The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-11


never has been another detective like
Shagbark Jones. the Mystery Man. He
never used disguise; he never
Swallowed or trailed a criminal; he
never SO much as looked like a de-
tective. But in spite of this, he won a
reputation that extended up and down
the Mississippi Valley from St. Paul
to ST. Louis. Many who read this
will recognize the portrait of the
quaint old rivertramp, philosopher
and medicine-faker, and agree with me
that he combined-or combines, for he
is still at work-the most remarkable
qualities of simplicity and shrewdness
intelligence and ignorance.
He is known as Shagbark Jones,
and you will find the name painted
on the sides of his big shanty-boat
Euripides-Shagbark pronounced it
you're a Pie Dees-which to-day is
floating somewhere on the Missis-
sippi.
Three miles above the village of
White Clay the boat came to rest in
a willow-sheltered cove, and Black
Pete, the glossy brown negro crew.
made her fast to clump Of willows,
clambered aboard again, pushed the
narrow landing plank ashore and put
his head in at the door of the cabin.
Miss Allie, we done landed" he
said
Shagbark's daughter was putting
small, paper-wrappcd cakes of Infal-
lible Grease-Remover into a worn
valise.
"All right, Pete" she answered, and
the big negro Topped himself down on
the forward deck, turned on his stom-
ach in the strip of shade close to the
cabin and instantly began to snore.
T.
fat on his back on a threadbare.
caved-in sofa, smoking a corncob
pipe His bare arms, ankles and the
backs of his hands were hairy. He was
the hairiest man in the Mississippi Val
ley. and the LATEST and the shrewdest
and one of the best-natured. He raised
his head and brushed the ashes from
his beard.
81 guess I won't be back afore dark,
Dad" Allie said, swapping the clasp
of her valise. Maybe I'll have to
stay all night somewheres. If l don't
get back tomorrow, you have Or
and wrap it. There amt nothing else
you want to say afore / go"
Already Shagbark knew of the muir
der at White Clay. News of tragedies
travels by water as rapidly. as by
land. AS the boat hoated down the river,
Shagbark, fat on his back on the
caved-in sofa, had mulled the matter
in his mind. Allie was going out now
to look over the ground. She was his
legs and his eyes; he was the solving
brain.
mo, l guess I've said all I've got to
say" Shagbark told her. Find out
all you can and get me mind-picture
of things and folks, Allie Take good
keer of yourself"
He dropped his head back on the
sofa again and crossed his bare feet
comfortably. The Infallible Grease
Remover she carried in her satchel
was but blind. 1t was nothing but
common brown soap cut into cubes
and wrapped in a printed slip that
proclaimed its ability to remove
grease-spots from the coarsest wool
or the finest silk. The price of this
was one dime; from a hve-cent cake
Of soap Orlando could cut forty of
the pieces, and the wrappers cost
forty cents a thousand. AS Orlando's
time was worth just about nothing
per week. the profit on the lntallible
was excellent, but Allie cared little
whether she sold any or not. She
used the Infallible as means of open
ing doors and beginning converse
tons.
When Allie was younger, the three
lazy adults had already settled into
regular life of medicine-faking. "Shag
bark's boat" was already known up
and down the river. When it reached
a landing, the musical entertainment
was given. Orlando, the cook, be-
came the "world-famous guitarist, Or
lando J. Beethoven, nephew of the
music-writer of that name;" and
Black Pete, the crew, played his banjo
and caroled a few songs. Shagbark
iectured on anatomy-of which he
knew nothing-and sold Shagbark
liniment.
When she was ten, Shagbark had
gained possession of set of soiled,
creased and ragged chronological and
astrological charts and added to his
role of medicine-faker that OF seer
and fortune-teller. The shrewd child
saw greater possibilities. She invented
the Infallible and went ahead of the
boat, selling it and worming informa-
ton out of those who were most
likely to patronize Shagbark. For
while she did this investigating on the
quiet. She slipped out of the boat at
night and returned under the cover of
dark, bringing Shagbark news of old
ladies' pains and aches, bits of past
life-history and odd-fact remnants he
could work into his "Life-readings,
ST 90 each"
1t was thus that Shagbark had built
his first reputation as mysterious
man. He diagnosed cases at glance
Don't tell me what ails you; I'll tell
you," he would say, and then he would
tell Mrs Murphy what her ache was,
where it was located, how much she
had slept during the past month and
so on, until she sat with mouth agape.
Or he would tell Mrs. Higgins of
things that had happened in the past
and add detail to detail until her eyes
bulged With his soiled charts and a
hashcd-up rigmarole and red-cotton
dressing gown on which moons, stars
and comets were painted, he astounded
and fooled those who had come to him
wishing to be fooled and astounded.
1t brought in good money.
Shaokart,