The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-10-16
s ealss PabllsatIon
GE5!te. G 5 '91ai.lpy:. III. j ii rl,.
HOW wIDDER wEsTBRooK TOOK THE
81" - 'tfiez sHPRTrEcg EriEb sf.i aaEss

81 a..
/ Some years since professional business threw
me into the company, fora1ong day'sfide
through a dreary pine-wood- country in an
eastern county, with Mr. Stubbs, its Sheriff
IBy the middle ofthe afternoon, we had exhaust
led. as subjects Of conversation, the particular
attachment case which had brought us togeth1
eri the political condition of the country, the
prospects of the growing crops, and several
matters of personal history. In factwe had
ran QUITO use a trite but expressive metaphor
when suddenly Mr.. Stubb's eye flashed, and a
tstrange smile futtered across his lips, as he
relnarked:R u bio eds shal mid lssi is8a sB sc 4
81 haven't told you, Squire, believe, how l
got ruined seryin' the first process (ther sheriff.
was not very learned man. and occasionally
did misplace the accent) that ever came into.
my hands, tsaI .ssieaaiI4 gg9Yals 1i93i ni
! 4oyNoSlets have it, / replied, turning half
round in the saddle; 1T cost you some money
did it--your mistake?"
"''Ah," he calculated with asigh, sit cost a
heap-0 heapps es iF Z1Japo9 sSe. sg' djfg
g. This was said with an. air ofmuch suffering
and told him fit awakened painful emotions,
he must not think of opening the old wound
merely for my entertainment. y -i7in hsasll7 2
ats all over now, said he, f';and / don't
mind tellin .it.p = i don't know how it was,
just at this moment caught sighto shabby
fold of Grape around his hat, and could not
help associating it With the SIGH the lugubrious
depression, and the ''sarying of the first pro-
cess'' Anent that, we shall discover some
thing presently sa.s saa.q sd asnfa v4i,,f
J., Mr. Stubs proceeded .s.sf.. -
eyes ] had to miss one term of service on ac-
lcot1nt of the law; but then 1 was deputy I'M
der Stokes and when his time run out last,
1.-TWO years ago; I was elected again. But that
hxT hot
Now it's reasonable. to suppose that the first
lof a thing amt so easy to know as the middle
ior last. SO when the lawyer down at town
made out the paper and putt in my hands I
was just as non-plused as ever youosee.ll sasH
lboffW hat sort of writ was 1t! !5esT "a f..eas n.
fftsNothin'r but the common sort (capias res
ID know 'e1n now, ike, a book. Eff / had only
lknowed 'EM THEN!ai Here another deep drawn
lsigh supplied the placelofwords. aiiR .asu sid
lqG1 took, the plagay thing home, and called
Bill Stokes (Which was Sheriff himself, after
lthat,) and old Squire Lumpkin to counsel me
on it. we read it over three or four times 1t
lIordered me to take the body of Hannah West=
brook if to found in my couutys and her safely
Ito keep so that should have her to answer
Ibefore the judges at the next Circuit, for debt
II she owed; and more'n that, it said was to do
lit without delay1-dnE at aEas nigh on to J2Ue
aoeekS tin Court What was to do with her
llall that time, and no sign OF jailin thatcounr
]lty?v :. .,....,.....,..-
!. ..Well it was hard looking case, but that
Twas Simply form, and the writ might have
been served by leaving a copy with the lady,
II ~ eOh, ]. know that mighty well now, butt
Il didn't know it theni Besides at the bottom of
4 the paper was writ '.No baap' and [ know now
i that them words means no bail required; but
i Thought then it meant that eff she was to offer
the best security the State, | warn't to take
lit. And it was the construction that Stokes
and Lumpkin both put upon it; and the old
Squire went on to say if he was Sheriff he'd
take that women and carry her home and lock
her up in the small room with himselfand
his wife, every night until Court came around
''That would have made it pretty safe" 49,.
Yes" Stubs, s.but knowed that wouldn't
suit me, for my wife Chat was them was high
tempered and never could bear strange people
in the room. But however, after counselin,'
got Stokes to gowith me, and went up to the
widder and told my, business. She was mighty
bad scared at first, but when she got over that
she rared and pitched. should jist a gin out an
gone home and resigned, but Stokes quieted
her sayin, we could put her in Jail, butifs she be-
haUed herself we'd only take her down to my
house and let her. stay till Court. Then she
turned into cryin' and beggin me to take her
nigger woman and keep for security forthed debt,
which was only something over hundred dol
lars, and the nigger was likely, But | looked
in my paper and read it out to hero tafe The
| 6ody of Ha1lnah Westbrook!
AShe said she'd go, and she had the old roam
horse saddled UP, and while Stokes and me
were talkin and not noticin,' she mounted him
and started off in lively canter, on the Georgia
end of the trail We mounted and galloped
after her. and she hadn't got half mile before
we had her. Then she cried and begged again
but we put plow-line around her waist and
n eld the end, and after lettin' her give some
directions to her niger, / took her down to
my house. My wife treated her mighty civil.
and every day or two we'd let her go up home
land look after her concarns.9 So time rolled
lon till about month before court, and one
day Stokes rid up to the gate in a powerful
hurry, and called me OUT - =
"You'v played thunder said he.
"How?' said [. a-
i sfWhY think of Mrs Westbrook It's all
wrong. and she's sent word to the very law
lver that put out that writ against her; and's
lgottwo against you one to make you turn her
lloose, and tother to make you pay twenty
thousand dollars for taking herl"
''I shan't serve 'em," says [.
sMakes no odds. They've done appointed
la kurriner; (corriher,) and he'll beup to-mor-
-1row. as soon as Mrs. Westbrook has chance
swear to somethin.n You'd better look
$ out!'' ..;
K dWell,,' said 1, ~ reckon they've got You
: too. You was along, and helped to do it.,'
+ ''Oh, yes" said he, bit they're got me for a
: tcitaess!'' I - .nslslI .s15 -8
It 'I said no more but walked right into the
q house, and there found the widder locking