Tobacco, not just for smoking

[plankmaker]

Tobacco has been used in various applictions. It has been used as a dye and tobacco juice is effective in keeping certain insects off of various vegetables. However, you don't want to get too much of the juice on you as it will make you sicker than a dog from nicotine poisoning.

Cotton coats — the Naval Retiring law.
The Washington Star, of the 23d inst., says:

The clothing of the "secesh" taken in the recent battle at Drainsville proves that the enemy are, indeed, intense sufferers for want of Quartermaster's stores. Thus, three- fourths of their coats are of cotton cloth — not woollen — lined in some instances with a heavier cotton cloth, or padded with cotton. The coats of the South Carolina troops engaged were colored by being dyed with tobacco juice.

This forenoon the President signed the bill recently passed by Congress to retire from active service all officers above sixty-two years of age, or who have been forty years in service. So it is now law.

[sbl]

Sounds good. The USN landing forces at Vera Cruz in 1914 used rust, coffee, and iodine to dye their summer whites as a form of camouflage. Whatever works.

[plankmaker]

Dyes weren't just used on cloth either.

Richmond Dispatch.
Friday morning...Dec. 28, 1861.
Secession movement at the South

Painting a White Girl to make her a slave.
[From the Natchez (Miss.) Free Trader, Dec. 12]

One day last week a gentleman of this city hailed an up-country shipboat , the Cora Anderson, as she was passing Greensville, Miss., whither he had gone on business, to return home.--Shortly after being under way our Natchez friend observed a pensive looking little girl, aged about 9 or 10 years, whose black hair and yellowish brown skin would indicate that she was a mulattress. There was something about her that interested him, and he inquired of the captain concerning her. He was informed that she was a slave belonging to a man on board, whom the captain pointed out, who said he was taking her to New Orleans to sell her, he having bought her for $160 in Northwestern Missouri, on the borders. Our Natchez friend eyed the little girl and the border man so closely as to attract the attention of the latter, with whom he was soon engaged in conversation concerning the child, interrogating him in such manner as to elicit answers not always agreeing with previous statements, and evidently alarming him. This was suspicious.

The little girl was taken aside and examined. She said she was an orphan, and had been taken from an asylum in New York by this man; that her hair was light and her complexion brunette; that this man told her he was going to the South with her, where, as his adopted child, she would have a good home; that black hair was preferred in the South, and prettier than hers, and that he had taken her to a barber and had her hair dyed black. He also told her that if she would allow him to put some yellow dye on her skin that her complexion would become much whiter in a few days, and that he had put the stain on. On hearing these statements the girl was taken charge of by the captain, and potash, soap and water being applied, the dyes were taken off and the light hair and light complexion brought to light. The pretended master was seized by the excited passengers, who were about to deal with him summarily, but it was finally arranged to lock him up in a stateroom until the boat should land. In the meantime the boat had passed St. Joseph, and when a few miles below that town rounded to take on wood.--At this point, how, or in what manner is not known, the border ruffian escaped from the boat, leaving his baggage behind. The girl was taken by the captain of the boat to New Orleans and placed in one of the orphan asylums in that city.

[hanktrent]

She said she was an orphan, and had been taken from an asylum in New York by this man; that her hair was light and her complexion brunette; that this man told her he was going to the South with her, where, as his adopted child, she would have a good home...

Wow.

Reading between the lines...

Was he planning to swindle someone by telling the asylum he wanted to adopt a white child, then selling her into slavery in the south to some unwitting person?

Or was he a pedophile who liked white children, but figured this disguise was the best way to smuggle her off so the asylum couldn't check on him?

Either way... wow.

Hank Trent
(finally, you've found a documented impression I wouldn't do)
hanktrent@gmail.com

[plankmaker]

Under any circumstance, I do not believe his intentions were honorable. I've looked but can't find anything on what they did to him. Methinks it was less than pleasant.

[plankmaker]

OK, Hank,

Let's see you pull this one off:

Richmond Dispatch.
Friday morning...June 28, 1861

The man with a snake in his hat.

--Dr. Dixon, in his New York Monthly Scalpel, states that a gentleman of the highest veracity related to him the following snake story, which beats anything we have read lately:

Going into a very public ordinary for his dinner, he was surprised to observe the extra care with which a gentleman who took the seat opposite to him took off his hat; he turned his hat as nearly upside down as possible without breaking his neck; then placing his hand over the inside of his hat, he again turned it, and received its carefully guarded contents, concealed by a pocket handkerchief, in his hand; then gently laying the back of his hand on the cushion, he slid the hat and its contents off and commenced dinner. The attention of my friend was irresistibly directed towards the hat; and his surprise greatly increased, the reader may well imagine, on observing the head of a sizable snake thrust out and looking sharply about him. The gentleman perceiving the discovery, addressed him:

"My dear sir, I was in hopes to have dined alone and not to annoy any one with my poor pet. Allow me to explain: He is perfectly harmless — only a common black snake. I was advised to carry him on my head for a rheumatism; I have done so for a few weeks, and I am cured — positively cured of a most agonizing malady. I dare not yet part with him; the memory of my sufferings is too vivid; all my care is to avoid discovery and treat my pet as well as possible in his income confinement. I feed him on milk and eggs, and he does not seem to suffer. Pardon me for the annoyance — you have my story — It is true. I am thankful to the informer for my cure, and to you for your courtesy in not leaving your dinner, disguised"

[sbl]

I didn't know what a "public ordinary" was but here it is...

"4 a British : a meal served to all comers at a fixed price b chiefly British : a tavern or eating house serving regular meals"

[Rob Weaver]

A public ordinary is an eating establishment where there is only one meal for sale. Period fast food. (They're still around, just the term is gone. I ate in a local place in Panama that had chicken and rice -that was it. If you wanted something else, try the next place. But it was good and the beer was cold, a definite plus in the tropics.)