The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1920-11-11
RIVER TRAGEDY WAS
RESULT OF CIVIL WAR


turned the pilot wheel with black kid
gloves on their hands.
Bob Taylor was always dressed
just right. His clothes were made
and sent to him BY the same old tailor
who had outfitted his father and his
uncle The cut Of his coats, truosers
and vests was the latest, and the ma
terial used in their makeup the best
money could buy.
Because of his dandy appearance,
whether plotting a boat down the Mis-
sissippi or walking the most promi-
nent street Of city, his friends dub
bed him Dandy" Bob Taylor.
Taylor was born on a farm near
Paris, KY. His father was wealthy,
The money had been inherited, it is
said, through the death of the grand
father, who made his fortune flat
boating on the Ohio river
The Taylors settled near Paris in
early days. The grandfather Of
Dandy Bob ran away from home
when youngster and started work
ing when produce on the Ohio river
was moved by broadhorn barges. He
made several trips to New Orleans
and helped bring the barges back.
Finally he saved enough money to get
him a barge and he continued buying
them until he had one Of the largest
of such fleets on the rivers, Out of
this he got big start and made his
fortune and resulted in his marrying
the daughter of a very fine gentle
man near Lexington. They settled
down on the same farm on which
Dandy" Bob's father was born and
where Dandy" Bob first peeked at
the daylight.
If there was anything peculiar
about Dandy" Bob it was his dispo-
sition not to fight His companions
saw, they never knew him to quarrel
with anyone, much less fight They
called him a coward
When the war between the North
and the South was started "Dandy"s
Bob went with Southern cavalry
company. He was sent far into the
South, only occasionally hearing from
his father, mother and his sister.
Dandy" Bob was wounded at the
battle on Stones river. In some man
ner he managed to get through the
federal lines after he was able to be
about, and by riding two days and
nights, lodging Northern cavalrymen
and going cross country, he reached
his old home.
At the break of MAY day he was
in sight of the place. From the top
of a hill he could see the house had
burned. Investigation brought out
these facts: A band Of alleged sol
diers. supposed to have been led by a
Northern army captain, had burned
the house after ransacking it and
numbering his father, mother and sis
ter. There was nothing he could do
but return to his regiment and fight
After the war he went back to pilot
ing steamboats,.
One Christmas week in the '70s
DANDY" Bob was walking along
Water street in Louisville, when a
man of middle age and asked him if
he was not Pilot TAYLOR,
q am, SIR he replied
81 am Capt. John Goodloe, owner
of the steamer Bluebird, and | want
a pilot to take my boat to New Or
leans. | have a cargo of produce and
tobacco and will have cotton and
sugar to bring back viii you ac-
cept?"
q will be glad to, sir" answered
Dandy" Bob. II will report as soon
as get some things from my hotel"
"No hurry, sir; the Bluebird will
not leave port until 10 o'clock to-
night" the captain told him.
Taylor and Capt Goodloe became
very good friends while the Bluebird
was making her way slowly down
the river. When it arrived at Cairo
they had about agreed on a seasons
contract
When the boat was numbering along
in the bends below Charlottesville one
night after II o'clock, the first mate,
who had the watch, saw the steamer
drifting with the current.
He walked out on the hurricane
roof and called to the pilot, but got
no response. Going up to see what
the trouble was, he saw Dandy" Bob
take hold of the wheel as he entered
the pilot house, give the engineer a
signal to back on both wheels, and in
another minute the boat was straight
ened out and going ahead under usual
steam.
what was the matter?" aske the
mate.
"There is that captain of yours.
Take him to his room in the Texas"
"Dandy" Bob said.
Capt. Goodloe's body was on a tall
seat in the pilot house used by pas
sengers. The mate turned him over.
There were deep finger marks on his
throat.
"You have killed the captain ex-
claimed the mate.
Turning around SLOWLY, "Dandv"
Bob replied: eyes, | killed him with
nv own hands. Done just what |
said / would do if | ever found the
man who murdered my father, mother
and sister. then burned nv old home
in Kentucky. I suspected this man
after talking with him for while. |
hsd no information before I came to
rilot this boat to New Orleans that
he was the leader of that mob. He
confessed it TO me in conversation
tonight ard J choked his life out"
"Dandy" Bob was arrested, but his
lawyers cleared him. He returned to
farm life in Kentucky, and rivermen
acquainted with the : trapedv saw he
lived to be an old mani. H. Curtis