Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 August 1874 — A “SHOCKING” INCIDENT. [ARTICLE]

A “SHOCKING” INCIDENT.

BY T. H. GLENN.

In the year 1853 I was traveling in the Southern States, and, having business at several points in North Alabama and Southern Tennessee which would detain me in that section several weeks, I made my 11 headquarters” at the pleasant town of Tuscumbia, Ala. It was spring-time. 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 thdt much anxiety was felt in all quarters lest the seed should rot in the ground and render a second planting necessary, besides otherwise putting in jeopardy the yield, that year, of the great Southern staple. I had frequent occasion to use the telegraph lines, and having myself manipulated a “key” someyears previously was soon on terms of familiarity with the operators. One evening I desired to send a telegram to Eastport, Miss., a point some distance below Tuscumbia, or.the Tennessee River, but was informed at the telegraph office that the line had been down all day; furthermore, that a brief note -just received from the operator at Eastport brought information that “ wild lightning” during the preceding night had left his office instruments in a chaotic condition, and that before he could resume business a new outfit was necessary. It was still raining, but the business I had to transact was urgent, and although it was nearly dark I determined to start for Eastport as soon as a conveyance could be procured. The roads were in bad condition, out with a pair of splendid bays and a stout vehicle I had no . doubtof going through safely. The manager of the telegraph office thanked me for the offer of a seat to anyone going to Eastport with the new outfit for the office at t hat point, and when, half an hour afterward, I drove around, OBe of the operators (whom I 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 fabled Cimmerian caverns Sell 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 a fair rate of speed. • After awhile the rain,ceased, and although the roads were heavy we made good progress until about beguiling the time meanwhile with conversation. It was in this region that some of the most daring exploits of that noted villain, John A. Murrell, were enacted, and as Jones was familiar with their details he related then! 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 a very quiet frame of mind or jpspfre a feeling of indifference to our surroundings, and when, in the midst of a narration of orc of Murrell’s most atrocious acts, we were greeted suddenly with a command in a loud and peremptory tone <>rvoice to' “Halt!” candor compels me to say that both myself and my companion were, for the moment, considerably excited. Without waiting for a second order I stopped the horses while Jones raised die lantern high enough to distinguish objects a little way in advance of us, thus discovering a couple of horsemen. ‘‘ Who are you' and what do you want ?” I asked. In a moment the response came—- “ It’s of no particular account to you, I reckon, who we are, but it does concern 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 andUJeA Were these parties friends or foetrr Were'we confronted by men who meant to do tis a friendly act, or were they thieves and desperadoes whose motives were plunder, no matter at what sacrifice? The manner of the salutation was not encouraging, but perhaps owing to the fact that we had been canvassing the villainies of a noted highwayman we were more ready than we should otherwise have been to color with a sinister purpose the words addressed to us. Instinctivfely both Jones'and myself drew our revolvers. Disguising any trepidation I might have felt I replied: ’‘-“-Youspeak in riddles, my friend; be kind enough to explain why you have stopped us.” “ 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 it now.” s . ‘ The explanation was as satisfactory as brief. We could go no further that night. I thanked the men for their kindness, and, our excitement having subsided, we inquired if either of them

could direct us to sotoc place where we could get accommodations for ourselves and horses until morning. One of them lived about half a mile oft the main road, and as his was the nearest house he “ reckoned ” he could “ take us in” (as he expressed it), if we would put up with such fare as he could offer. Gladly accepting his hospitality, we retraced our steps a few rods, and then, following our pilot, turned into a new road full of ruts, and an army of stumps that disputed our passage at almost every step. The man jgretosed to take the lantern and keep in advance of us, as in this way we could better see the way. I have never quite brought myself to the conclusion that Jones was not suspicious of him, for he hesitated a little about relinquishing the light, but finally did so, and the man’s explanation of being out at that time of night in search of “ runaways” (negroes) entirely quieted Jones’ fears. At last we arrived at the house. Negroes were aroused who took care of our horses, and we followed our host into the house. We were shown into an upper room, where we retired immediately and slept soundly until morning. We were awake with the first glimpse of daylight, as also was our host. We arose, saw that our horses were fed, ate our breakfast, offered to compensate the planter (which proposition, with the proverbial hospitality of Southern planters, he declined), and wore again on our journey. The creek was found to be yet much swollen, but we determined to ford it. How we got out of it without accident I have never been able fully tb understand: —It was mueh deeper than wc had expected, the current was swift and strong; at the deepest part the buggy began to float and the horses were compelled to swim some distance. At length, however, we landed at a considerable distance below the point we had intended to reach, and after great difficulty scaled the bank and regained the highway. Here we fell in with a long, lank, lan-tern-jawed, cadaverous-looking individual astride a diminutive mule. He had watched our perilous passage of the stream with the utmost nonchalance. Had he been stupefied with terror he could not have manifested more supreme indifference. He sat upon his mule, eying us in a dazed way as though we were some unusual phenomenon—inhabitants from another planet. His singular conduct no less than his singular personality could hardly fail to fix our attention. He was arrayed in a pair of butternut pantaloons several inches too short and held up by a single suspender made of a strip of cotton cloth; his huge feet were encased in a pair of brogans that must have required lasts large enough for Goliath of Gath; a tow shirt and a broadbrimmed slouched felt hat completed his tout ensemble. Until we had passed him he sat like a statue, as though he was glued to the mule and the mule was transfixed in the mud. Nothing indicated that cither the man or mule moved a muscle except the gradual turning of the man’s head as he bent upon us his steady stare. We passed on without a w r ord being spoken on either sidp, when he turned about and followed our course, though we soon left him out of sight.

