The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1920-04-08

Wal, Kirby hs heard tell o all this
sumwhar down the river. Yer see he
an Bert Beaucaire run tergether fer
. while, till Bert got killed In q row
in New Orleans I reckon he toll him
part o the story, an the rest he picked
up In Saint Louee. Enyhow, it looked
like q D. good thing ter Kirby, who
amt passin' up many bets. or Beau
caire wus rich, an. considerable ov a
sport; people who he'd seed the gurls
sed they wus both .ov 'em beauties an
ElOise-the white one-hed an indie
pendent fortune left her through her
mother. So Kirby, he an a 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 thet?'
Luck mostly, I reckon, an Kirby's
brains. The plan wus ter git Beau
caire inter a poker game, ease him
long a bit, an then break him, land,
niggers, an all. They didn't figure
this wud be hard, fer he wus a dead
game gambler an played fer big
stakes. It was luck, though, what CIV
'em their chance. Beaucaire he'd sum
mimi claims up on the Fevre. an he'd
ter go up thar. It's a long, lonesom'
trip, I reckon, an so the other two
they went long. They got the Of
chap goin' and comm, an finally cod
died him long till he put up his big
bet on a sure hand. When he found
out whut he'd happened the Of gent got
&c excited he flung a fit, an died."
Leaving Kirby ownin' all the prop
erty?'
Every p%icayune, niggers an all. It
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 CURL none, 50 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 da~ughter-the white
one, Eloise. Kirby he didn't aim ter
be e at all, but just went long 50
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 CURL Eloise. He'd
never e her-hut, enyhow. he got
thet notion in his he'd"
"She wus the daughter; the white
one?"
"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 me
who wus a niger, thet Kirby owned.
Nobody know'd which wus which, an
SO they he'd ter take her word for it
They cudn't do Euthin' legal till they
found the other. one, an they Wus
sittin' round waitin' fer her ter turn
up, when the niger CURL they WIS
watchin' got away"
"How'd she do theft"
Don't nobody seem ter know.
Damn funny story. Way they tell it,
sumbody must'r knocked Kirby down
an run off with her. Whoever did it.
stole the boat in which Kirby an the
sheriff cum up the river, an just natur.
ally skipped out-the sheriff's niger
an all. It wus a slick job"
"Of curse they chased them?"
'Best they cud, not KNOWN which
way they'd gone. They reckoned the
Who'll bunch must'r got away tergether
so the sheriff he started fer Saint
Louee, an the others got onto a troop
boat what happened ter cum long, and
started north. Long bout the mouth
ov the Ilinoy they caught up with q
nigger-stealer named Shrunk. They
he'd a fight in an about his cabin, an
sum KILN. Two Ov the womin got
away, but Kirby an Tim got hold o
this CURL what he'd claimed ter be
Rene, an a mulatto cook who wus
a-wOrkin' fer Shrunk. I reckon maybe
yer know the rest"
II know they wus run down by the
Adventurer, an hauled aboard. But
how did Kirby learn his prisoner wus
white? Did she tell him?"
II should say not. It wus the mu'
latto cook who told him, although, ]
reckon, he he'd his doubts afore tnet
I knew she wusn't no niger the furst
minute / got eyes on her-they .cain't
fool me none on niggers I wus raised
'mong 'em. But SO fur,s the gurl's
concerned, she don't know vet thet
Kirby's found out" He emitted 8
weak laugh. ut sorter skeered Joe
ter be caught way up we're in this kin
try, kidnappin' a white gurl. He didn'
know whut the HI. ter do till / give
him a p'inter." /
"You were the one who suggested
marriage?"
"Wal', I sed she cudn't do nuthin
'gainst him onct he wus married tt
her. / thought o. tibet right away.
Yer see this wus how it happened
Il - - L&4 @EE E- AVE- r. @H 1900