Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 August 1889 — COL. JIM RICE. [ARTICLE]

COL. JIM RICE.

A Brave Record as Recruiting Officer —Bluffing the Home Guards. “So you didn’t know that Jim Rice wa> sjldier ?” said an o ? d man from New Albany the other day. “Well, I never heard him blow about his war record, but if you call a man a soldier -who went in with the old Twenty-third regiment when he was sevoenteen years old, and stayed with them three years, -why Jim was a soldier. You see I know all about him, and if you’ll listen, I’ll tell you a little story. “Along in the spring of 1861, soon after Sumter was fired on, some boys from New Albany got up a fishing and h mting party, as i they were accustomea to do. Jim was the youngest but the greatest hustler in the lot. He furnished the boat, and superintended things generally.

“When going down the river at Stewart’s landing, the stars and stripes were waving, and some one hurrahed for Abe Lincoln. Noticing a confederate flag on the Kentucky side, one of the boys yelled for Jeff Davis, just for fun, for although the war had commenced, they had not given the subject a serious thought Their parents were strong Unionists and the incident was immediately forgotten. “They went some miles down the river and camped, fishing and hunting for a week. When returning, at Jim’s suggestion, they stopp . d at Stewart’s landing and camped for the night. At daybreak Jim called the cook to commence operations while he went over to Stewart’s grocery f or some butter and eggs. When he retained the boys observed three big fellows, with gui.s, standing near. In a moment they came up and the spoksman said:

“We done had a meetin’ last night, an’ tho verdick is that you’uns must git up an t git.’ “How’s that?’ said Jim, not j knowing exactly what they meant. “I say for you’uhs to gether up your traps an’ git,’ rep’ied the man. “Well, I reckon there’s no hurry,’ said Jim, getting some eggs ready to fry. “Just make yourselves at home, gentlemen, and have some breakfast with us.’ man, in a louder tone, ‘we don’t want no foolin’, an’ we don’t waul no Bouble, but we’ve got you’uns spotted, One of you hollered for Jeff Davis when you went down the river a week ago. W® had a meetin’ an’ you’ve got to light out or surrender. We’ve been a guardin’ you all night.’ The boys were ; 11 out of their tents by this time. “Are you really in earnest?’asked Jim. “We air,’ they replied, ‘an’ you’re surrounded by 150 armed men.’ “Then, by the gods, we’ll stay right here until we get ready 'o leave, and I dare you to touch us,’ said Jim, throwing down the skillet. ‘lt’s a pity if in a free country a pack of boys can’t eamp out on the rive/ front and bunt and fish without being insulted in this manner. Why, I’m Jim Bice; everybody know’s father. Go over there and ask S ewart; ke knows me.’

•Your father’s all right, but we don’t know nothin about you an’ this gang, an’ some of you’uns hollered for Jeff Davis, an’ that makes our bind bile. We air fur the Union, we air, an’ we expect to fight an’ die fur the perfection of >ur firesides an the old flag »u’ drive the traitors from our sile ’ “Oh, shut up,’ interrupted Jim, not particularly disturbed by the threats nor overawed by the outbreak of eloquence. ‘We won’t leave until we get ready; you can count on that,’ he continued, picking up the skillet again. ‘So you might as well stay and have some breakfast with us. I can’t invite the 150 heroes that are on giiard around in the brush, on account of a scarcity of provisions, but you

gentlemen are welcome to the best our table affords.’ “Some of the boys were frightened and wanted to leave at once, but Jim said ‘no,’and so instead cf going immediately after breakfast, as they or ginally intended, they waited until as late in the evening as possible. The guard kept them surrounded, but did not interfere with them, and they put in the day in grand simp *. “It is needless to say that this incident caused the boys, upon their return, to turn their attention to the existing state of national affairs, and the records of th. Twenty-third Indiana reeiment, ■which was organized at New Albany soon after, show the names of many of these young fishermen upon the roll of henoi. “Jim belonged to a Zouave company of home guards. He was especially active in recruiting for the new regiment, and told some of the officers that they had the most patriotic men in Indiana down at Stewart’s landing, and ho believed he could raise a whole compan there. He accordingly put on his gorgeous uniform and went dowe.

“He found them still boiling over with patriotism and ready to protect their firesides, but when he urged them to ‘call a meetin’ an’ ‘git up an’ git’ to the front, they wore not so enthusiastic, and while h< implorad them, individually and eollectively, to rally round the flag, he failed to get a single name. “He finally returned with one pc or, miserableslooking little fellow that he had picked up somewhere, who was not only under age,- but under size, ami he was rejected on general principles. “Jim was a better form for zou-. ave uniform than he is now, and he often said afterward that he thought the little fellow volunteered solely for the purpose of getting a uniform, for when he was assured he should have red breeches hke Jim’s, he immediately put down his name.”

Thu fellows at Stewart’s landing had their prototypes, in superior numbers, all over the land. They were “trooly loil,” and if submitted to would permit none k differ with the administration. They declared Mr. Lincoln to be the “Government,” and disc' v- cd the foolishness of the proposition only upon the assassination of Mr. Lincoln, when they had either to admit the “Government was dead” or concede thatfl he was not tho government. They could not be induced to go to the front, but remained at horns to vote and continue the republican party in power, which tney did with huge majorities, until the “Boys in Blue’’ brought the struggle to a successful close, and returned to their homes to pit their ballots against those of the excessively and “trooly loil.”