The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-12-12
A Flatboatrnan
Honor

B. THOMAS r. DUNN
Early in the nineteenth century the
means Of communication between
northern cities and New Orleans was
BY 6atboat on the Mississippi river.
The aatboat was a lumber yard loose
b put together and derived it's name
from the fact that its bottom wa nat
instead Of being the usual shape Of a
boat. These boats were supposed to
drift with the current Of the big rtv-
er. though their momentum was &C.
easionally added to BY enormous
sweeps worked by men on the roof or
deck and were always steered by q
sweep. On reaching New Orleans
they were broken up and sold for the
humber there was in them.
The aatboatman was q crude being
not unlike the plainsman Of some for
" or flfty years later. A crude code
Of honor existed In both. There were
q great many things that they would
not scruple to do that we In a more
civilized community would consider
very wrong. but when their sense of
honor was at stake they would fight
hard to do what they felt was right.
Roger Dixon was a 6atboatman in
the early thirties. The boat he was
on having tied up in a creek on the
Louisiana shore. he went up on to the
bank. where he found a gambling den.
and there he proceeded to lose all the
money he had. but. being convinced
that be had been cheated. used a long
knife he carried hung between his
shoulder blades on the manipulation Of
the gambling outfit. leaving a consid-
cradle wound. Dixon was arrested
and put in Jail. The latboat went on
south with the current. leaving him
devoid Of funds and without even his
Hi ,rty.
The arrest and imprisonment Of the
culprit occurred just as the court was
adjourning for the season and would
not be held again for several months.
Dixon. having no money. was unable
to get bail. which was allowed in his
ease since the wound he had inflicted
was not mortal. He therefore had the
prospect of la%nguishing in jail during
q hot summer, with the further pros
pect Of being sent to state prison for
felonious assault for two or three
years longer when the court came to-
gether.
The prisoner. being remanded to jail
In default Of bail. stood before the
Judge a melancholy sight. He was
about to be led away when a planter
dressed In the costume Of the time
tight trousers strapped over his boots,
q coat with a 6aring skirt. a ruf1ed
shirt and q bell crowned beaver hat
said to the court:
"Yo' honnah. what's the amount Of
the bail in this CASEY"
give thousand dollars. colonel"
It'll 60 it TO- this man. subj"
10 bettah not. sub. Youll lose 20
money"
The colonel asked the prisoner If he
would come back certain sho' II he
furnished the bail. and. though the re-
ply vas simply Reckon" Colonel
Armstrong was convinced. the bond
was executed. and Dixon went free.
The trial was fixed for the 18th Of No
vember. four months later.
Dixon was a Tennesseean. whose
domicile. where lived his wife and
children. was on the banks Of the Ten
nessee river. near the site of the pres
ent city of Chattanooga. There was
no means Of getting there by the way
be had come. for boats in those days
never went upstream. so Dixon cut
across country on foot. As he left the
place of his misfortune n of q knot
Of men who stood looking after him
said. There goes your $1,000. colonel"
When the LIST of November came
round Colonel Armstrong had not
heard a word from the man he had
befriended. The kind hearted colonel
was IN object of sympathy IN the part
Of the Inhabitants Of the locality. for
no one expected that a man was COM
ing away from Tennessee for the pur-
pose Of being sent to state prison
when he could get Oh by staying at
home. The second and third days Of
the month passed. and on the morning
Of the fourth the court came together
for the purpose OF trying Dixon. but
there was no Dixon present. Out CT
sympathy for Colonel Armstrong the
judge delayed matters as long an pos
sible.
Suddenly there was a sound IT heavy.
boots on the courthouse steps. and the
eulprit rushed wildly into court and
said:
"Reckon l amt too late. Judge. am r.
The hail furnisher embraced the new
conner. while those present cheered.
Then Dixon was asked to tell how
be had come. He had made his way
down the Tennessee river in a dngout
to its mouth. where he expected tn be
picked up by a flatbOat IN which he
might work his way down the Mis-