During the war, after Ben Butler took possession of New Orleans,
the city was always full of Union officers and soldiers. Money
was very plentiful, and of course everything was lively. I was
running the race-course and gambling games out at the lake, and
was making big money. I had nineteen good horses. Some were
trotters, some pacers, and some runners. I would drive out and in
over the shell road, which at that time was one of the finest drives
in this country. I did not allow any one to have a faster horse
than myself, and generally drove a pacer, as the road was very
hard, and would stove up a trotter in a short time. I had a very
pretty bay mare that could pace in 2:30 every day in the week, and
she had beaten fourteen other horses at the State Fair in 2:26½.
I drove "Emma Devol" (the bay mare) most of the time. I had a big
black horse called the "Duke of Orleans," which was faster than
"Emma Devol," but I hardly ever drove him on the shell road, as I
kept him for the race-track.
I was driving the "Duke" out on the road one evening, when I overtook
a big fellow by the name of Jim Dueane, who was a lieutenant of
police at that time. He was a good, clever fellow when sober, but
very quarrelsome when drunk. He was driving a good horse, and I
could see he was under the influence of liquor. He asked me where
I got the plug I was driving, for he did not recognize the "Duke."
I told him it was an old fellow I had bought for $50 to drive on
the road, as I did not want to stove up my race-horses. We were
about two miles from the lake, when he offered to bet me a bottle
of wine he could beat me to the lake. I took him up, and we started.
I let him get a little ahead, so I could see how his horse moved.
We were going along in this way for the first mile, when he looked
back and said, "Come on, Devol, or you will have to pay for the
wine."
I replied, "All right, I will do it, as I do not want to lose the
bet."
I gave "Duke" the word, and he got right down to business and passed
Dueane so quick that he did not know what to make of the old plug.
After I got about 100 feet ahead of him, I looked back and told
him to come on or he would have to pay for the wine. He tried very
hard to catch me, but it was no use, as "Duke" was not that kind
of a horse.
I was at the lake, out of my wagon, and had the blanket on the
"Duke of Orleans," when Dueane drove up. I could see that he was
not in good humor. He got and hitched his horse, and then we walked
over to the hotel to get the bottle of wine. I began laughing at
him, and wanted to know what he thought of the "Duke" as a $50
plug, when he let drive at me. I ducked my head, and he hit it a
pretty hard lick. I started for him, but some of the officers
jumped in between us and put a stop to the fight, and in a little
while he apologized and we were drinking together. I could have
whipped him, for I was in my prime at that time; but I was glad
they separated us, as I did not want to have any trouble with the
police.
While we were drinking and talking about the race, a great big
colonel of a New York regiment, who was pretty drunk, spoke up and
said, "I can whip any man that will do anything to Dueane."
I knew he had reference to me; but the room was full of shoulder-
strapped fellows, and I did not want any of his chicken pie just
then, so I paid no attention to his remarks. He kept on with his
abuse, and I was just itching to get at him, but knew I would not
stand a fair show unless some of my friends should drop in, which
I expected they would do before long, as it was a little early for
the town boys.
In a short time a friend of mine, by the name of Joe Summers, and
a crowd of New Orleans boys came in. Then I knew I would have a
fair show, so I walked up to the big colonel and said, "You are a
big lubber, and can't fight just a little bit."
Up went his hands, but before he could lead off I gave him one
under the chin, and he measured his length on the floor. My friends
were all around us in an instant, and Joe Summers said that it
should be a fair fight. I was ready to give him my head when he
got up, but the big lubber said, "That will do."
In ten minutes after I knocked him down we were drinking wine
together, and no one would have though we ever had a difficulty.
He was so big that he thought he could bluff me; but he did not
know that I was about the worst man in that part of the country at
that time to bluff at any game, more especially at the game of
fight--for I would rather have fought than not, and I did not think
there was a man living in those days that could whip me in a rough-
and-tumble.
We had several bottles of wine on the strength of our little
misunderstanding. The result was, we were all feeling pretty good
and liberal, and I do believe we opened 200 bottles of wine before
2 o'clock.
There were about seventy-five teams hitched around the hotel, and
I knew when their owners started home they would get to racing on
the shell road, and some of the horses and buggies would get hurt;
so I told a stable-boy to put my horse up, and I would wait until
morning. A few of the others did the same thing, but the balance
started, and some of them were so drunk that they could not see
the road, although it was as white as marble. The next morning
after I had eaten my breakfast I had my team brought out, and
started for the city. The wine of the night previous had done its
work, for I saw seven buggies, or parts of them, strewn along the
road. Dueane had run into the toll-gate, and came near killing
himself and his horse.
Wine is a great worker when one gets too much of it inside. It
gave employment to the buggy-makers, and put me to bed on that
occasion; and I was glad of it when I saw the wrecks it had made
of my boon companions of the night before.