Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-11-21
CHAPTER xII-consInued.


IS
H, thar amt really no manner
o risk at all. Yer don't even hav' ter
break the law. fer as I know. It's
Just got fer ter be done on the dead
quiet, an no question asked. I'll tell
yer all yer need ter know. Tain't such
long story. This yere Joe Kirby he's
a frien' O. mine; I've know'd him a
long time, an he's in b of a fix.
Here's how 1t all happened: Thar wus
an oil planter livin' down In Mlssoury
ut a place called Beaucaire's Landin'.
His name wus Beaucalre. an he he'd
son named Bert, a good-fer-nuthing
cuss, l reckon. Wal, this Bert runned
away a long while ago, an never cum
back; but he left baby behind him
guri baby-which a quadroon slave
give birth to. The Quadroon's name
wus Della. an the kid wus called
Rene. Git them names in yer head.
OF Beaucaire he knew the gurl wus
MS sons baby, so he brought her up
long with his own daughter, who wus
canned Eloise. They wus both bout
tner same age. an nobody seemed ter
know thet Rene wus nigger. Fer
sum reason oil Beaucaire never set
her free, ner the quadroon neither.
Wal, Kirby he heard tell o. all this
sumwhar down the river. Yer see he
an Bert Beaucaire run tergether fer
while, till Bert got killed in a row
In New Orleans. / reckon he toll him
part o. the story, an the rest he picked
up In Saint Louee. Enyhow, 1t looked
like a d good thing ter Kirby, who
ain't passin' up many bets. or Beau
caire wus rich, an considerable ov
sport; people who he'd seed the gurls
sed they wus both ov 'em beauties an
Eloise-the white one-hed an inde-
pendent fortune left her through her
mother. SO Kirby, he an Teller
named Carver-a tin-horn-planned It
out betwixt 'em ter copper OIL Beau.
caire's coin. an pick up them gurls
along with It."
But how cud they do thetr
Luck mostly, / reckon. an Kirby's
brains. The plan wus ter git Beau
caire inter poker game, ease him
long a bit. an then break him, land,
nlggers, an all. They didn't figure
this wud be hard, fer he wus a dead
game gambler, an played fer big
stakes. II was luck, though, what Civ
'em their chance. Beaucaire he'd sum
minin' claims up on the Fevre, an he'd
ter go up thar. It's n long, lonesom'
II M kAs,
they went long. They got the OIL
chap goin' and comm. an finally cod
died him long till he put up his big
bet ON sure hand. When he found
out whut he'd happened the OIL gent got
30 excited he flung a At. an died"
Leaving Kirby ownin' all the prop
ertyr'
Every picayune. niggers an all. 1t
wus sum sweep, an he he'd signed
bills O. sale. Want nobody cud git 1t
away frum him. Wal Joe he didn't
want fer ter make no fuss, ner scare
the gurl none, so he went down ter
Saint Louee an made proof o. owner,
ship afore a Jedge he know'd. Then,
with the papers all straight, he, an
the sheriff, with Tim yere, the deputy,
run up the river at night ter serve 'em
quietly on the daughter-the white
one. Elolse. Kirby he didn't aim ter
be seen at all, but just went long SO
thar wudn't be no mistake. Yer see,
them papers had ter be served afore
they cud take away the niggers. Kir-
by wus goin' ter sell them down river,
an not bother bout the land fer
awhile. till after he'd he'd a chance ter
shine up ter this yere gurl Elolse. He'd
pever seen her--but, enyhow. he got
knet notion In his he'd"
"She wus the daughter; the white
gheT
Sure; he he'd the other by law.
Wal, when they all got thar, nobody
wus home, 'cept one o. the gurls, who
claimed fer ter be Rene-the one
who wus niger, thet Kirby owned.
Nobody know'd which wus which. an
no they he'd ter take her word for IL.
They cudn't do nuthin' legal till they
Found the other one, an they wus
sittin' round waltin' fer her ter turn
mp, when the niger gurl they wus
watehIn' got away"
How'd she do thetT
Don't nobody seem ter know
Damn funny story. Way they tell IL
sumbody must'r knocked Kirby down
an run Off with her. Whoever did II
stole the boat in which Kirby an the
sheriff cum up the river, an Just natur
ally skipped out-the sherifrs Niger
an ALL 1t wus a slick job"
-Of course they chased them?"
Best they cud, not KNOWN which
Way they'd gone. They reckoned Nh,
Who'll bunch must'r got away tergetber
20 the sheriff he started fer sain,
Louee, an the others got onto n troor
boat what happened ter cum long ant
started north. Long bout the moutl
ov the lllinoy they caught up with ,
hlgger-stealer named Shrunk. The,
ned a fight In an about his cabin. an
sum KILN. Two ov the womin 90
away, but Kirby an Tim got hold a
yhis gurl what he'd claimed ter h,
Rene, an mulatto cook who wu
s-workin' fer Shrunk. / reckon mayb,
yer know the rest"
II know they wus run down by III
hdventurer. an hauled aboard. Blu
bow did Kirby learn his prisoner wu
white7 Did she tell him?"
II should say not. 1t wus the mu
fatto cook who told him, although.
Seckon. he he'd his doubts afore the
I knew she wusn't no Niger the furs
minute got eyes on her-they cain
fool me none on niggers; wus raise
emong 'em. But so fur's the gurl'
concerned, she don't know yet the
Kirby's found out" He emitted
weak laugh. 'It sorter skeered 10
Ger be caught way up yere in this kir
try, kidnappin' white gurl. He didn
know whut the HI ter do till Civ
him p'inter."
'You were the one who suggeste
tnarriage"
"War, I sed she cudn't do nuthir
'gainst him onct he wus married {
Der. thought o. thet right away
hfo "a