Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1911-12-29

By CAROL II. PIERCE


who had taken it int. bis head to run
a plantation on the Mississippi river
some twenty miles south OF Vicks-
burg, found himself northern man
with southern interests. Despite the
differences between him and his neigh
bors they didn't drive him out. His
son. Zeke, who had lived in the south
longer than In the north, enlisted In
the Confederate army. and this dis
posed the southerners more than ever
to let the father alone.
Enoch Armsby told his southern
friends that there were reasons why
the north would prevail.
II guess" he said. 'n0thin' can
stand against the south for fightin'.
but it isn't f1ghtin' that's goin' to win.
The northern people are full of re-
sources. When they come down here
you'll find that they will convert fer
ryboat into man-of-war. build
bridges with cotton bales. and when
they capture one o your railroads
they'll git out a time table and run
it nearer the schedule than you fellers
can do it in time Of peace"
II reckon one southe'ner can whip
five Yankees" would be the reply.
"S'posin' they do. S'posin' they kill
three out O. the five Yankees and
make prisoners Of the other two. The
two they don't kill will invent some
way o gittin' out o Jail and 60 on
fghtin'. They will be Joined by three
more Yankees and be as strong as
ever. That'l go right on"
The Federal forces slowly made their
way down the river and In time the
great event of the war In that region.
the siege of .Vicksburg. began. Zeke
Armsby participated in the fighting
that took place in the rear Of that city,
was captured and confined with lot
Of Confederate prisoners Of war In
mandatory of undertakers' supplies.
When the news reached his father the
neighbors said:
'Mr. Ar1xsby. reckon yer son IL have
a chance to show that Yankee ingenu'
ity 70 been braggin' about now.
Reckon he'll find a way TO gett1n' out"
Il guess Zeke II git out If any one
can"
sHow's he Tgoin' to dosit? That fac
tory is on a point O. land stickin' out
into the river. There's high wall on
one side and water on the other. The
Yanks hain't such fools as to give
their prisoners boats, are they
Il guess not" the father admitted.
swell, we'll see what Yankee inge-
nuity II do. There's several hundred
southerners in that building. and il one
northerner invents way to git out
we'll give up the point about the su-
pertor1ty Of yo' people"
One morning one of MI. Armsby's
neighbors stood on the bank looking
up the river. shading his eyes with his
hands Another person saw him, and.
having nothing to do. walked slowly
out to see what the first was looking
at Another and another joined the
party. and finally Armsby himself ap-
peared.
"somep'n quaar?' asked one of tho
party.
powerful QUAR-. I'D reckon it was
driftwood, only TO somepn shinin' on
It. Thar-lid yo' see the flash?'
Every one saw it and wondered. The
driftwood or whatever it was came
rapidly nearer. for the current Of the
Mississippi IS by no means slow. and
Is the thing approached many were
the comments made upon 1t. Some
said it was a log that had been
squared. some that it was an oblong
box. while others noticed that it was
smaller at each end than in the middle.
As it rolled something. either glass or
metal, occasionally caught the rays OF
the sun and sent out fash.
by gum. it's a ,cof1ny' exclaimed
one of the watchers.
"A coffinr' exclaimed the others.
"What can a coffin be dom sailin'
down the river?"
1T is coffin. sho'." ;:
While these remarks were being
u8U8 Tue COuu-xOE 0OC0 IL w00""0 0
approaching the bank on which the
party was standing.
'"There must be a co'pse in it." re-
marked one. "or It would roll over"
"Thar thing that reflects the light 10
the plate" -.
The coffin noated by. and as it did
30 the: upper part of the lid was lifted
OF by the said corpse, and a pale face
rose and looked at the party with
Tightening effect.
by jing." exclaimed Armsby; ':its
my boy Zeke!"
Reckon" said several others. :
Dad" cried the young man, ''coms
out I'm a boat and git me. haven't
got no oars" - Y,
Armsby ran downstream to where
4 boat was tied. roved out to the COZ.
In and lowed It ashore. Then Zeks
told them that In the undert4kers sup
ply mandatory (hls PRISON. he had
~ "a -