Year: 1874

In Jue year 1000 was travelling Ill Jn6
Southern States, and, having business at
several points in North Alabama and
Southern Tennessee which would detain
me in that section several weeks, | made
my headquarters" at the pleasant town
of Tuscumbia, Ala.


1t was spring-tim The early part of
the season had been favorable for work
on the plantations until the cOtton-fields
were nearly all seeded, when cold, heavy
rains set in, which continued so long
that much anxiety was felt in all quar-
tcrs lest the seed should rot in the ground
and render second planting necessary,
besides otherwise putting in jeopardy
the yield, that year, of the great Southern
staple.


had frequent occasion to use the tele-
graph lines, and having myself manipu
lated a "key" some years previously was
soon on terms of familiarity with the op-
orators.


One evening I desired to send tele-
gram to Eastport, Miss, a point some
distance below Tuscumbia, on the Ten
neSsec River, but was informed at the
telegraph office that the line had been
down all day; furthermore, that brief
note just received from the operator at
Eastport brought information that wild
lightning" during the preceding night
had left his office instruments in cha
otic condition, and that before he could
resume business new outfit was neces-
Sary.


1t was still raining, but the business
had to transact was urgent, and although
it was nearly dark | determined to start
for Eastport as soon as a conveyance
could be procured. The roads were in
bad condition, but with pair of splen-
did bays and a stout vehicle l had no
doubt of going through safely. The man
ager of the telegraph office thanked me
for the offer of a seat to anyone going to
PASSPORT with the new outfit for the of
flee at that point and when, half an hour
afterward, | drove around, one of the
operators (whom | will call Jones) was
ready to accompany me. Provided with
a hamper of refreshments, feed for the
horses a brace of siX-shooters" and a
lantern, in case any mishap might befall
us, we started on our journey.


The night came on. Darkness as inky
and profound as that in the tabled CHM
merian caverns fell upon the earth, but
the instinct and intelligence of the
horses, aided feebly by the light of the
lantern, enabled them to keep the road
and maintain fair rate of speed.


After awhile the rain ceased, and al
though the roads were heavy we made
good progress until about midnight, be-
quilting the time meanwhile with CONVEX
Sation.


1t was in this region that some of the
most daring exploits of that noted vii
lain, John A. Murrell, were enacted, and
as Jones was familiar with their details
he related them for my edification. The
time of night, the darkness and the wild
and broken character of some portions
of the country through which we were
passing were not calculated to produce
very quiet frame of mind or inspire a
feeling of indifference to our surround
ings, and when, in the midst of narra-
tion of one of Murrcll's most atrocious
acts, we were greeted suddenly with a
command in a loud and peremptory tone
of voice to "Halt ~ candor compels me
to say that both myself and my COM
panion were, for the moment, considera-
bly, excited Without waiting for sec
ond order L stopped the horses while
Jones raised the lantern high enough to
distinguish objects little way in ad-
vance of US, thus discovering a couple of
hOrSemen.


"Who are you and what do you want?"
l asked.


In moment the response came


cts of nc particular account to you,
| reckon, who we are, but it does con-
Cern you to turn the heads of them horses
t'Other way"


Now this was quite plain in one sense
but very indefinite and unsatisfactory in
another. Were these parties friends or
foes? Were we confronted by men who
meant to do us a friendly act or were
they thieves and desperadoes whose mo-
tives were plumber, no matter at what
sacrifice? The manner of the salutation
was not encouraging, but perhaps owing
to the fact that we had been canvassing Q
the villainies of a noted highwayman
we were more ready than we should 9th
erwise have been to color with sinister
purpose the words addressed to us. In
stinctively both Jones and myself drew
our revolvers. Disgusting any trepida-
ton might have felt replied:


" You speak in riddles, my friend; be
kind enough to explain why you have
stopped u.s."


Because it's of no use to go further;
the bridge across the creek yonder is
gone and you'd be mad to try to ford il


The explanation was as satisfactory as
Drlef. We could go no further that
night L thanked the men for theil
klndness, and, our excitement having
subslded, we inquired if either of them