Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1886 — Almost Dangerous. [ARTICLE]

Almost Dangerous.

There were three of us walking over the battle-field of Chickamauga, when we met a colored man in the woods with an old army musket on his shoulder. When asked what game he was after he replied: “I’ze looking fur a pusson named Joe Peasly, an’ when 1 sot eyes on him he’s gwine to drop!” * “What’s Joe been doing?” “He stole my wife away. I’ze been layin’ fur him dese las’ sixteen y’ars. ” “You have been a long time in getting mad about it” “Dat’s a sack, but I’ze mad now.” He dropped behind, and pretty soon we encountered a second colored man. He also hade, musket on his shoulder and a tragic look on his face. “After squirrels?” was asked as he halted. ... “No, sah! I’ze arter a pusson named Sam Benliam, an’ when I sot eyes on him he kin say far’well to dis world!” “ What’s Sam been doing!” “Run’d off wid my wife, sah. I’ze bin huntin’ him for ober fifteen y’ars.” - We passed along, and about ten minutes later the two old muskets began to pop. The fusilade was kept up for a quarter of an hour, and then there was deep silence. When. Wecircled around and struck,*the highway we saw one man legging it up the road and the other down, while a white man nodded to us from his seat on a log and said: “I had to come down and stop it. They have kept this thing up-everyday for the last six months, and the first thing they know they’ll hurt each other. ” —Detroit Free Press. 1