Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1911-02-17
A New Settlement
And How 1t Came to
Be Made
By CAROLINE A. TRIP
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

woolly west-or what was formerly
the wild and woolly west-for the
silken mantle of civilization is fast
spreading over the whole land-where
the dividing line between honesty and
dishonesty was not distinctly marked.
The privatons were great, and many
of the people found it difficult to make
a living. There was no law to keep
the honest separated from the dishon-
est, and this. alone tended to obliterate
the dividing line.
One day two plainsmen went to a
land office to enter some land. While
there one of them told the following
story:
Last week." he said. "me and Josh
was movin' toward the mountings on
a prospecting trip. We had two good
ridin hosses and pack hoss. One
day we found fine campin ground
beside stream whar the trout was
jist jumpin outen the water to be
ketched, and we concluded to rest thar
a couple o. days. So we pitched our
tent and got out our cookin' kit and
calc'lated to spend the time like ma
bobs.
1.-THE next afternoon, when we was
layin' off smollin' our pipes, we saw a
| couple o. men comm outen the timber
on the crici. Ketchin' sight of us, they
turned at fust, but we hollered to 'em
to come on, and they jined us. They
was youngish chaps, neither ov em
havin' yit growed beard We Of
fered 'em the demijohn. but they didn't
seem to relish liquor much; mebby
they wasn't old enough to have
learned. We offered em pipes, but
| they didn't seem inclined to smoke
| neither.
''They told us they was in camp in
patch of timber ways down the
crick, and after stayin' awhile with us
they went away.
"'What dye s'pose them kids Is ado
in over yere?' says Josh when they
was gone.
They're hoss thieves says.
"'Hoss thieves. They don't look
nuthin' like hoss thieves
"'Like enough they belong to some
family as is mighty hard up. and the
only way for sich in this yere country
to make haul is to run off hosses. sell
'em and stock up. Well picket the
stock strong tonight fur it's my dpin-
ion these young fellers III try to stam-
pede EN-
eve made everything as fast as we
could. The moon was full. and the
country was lit up like day. Me and
Josh smoked till near 8 o'clock, 1t
must "a been, then turned in. We was
awakened by hearin' the stock rushin'
this way and that way tryin' to break
the ropes, and we heard whoops like
Indians, only they was more like
squaws and papooses than bucks.
Then come shots. The hosses was
nigh crazy with fright. but we had tied
'em so strong they couldn't get away.
JOSH I says, says 1, them young
fellers is doin' what said they'd do.
Get your gun and let's go for EN-
"'I don't want to kill boy fur
hoss.' said Josh, especially If he's
starvin''
"'Well, we can't let 'em do what
they like with our property Come
| on
1--WE lit out to whar the sounds come
from, and the first thing the kids
knowed we was right ON 'em. They
| run, and we chased 'em. One of 'em
| tripped and fell. / sat on him while
| Josh chased the other and after q
hard run brought him in. We tool
| 'em to camp and in order to frighten
'em told 'em we was goin' to hang 'em
| to the limb of tree.
'"They knowed well enough that's
| what's done to boss thieves, and they
believed we was in earnest What
dye s'pose they did. They begun to
cry. This give us such contempt fur
'em that / says to Josh, says 1:
"'Sich snivelin' yCunkers oughtn't to
be lowed to live. They'll never make
| men, and the women wouldn't have 'em
around. Let's string 'em up shore
'"Then one of 'em said, wringin' his
hands: We hain't men; we're gals.
Our folks is starvin' over thar, and
we tried to git yer stock to sell 'em
and git somepin fur the children
"Me and Josh looked at each other.
L be doggoned,' says /, If ever / saw
sich boss thieves before. What luck
we didn't shoot at emf
"I told you,' says Josh. I wouldn't
| like to kill one of 'em.'
1--WE give up the tent to 'em and the
blankets and made 'em as comfort,
able as could, and Josh and l built
a fire and lay down by 1t for the rest
o. the night. Next mornin' we give
'em fine breakfast ov hard tack and
bacon washed down with coffee. Then
we told 'em we'd go and see what we
could do fur their folks. We found
jist what the gals said we'd find. There
wor three families In a mighty bad
way not only fur food. but other
things.
"When the gals got on their own
clothes they was good lookin', and 1
offered to marry one If Josh'd marry
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