The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-20
CALEB MIX TALKS
OF CONDOLENCES
What Happened When Five Persons
Met for the Third Time.
New York Sun. }

tNeW YORK sum-
Queer how these here river boats
pears to get tangled up into a mans
life sometimes" said Caleb Mix, the
! veteran bartender on the Mississippi
river packet City of Natchez. 'Mebbe
that amt 'xactly what / mean, but
what I'm tryin' to say is I man as
travels a bit now an again IL some
times have things happen to him on
the same boat different times t pears
to make 1t plumb certain t the boats
a heodoo TO him or else he's a ho0doe
to the boat.
An the same people II Tometimes
| meet up ON the same boat when they
| amt nobody 'xpectin' 'em for % do ii,
with happnin's It's considerable s'pris-
in. You wouldn't think, now, t a
young lady I'm Baton Rouge an her
NAV an a crossroad gambler I'm
| Greenville, Miss, an niger Delongin'
to a Judge in Helena, Ark, an a son
of planter TN tn Louisiana shore,
nigh the state line, d ali be on the
same boat to meet three different
times. An if they was. you wouldn't
reckon they was no ways liable for 10
have nothin' to do with one another?
We'll, that's what happened on tn
old Belle o. the Bayou afore she were
burned. / was tendin' bar on her an
seen the hull thing, bein' on'y a young
| ster, afore the war. Feared like 'twere
more'n queer FIR all o. them folks TO
! happen ON to the same boat thee times
| together.
First off, tie niger didn't pear to
| have much to do with none on 'em,
on'y FIR bein', like any other niger.
useful fer to wait on 'em. He belonged
! in Helena, like 1 said. but tn old Judge
t he b1onged to thought a heap of
| him, an useter send him down the
river, all by hisself, as a passenger.
/ He lowed him to work fer hisself, too
an old Eph d make consid' able doin
odd jobs. The cap'n a arrays take him
on as waiter, an everybody thought
he was ore o the boat servants.
"Jim Elphinstone, the gambler. was
| just nachully 10 be looked for on any
boat, but the Belle o the Bayou want
no greet favorite o his'n, ben' as Cap'n
Foss wouldn't have no crooked work f
he was onto it, an 'twa'n't easy to fool
| him. Ar Elphinstone was one O. the
| lowdownest dogs in the business, if he
was as slick as a catfish.
Roy Matthews was the planters g
son. / never seen anybody else t was
| the dead image O. Wilkes Booth, what
shot Lincoln later on. He were hand
some, an tall, an dark, an he were
dandy, like most young bloods was, an
wore his hair down over his coat col
lar, like the fashion was them days.
An of all the wild young daredevils I
ulster go back an forth firm New Or
! leans occasional. l reckon ne were
about the daredevilist.
There want nothin' ag'in him,
RELY, that / knew of, but he would
fight an drink. an play cards, an bet
or boss races, r cock fights, r anythin'
what there was fer to bet on.
an
ter, Miss Mabel, was two o. the sweet
est ladies l ever seen. The old lady
had kin uD in Tennessee an the two
useter visit up to Memphis occasional.
zone night they was settin' on deck
on the Belle O. tn Bayous an TN
moonlight was so extTy pretty t they
set later'n they reckoned, an when
they started f'r their stateroom they
seen there We're game . poker goin'
on in the saloon. Roy Matthews was
pIayin, an when he caught sight of
'em tco1nin' in he jumped UP am
throwed his hat on the flo. standin'
straight an tall f'r 10 let 'em pass. o.
course, the other players jumped up,
too, when he did, an the two ladies'
bowed very gracious an passed on.
There want nothin' said. but Roy
Matthews seen Jim Elphinstons give a
look at Miss Mabel t didn't have no
polite meanin'. 'Twa'n't cny a look,
an there couldn't be nothin said 20
him, but it set Roy a-bitin'. Old Eph
seen it, too. but, o. course. he couldn't
say nOthin'.
We'll. they went on Dlayin'. There
was three others in the game, but 1
don't remember 'em. Anyway, Jim
Elphinstone was the ony winner an
Roy Matthews was the biggest loser
He didn't pear to be thinkin' O the
money, though.
He catched a hand next deal t
'peared to suit him an he stayed, bein'
Elphinstone's ante. They was playin
gold pieces FIR chips an paper money
FIR big bets. an the ante was s.. calls
$40. Two others stayed, an Elphin-
stone made it 500 more.
Matthews raised him 500. an FL
phinstone came back with 500 more
after the others dropped. Then Mat
thews raised him $500 an Eiphinstone
called. There want no draw them
days, so twas showdown, an Elphin-
stone had a flush, but Matthews had
four skies.
90 course, he took the pot, an when
they started to deal again he got up
an said he reckoned he'd had enough.
Elphinstone, bein' a gambler, had
ought for TO took his medicine thouten
sayin' nothin', but he were sore. Any
way he says, kind O. nasty, ''Tain't a
bad idea to quit when you get even
IT was lookin' FIR a row right then,
but Roy Matthews on'y looked at him.
Then he give a queer smile. an sortin'
out five one hundred dollar bills FIN
the money he still had In his hand. he
put the rest in his pocket. an' tearin'
the five bills in little bits he turned to
Eph, who stood by to wait on 'em.
Here he says, take this trash away.
reckon you'd better heave it over
board, it's some dirty Then he walked
out, never loolin' at anybody An
that's all there was 10 that.
Hit mought "a been a year later, t
Matthews an Elphinstone both got
aboard at New Orleans, an old Eph
waited on 'em both at supper. l heer'd
later t Elphinstone was a-folleria'
Matthews. an was lookin' for to get
into a game with him, but I don't
know. Old Eph knowed 'em both, but
If Matthews knowed him he never let
on.
Late that night, when The ladies had
all gone to bed, there was a game
started in the big saloon. an. o. course,
Matthews an Elphinstone both set in.
There was two friends o. Matthews,
name o. Davis an Griggs, in the game.
an a understood younyish Teller Il I'd