was pilot o
the Talladega we come hoatin' down
ycre just as we're dom now, and,
rOundin' to, putin her nose upstream,
we tied up at n WHAT boat over thar
to deliver the mail. l wanted to git
some tobacCcr, SO | tOle the Cap'n I'd
take the mail bag up. He tolc me to 60
ahead, and, rollin' it under my arm
TO thar wasn't much i'm til struck
out | found a big crowd on the bluff,
and they follercd me to the postofIice.
l 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 a Yankee gov'ment than
to deliver only letters fo' Yankees. The
major, who had seen all the fightin' 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 a man he had
on his plantation In the crowd and two
or three south'n Unionists that had set
tied thar to be under the MAJORS wing.
When the man that had tripped the
| major saw it didn't move him to give
'em n chance to kill him he roared out:
"'Yo' Yankee carpetbaggcr what d
yO' mean by carryin' OFF the mail with
20? We don't want no hogs down
yerer
The major whipped out q revolver
and stuck 1t under the mans nose so
quick that the Teller fell back. and the
major went ont. He hadn't been gone
| more'n few minutes when they lam
med the man that worked on BIZ Dlanta
ton agin the wall and be hit one Of
'em on the head The Union men tried
to get at him to get him out o. their
! way and pretty soon il was stand of
| between the two factions got out
o. the way O. the hyin 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
| leustaways there's no use 10 kill a
| dead man. an concluded I'd be dead
| 10 awhile, till the shoVtin' was over.
Il didn't see uOthn' morc-I didn't
want to-but the major hearin' the
| fracas, went back, and he ana his little
gang KEEP the FIRE caters at bay 70
| some time. Then most OF the majors
| hackers was hilIed. As / was tellin'
| yO', ! didn't see nOthiu' that was goin'
on tin there was notbIn but a few
| stray shots left near me; then / got up
and made tracks 10 the boat
Everybody on board had left tie
WHAT boat, and some Of EN- had lock
| ed themselves in staterooms. The