Show NEGROES ON SAFETY VALVES A It of tho ti's MU Is ia 91 Before the War D. D Crail Crall of Cincinnati talking talking about old times on tho the Mississippi Press free river said to a D Detroit r reporter rm j Before Belora the tho war Wr I used to t run on the Mississippi river and you may depend de do- do- do peed pend end times ties vera red hot hotin in days days The Tho stories that you hear hoar about tho exciting occurrences occurrence that wore daily daiy boats happening on tho the big passenger in bellum ante ante belum days are arc not the the tho l least ast exaggerated On contrary I havo hava seen times times' there than I have bave ever read W e and heard about about Well I should rather say say so and to t toll tel Wel tho the truth I was wa right in it myself I have sat Bat in poker games day after day and night after night where knives bowie and seven seven soven shooters wore to be seen on or evory every side side and where negro slaves were were the tho stakes stales I am amno amno amno and havo have no slouch of a card player fingered tho the pasteboards with tho the cream of toe the profession and yet when I recall somo of those thosa old tim times 3 it it makes tho the shivers run up and down my spinal column Passengers on the tho river boats in Inthe in inthe the tho days referred to lived high high I assure assure as as- as assure sure you you and such a thing as having water on the tho table for or drinking Purposes purposes pil pur Pur- poses was unheard of Wine Wino and ant whisky flowed freely and it i was a. a a amark mark of great effeminacy to be seen seem drinking Adams Adam's ale To 10 you something of an idea how hov thoy they used to todo todo todo do in the tho I will wi relate an incident that I witnessed on the tho steamer Monarch Mon Men arch in 56 A passenger waked walked up to the tho clerks clerk's desk one ono morning threw throw down a 20 bill bIl and nd said Take Tako what I owe you out of this this The clerk clerk and all nI such functionaries function aries wore important feeling follows fellows aboard a Mississippi river steamboat glared at atthe the bill bi and then threw throw it back with the remark That's bad bad It I cant can't be be replied tho the passenger I just drew it out of a bank bank One Ono word drew on another until finally the tho clerk called the tho passenger a liar Quick as asa a flash the tho passenger drew drow a gun and fired shooting tho clerk through the tho head killing him instantly The boats boat's crew seized the tho passenger tied him to a chair and throw him overboard over board and sir do you know knew not a aman man playing poker in the cabin at the tho time left his chair through the entire scene Such a trivial occurrence a as two human beings losing their lives was not deemed of sufficient interest or importance to warrant the tho gamblers stopping their game Steamboat races Well I guess so Time and time timo again I have seen hams and barrels of pork thrown into the furnaces during a steamboat race raca and while the tho passengers on both boats were standing on the brink of eternity you might say the tho boats beats shivering arid and groaning under the awful strain like liko a couple of suffering animals the gamblers would stand calmly by and lay wagers as S 'S to which boat would win thorace or as to the likelihood of one one or both ir blowing up |