He said the tale was current in Louisville years ago.
He thought it had been in print, but could not remember.

At any rate, in substance it was this, as nearly as I can call it back to mind.
A few years before the outbreak of the Civil War it began to appear that Memphis, Tennessee, was going to be a great tobacco entrepot--the wise could see the signs of it.

At that time Memphis had a wharf boat, of course.

There was a paved sloping wharf, for the accommodation of freight, but the steamers landed on the outside of the wharfboat, and all loading and unloading was done across it, between steamer and shore.

A number of wharfboat clerks were needed, and part of the time, every day, they were very busy, and part of the time tediously idle.