About norn we reached Eastport just in time to accomplish my errand before tlie departure of the parties from that foint whom it was highly necessary to sec. Jones went at once to the telegraph office, where himself and the local operator soon put the nlechanitm necessary there into working order. At Eastport the line crossed the Tennessee and the wire was down on the north branch of that stream. The local operator had been over to make repairs, but found it necessary to return to the nftice for more tools and materials, and in the afternoon, when he went over the second time, Jones and myself accompanied him. There were about twenty persons on the ferry-boat, and among them the individual seen at the creek in the morning. He had evidently been hobnobbing with “ John Barleycorn,” for he indulged in considerable loud and threatening talk, which was chiefly directed, by reason of the discovery he had made, toward * them telegraph fellows.” In the minds of many of the more ignorant population, there and elsewhere, the ridiculous idea prevailed that the telegraph wires had some occult but potent influence on the weather, and the rains which then threatened to seriously endanger the crops were mainly charged by these simple-minded persons to the existence of the telegraph lines. The thimbleful of brains under the slouched hat and unkempt hair of the above-described individual was evidently penetrated with this stupid idea, and now that he had placed himself outside of a pint or so of “ tangle-foot,” and was, encouraged by the sympathetic jargon of four or five specimens of the same genus, quite as ignorant -and nearly as much intoxicated as himself, he was very noisy. Them starchy bucks thar is a flxin’ uv the telegraf. I seed two uv ’em mightily skeered in creek this mornin’. Dog on my skin, es itwern’t a good firing es they’d a bin drownded 1” < This sally elicited a loud laugh from ins companions, while Jones and myself could not repress a quiet smile. The “native” continued: “Dad dang the telegraf; it don’t do our country no good ! Who’s a gwinc to git a crap? The cotton seed is a rotten’ an’ corn’ll be drownded out,” The language, the demonstrations, and the absurd idea of the speaker were supremely ludicrous. It was utterly useless for “ them telegraf fellers” to attempt controlling their risibilities. The explosion of laughter which followed was hearty, loud ana prolonged. Its effect on the Speaker, however, was very aggravating; his blood went up to lightning heat at once. Walking over to;where our party stood, and posing defiantly, he threw down the gauntlet in this wise: “ Lookee h’ur, you ornery size fire sarpints; I kin lick you’uns outen them shiny bgots-ye've got on in two minutes by the Clock? and a whole passel more jist like ye. I’m the gobbler. Hooray!” Jones suggested that a bot'le of Sirs. Winslow’s soothing syrup might do the 'fellow good,.and remarks equally tantalizing by the Eastport operator made him furious. His companions gathered around him, and at one time a collision was imminent. The interference, however, of some ofs the bystanders, who expostulated with the parties about endangering the lives of others on the boat by the use of firearms (several pistols had been drawn), finally restored quiet, and anon the boat reached the landing. Preparations were begun at once to repair the telegraph line. The countryman and a couple of his friends approached,

evidently bent on mischief. He gave out that the wire should not be put up. A splice was necessary, and before the additional piece of wire could be put in the indications -were that there would be trouble. Jones’ quick perceptions, however, suggested a way out of the difficulty, by the aid of electricity. Attaching a piece of copper wire to the wire of the line, and inserting the end of another copper wire (to which was attached a relay) in the ground, he soon found that he had a “ circuit,” and was in communication with Tuscumbia. With the two copper wires he could break and close the circuit and thus communicate with the office, and by means of the “ relay” he could, by sound, understand what was said to him. He made known to Tuscumbia “ the situation," and arranged with that office to second his plan. Meanwhile the countryman and his companions had posted themselves at the point where the main wire was broken, and to them the preparations going on were ,as unintelligible as an example in algebra. The leading spirit, however, was the long individual whose ire had boiled over on the ferry-boat. He had seized the iron wire as it lay on the bushes and expressed himself as anxious that some one should attempt to take it from him. At Jones’ direction the Eastport operator took another coil of copper wire, threw it down near the countryman, and stepping a little further off pushed a loose end into the soft ground, taking care to leave considerable loose wire. Then eying the coil and the fellow alternately, as though loth to leave the coil, he essayed to take it up. The bait was taken eagerly, the —countryman seized it in triumph, still holding fast the iron wire. It only remained for Jones to djject Tuscumbia to turn the force of his main battery upon the Eastport wire; Jones did this and withdrew. In a moment there was an unearthly yell; a pair of huge brogans attached to legs encased in butternut were seen describing sundry acrobatic gyrations in the air, and presently about the worst doubled-up speci men of the genus homo ever seen lay moaning on the ground. He had received a pretty heavy shock of electricity from the battery at Tuscumbia. His confederates had seen him go up but they did not stay to notice what became of him. They fled to the woods at break-neck speed, which was not diminished as long as we could see them. At first we were somewhat alarmed but hastening to the man found that he was not injured, though frightened out of what little wit he had possessed. He begged for his life and protested solemnly that if allowed to depart he would avoid interfering with telegraph lines and operators ever afterward, a promise which, no doubt, he religiously kept.— Our Fireside Friend.