The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-02-08
lin BIudso.
BY JOHN Hay.

Wall, no, can't tell you ,chor he tres,
Because he don't tiue, you see;
Least,rise, he's got out Of the habit
OF huinq like you and me.
Whar hare you been jar the last three year .
That you haven't heard folks tell
That Jimmy Bludso passed In his checks
The night of the Prairie BELIEF
He werear no saint-the engineers
Is all pretty much alike
One ,oife in Natchez-under the hill .....,,.y,
And another one here IN Pike;
A keerless man in his talk mas Jim,
And an aukard man in
But he never funked and he nerer he'd :
reckon he nerer knowed hom. .' S.
And this was all the religion he had. 49,. .
To treat his engine nell; 80, H. .,i. ,,.r
Nerer be passed on the rirer, :; '-'
To mind the pilots bell:
And If ever the Prairie Bell took fire 90. a.
A thousand times he swore, i, ,......
He'd hold her nozzle against the bank ~
It'll the last soul got ashore. -, 49,,
All boats has their days on the Mississippi,
And her day came at last '>.. b.,
The M0udstdr q better boat,
But the Belle-she wouldnt be possd.
And 80 she came tearin' along that m'ght-
The Oldest craft on the line
With a rioqer squat on her safety ralrc,
and her furnace crnmmed rison and pane.
The fire bust out az she r''nred the bar,
And burnt hole in The night,
And Quick as u flash she turned and maze
For that willer bank on the right.
There ,uas runnin' and cossin', but Jim yelled out
Over all the infe, nal roar,
"I'H hold her nozzle agin the bank
TIL the last galoot's ashore"
Through the hot black breath Of the nursing boat,
Jim Bludso's yoiee ,ras heard,
And then all had trust in has cussebdnes
And knowed he rould keep his ecord.
And sure's you're born, they all got off
Afore the smokestacks fell a.
And Bludsos ghost ,oent up alone
In the smoke of the Prairie Bee.
He reremr no saint-but at Judgment
I'd run my chance scith Jim,
'Lo,r side of aome pious gentlemen
That rouldn't shook hands cith ham.
He seen his duty, dead sure thing.
And went tor 1t thar and then;
And Christ amt a-goin' to be too hard
On a man that died for men.
There is a story about the "Prare Belle. the Nat.
thez and tive "kobt F. Lse," say did river men, that
has been told Il was the besnnmx a. QUARREL
usilv Owned the Lee and Nstchex 1t one OF the1
causes for the between those two boats NE gres
The "Movsstar' and "Prairie Belle were built tor
the New Orleans and Natchez trade Both were great
steamers in their day. but the 'Movastar the fast
et Time and time again they raced along the river the
''Movastar" always winning.
dog dispoe;tion The night lin Budso held her nozzle
against the hank, 'til every galoot was ashore wss the
last race these two The Belle burned in
the bends lust below Lake Providence, La, and the Mo
yaspr was later dismanted Then came the great NAT
chez and the Lee" Practically the same owners were
interested inIhese steamer :" 49,
The hatred kinded over the loss Of the prairie Belp
grew in the hearts Of these men. and ranked until they
tonight Il ont squarely and on the same plan.
Following the river race, the Nachex was re-entered
in the New Orleans and vcksburg trade. She was big
cotton carrier often going into New Orleans with moth
ing visible hut her spars, mokestacks and pilohonse
Her last trip TO Lake Providence La, after cotton
While running full head Of steam she struck sunken
snac in the big bend below Lake Providence and sank
in deep hole not far from where the Prairie Belle
was burned.