The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1908-03-15

Judge--No; have nothing to dictate.
The opinion have written in the rail-
road rate case 10 sufficient for the pres
ent. 1t Is based on the law, and 1t -
founded In reason, and 1t win stand
attack from any and every quarter.
Let us chat for awhile. What do you
think, May. OF the stories the old SOL
diers tell Of what they did and what
they saw during the war?, Do you be-
Iieve them7
May-Some of the stories, my liege.
are heavy drafts on the credulity, but
on the whole, 1 believe most Of them.
1t hurts no one to believe them, and
the man who Is telling the story almost
believes 1t himself.
Judge-By the way, May. did I ever
tell you of an exploit of Major Ego's
during the war, when he, alone. cap
tured ten Federal prisoners7
May--Oh, yes; / mean. oh, mol my
liege. l never heard II, but always
wanted to hear IL. tAside) I hope that
I may be forgiven for this one.
Judge--It was on the goth day of
June, 1861 down at THE Branch with
the Crooked Fork" The enemy was
encamped In a dense woods few, miles
to our left, when Gordon, by flank
supplies, which had just crossed the
Chfckahominy.
May-Where Is the chicken hominy
Judge--I didn't say chicken hominy
i said Chickahouiiny River.
May--Oh! know you did my Hege.
/ suggest 1t was intended. on my part,
merely as a little joke
Judge-Yes. and permit me to sug-
gest, that I never tell a joke and don't
appreciate one when 1t is told, and per-
nit me further to suggest that the
present time Is a very inopportune for
joking. and as for being inopportune.
/ might suggest that you apply for
the position Of resolution writer to a
meeting Of editors-the place I un-
derstsnd. at present. is vacant.
May humbfy crave your Highness-
pardon. ! will not again offend
Judge--Weil, let 1t go. harbor no
malice. Have another cigar? AS !
was saying. the enemy was encamped
in q thick wood to our left. and small
detached parties struggled OF and
came near our lines. The Major was
returning. after delivering a dispatch
to General Lee to General Gordon's
Headquarters, when he came UP sud
denly on a barty of the enemy while
| and called out Surrender The guns
| you see, had been stacked at least ten
feet from where the men were cooking
and standing around the fire, SO there
was no escape. They surrendered. and
after making himself secure of their
guns. surrounded them. and took his
| ten prisoners into camp.
May thought / heard your lord.
ship yesterday. in telling the incident
| to the lawyer from New York. say
| there were eight Of the enemy capt
ured.
Judge--I never said 20. have never
made the number less than ten. have
| told the story a thousand times. and
| have never. made the number less thar
| ten. 1t shows. May. how unjust his
| tory Is. When Washington crossed
the Delaware and captured 1000 Hes
| sian prisoners, history couldn't say
enough about 1t. You have seen the
| picture In the school books represent.
ing Washington standing up in. boai
with his cloak flying In the cold winter
night wind
| May--And other boats following
| while the soldiers are pushing of this
ice blocks with their paddles
.Iudge-Precisely so. And yet in thil
! case. tho disproportion of numbers wa
much greater and nothing Is said abou
/ it.
May--why don't your HigbA ess writ,
ii up? A feat like that ought not t
be lost to the world.