Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1893 — Page 8 Advertisements Column 1 [ADVERTISEMENT]

ALWAYS ITS PATRONS ■'*» Pull Worth cl "'heir Money by I w mraly and Quickly t* '»ver>J=J»r'Wkwn9 I between LH *, . . - * Chicago * < Lafayettel^^nP^P t anapoliC fumsmnats * * Louisville Allman sleeping cars ELEGANT PARLOR CARS ILL TRAINS RUN THROUGH SOLID tickets Sold and Baggage Checked to Destination. (yGet Maps and Time Tables if you want to be core fully informed—all Ticket Agents at Coupon itationa have them—or address

A BAD COUNTRY. Xfotndlbr Being the Birthplace of Four Bobber Gangs. All is not aulet as yet In Coffeyville, Kan., a*.d vicinity, where the famous Dalton gang was exterminated recently. The locality is surrounded by toughs, who seem to be seeking revenge for the killing of the robberß. The end of this desperate gang reoalls the famous raid of the James and Younger bo vs into Northvllle, Minn., years ago. Then the people were aroused in time and the robbers were defeated, but the bloodshed was not so great.

The “Oraoker-Neok" region, which lies on the north side of the Missouri River In Missouri, near the Kansas line, is notorious for having been the blrthplaoe of the Jameses, Youngers, and Daltons, all of whom were related to one another. From this region, too, came the Ford boys, who finally compassed the death of Jesse James. The “Oraoker-Neok" region is beautiful enough bv nature. It is one of those regions where “every prospect pleases, and only man is vile. ” It has been long settled, though not oulttvated with muoh skill, and is a land pink with peaoh-blossoms in the season. But the people, at least a great proportion of them, have not changed much sinoe they came from the Carolines. They are not much addicted to newspaper reading, hate Northerners, and like a good horse ridden by a desperado. After Jesse James had been killed by Bob Ford and his body lay in state in Bt. Joseph, Mo., the “Cracker-Neok” people came to view the body. They gazed sullenly at all that was mortal of the famous desperado, and as sullenly turned away. They did not believe in killing train and bank robbers. Frank James is in Kansas City, and his eldest son—if he have more than one is not now borne in mind—is a deoent young fellow enough. The skulking, murderous lotjwho were protected for to long by one olass in Missouri and portions of the South are practically exterminated.

Was It De Soto's Skeleton? X believe that I helped lo buiy Don Fernando de Soto, says a native Louisianian. In 1853 I was living in Baton Bouge, and in company with a couple of other young men, named Davis and Hurin, went up the river on a hunting expedition. We went up above the present site of Port Hudson, where the river makes a sharp bend to the west. There had been a big rise in the river a month before—one of the greatest ever known. We landed on a lot of rubbish that had been swept down by the river, and used some of it to cook our supper. Hurin sat down on an old log that appeared to have been washed up from the bottom of the stream, and tapped on it with a hatchet. It gave out a hollow sound, and he began to chip into it. The wood was soft and spongy, and he soon ont through the outer orust, and, putting his hand inside, drew forth a rusty sword. We quiokly demolished the log and found it to contain a helmet, badiy corroded, and a human skeleton, that of a man, apparently six feet tall. On one of the bony fingers was a large seal ring, and about the neck was a small chain, to which was suspended a bronze cruolfix. We carried the skeleton inland a quarter of a mile and buried it on a littli knoll between two large live oak trees. Hurin kept the sword and Davis appropriated the oruciflx. It is said that De Soto’s body was incased in a hollow tree and sunk in the Mississippi Biver in 1542. Whether the skeleton we found was his or not I do not know, but it had every appearance of having lain in the river for centuries.

Barbecues of Early Day*. The barbecue of to-day bears little resemblance to the outdoor love-feast of half a century ago. In those days they were not snoh monster gatherings, were more orderly and had a distinct political end. There were no sideshows to distraot the attention of the crowd, no noisy fakirs to disturb the speakers, and no suoh confusion and general cussedness as distinguish the general character of to-day’s gathering* In early days it was mueh different, Jhen the barbecues were given by both parties in every county in the State. There were no great crowds, for there were no railroads to bring them. The fanners drove in with their Camilles, for miles' around, and In those •days a crowd of 1,5(k 0 or 2,000 was a big osa The farmers chipped in and contributed the beeves, the gheep and the hard older; the county committee took charge at the arrangements, and when the least was on there was nothin thought of or discussed but politics. After the provender had disappeared -c«ne fte speakin, g. There was only -one stand and usually only one or two distinguished speakers from abroad. Son* talent supplied the rest. Everything was quiet and .erderly, and by «uaaowa the groundß were deserted and Ajw happy farmers were driving home MM with enthusiasm and hard eider.