St. Landry Democrat

Playing Deputy Sheriff.

Not a great while ago one of our young friends who was then in the collecting business was making a trip to Coulee Croche for the purpose of getting together some scattered change. Having started from town at a late hour, he made it as far as the abode of two thrifty bachelor farmers living about three miles south of town. One of the above gentlemen referred to, knowing the nature of his visitor, and also of a certain gentleman of color on his place who had been "cutting up" in town, approached his lodger for the night and told him that he had a negro on his place who was neglecting his business very much of late by running to town at night, and furthermore, that on a recent trip he had got into some kind of a scrape, had to leave in a hurry and seemed very much frightened about it. Now, in order to break up this running to town entirely he proposed in the morning to give the collector a pistol and that he should play off sheriff and take the negro off in the direction of town, and that on his getting a short distance off, he, the farmer, would follow him and "beg the negro off." The visitor agreed and was given the pistol at the stated time. Early next morning while the collector was feeding his horse and preparing to play off his joke on the darkey, our farmer told him that his pistol would not be loaded; that as the negro was "scarry" caps on it would be sufficient. Just before the officer got ready he slipped around and told the negro that the gentleman in the house was a deputy-sheriff and had come to take him to jail, but that he would give him a pistol, and wanted him to go so far, when he must stop and if the deputy tried to do anything he must use it on him, and furthermore, that in case he didn't succeed in getting away he would help him out, but that it wouldn't do to pull his pistol out there because others who were present would be witnesses against both of them. So when the deputy came and read the warrant, the negro "kicked" a little, but was persuaded to move on by the collector's pulling a six shooter around to the front of his belt. After he had got the negro to walk ahead a few steps up the road the pistol was returned to its place, and all went well until a certain point was reached, where the negro stopped and refused to go further. Our collector started to pull his pistol, but the negro pulled his and got the drop on him. The assumed deputy, knowing that his pistol had no loads in it, slided off on the other side of his horse begging as he went. The negro followed him, and, reaching over the animal, was, as he thought, about to shoot him, when the farmer came up and sent him away, telling the collector that if he had known that the negro was armed he would not have tried to work up such a trick on him. On leaving our collector looked as though he would neither try to play off deputy or have such a situation if there was a vacancy.