Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1846-11-10
"Snake J0hason's2 Story.

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| The last New Orleans Pic. has one of
the richest stories of the season in the
shape of an incident related by Snake
Jotnson--a man of considerable notorie.
| ty at Port Layacca Texas, where he keeps
store with small assortment of drg
goods and groceries, consisting chiefly of
whiskey ,and,to use his own words.makes
decent and respectable living" Snake
premises Pic, is a man of small preten-
sions, and honestly ayows that .she wasn't
brought up no ways superior to most
folks. and amt no account at algebra,
but knows as well as most folks that when
he gives ten dollars for berril of whiskey
and retails it out for eighty, he can't be
losin' much.'' There is nothing remark
able about the appearance of Mr.. John
son.. He is tall, round shouldered, and
powerfully built; has got a long, sharp
nose, piercing gray eyes, a hard mouth,
and good many lines on his face that
incicate courage and cunning. In his
district he is looked up to as a pretty
sharp sort of a chap, and has held the of.
! fee of sheriff.
After the above preliminaries, Pic,
adds:
While sitting on the head of an empty
whiskey barrel short time since in his
shop at the Port, surrounded by number
OF neighbors, steamboatsmen, recruits,
&c. the subject of his having been sher-
lift ofthe county was brought up.
Snake took out his plug of tobacco, cut
off a small piece, pat it into his mouth
shut up his jack-knife, and as he thrust it
back into his pocket. said, "Did ever
tell you, gentlemen, about my actin in
my official capacity as sheriff of this ere
county soon afterI was electedl"
"No! mol" exclaimed dozen voices,
''let's have it,
"Well gentlemen" said Snake, 81
wont be ugly, an as don't think ony on
ye have heerd it afore, don't mind rela.
tin tbs circumstance! You all on you
know, an those that don't will know it
now, that alters act right up to the mark,
and don't do nothin' contrary to law to say
nothin' o gospel
ooh, we know! we know!" was the gen.
eral exclamation.
well, then, that pint's settled, an I'm
glad on it, COZ shouldn't like to hev he'd
a fight at the first start, an should have
certainly licked the first teller that said
he din't know it. Well, to continue,
soon arter I'd been 'lected sheriff, was a
sittin' out thar onto the door step, think
in it was about time to heb job, when
two chaps came ridin' down the road
as If "a hull tribe of lnjuns was rearin
and pitctin arter 'em. They charged
right up to the door aud axed me i'll know.
ed the sheriff: | told 'emI had seen him
once't or twic't. They wanted to know
whar they could find him, an told 'em
Ireckened he was sittin on his door step.
'Oh!' sed they, 'be you Snake Johnson?'
4 told em' reckoncd was the only man
O that name in these parts, an was sAer-
lit OF the country to boot. Well, they got
off an passed small sample of old bald
face behind their shirt collars, an sed
they'd come to get me to execute the son-
tence of the law. well, gentlemen, ses
|, I'm perfectly agreeablel I'm alters On
hand. and as sheriff to this county will
see that his majesty the law shall be o.
| beyed according to HoyleP SIS
"'We'Iljust trouble you to mount your
horse and come up To-, sed they, a
small town about six miles back here,
gentlemen! Well, | was little kind
o GURUS to know what / was expected to
do, an SO just axed 'em. SEES they,
:, We've got teller up there that's been
convicted of horse stealth an is senten-
cedto be hung, and we want you to exc
cute him according to law. We could
hey hung him ourselves, but we didn't
want to hev no lynchin' about i: and de-
termihed to hev the sheriff, who is duly
authorized to hang folks, to choke him
i off,
"Well, gentlemen, saddled up old
i Santa Anna, an we started off. When |
got to the place thar was about hundred
folks thar waitin' for me-some gray
headed old caps, an some red headed
young ones, an thar was. the cnlprit, too,
about as mean lookin' white man as |
ever did see; he was reg Ter built cnss,
an. when he was pinted OUT, didn't feel
bad at the idea OF hangin' of him." 49,
Good!D exclaimed one of his audi
tore.
sGoodr said the narrator. "Maybe
you wouldn't think it good, if you he'd
! your neck as closet to moose as bis
wasl Well, as was sayia', thar they
were. An old teller cum up. to me, shulI
q hands; ses he mister Sheriff. you've
| been called as the legI representatives, d
the law to hang that miserable cuss thar
wAe has been convicted Of horse stealth,