Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1866-04-26

| following story-only the concluding
portion OF which we give--is told by
Judge j, Of Jackson, Texas and
John Rolfe, backwoodsman. Rolfe
"a tall hunter, dressed in deerskip,
| and armed with a revolver, rifle and
bowie fe-visits Jackson, calls on
the Judge at his residence with the
narrator, and thus relieves his mind !:
"You see, judge, early day before
yesterday morning, | started for this
place, and, as l wouldn't chisel, I
went without eating the whole day
| slept in the woods, and yesterday
morning | got up as hungry pan
Their; and, as | walked along, thinks
/, what am | to do never see game
so scarce there wasn't so much as a
squirrel to be found. I'm above
cheating any man out of his dinner !;
but / felt that dinner I must have
Just then fellow comes riding along
the road. ! talked to him, and tried
to borrow, swearing to pay, at any
place he might name, in week; but
the critter told me he paid his way
out Of bis own pocket, and he'd too
little to divide.
GLOW much have you got z" says |.
1.-TWO fifty" says he.
"Now, thinks |, that is too little to
divine. So, with he is looking an
other way, l shoots him through the
head, and gin him as decent burial
as | could under an old log, and took
the two dollars and a half But it
won't do; my conscience misgives me.
I'm sorry for it, and I wish the fellar
had his money back, if he could be
alive. Between you an me, as it is
late for that, | think that | ought to
be hung"
The Judge called his little black
boy ordered three papers of tobacco,
and we smoked in silence.
"Then you really think you ought
to be hung p he said with compass
sion, as he whitfield a cloud Of smoke
towards the ceiling.
81 do, in fact" answered Role,
emitting similar volume Of vapor.
The judge smoked, and considered
again. gt4au=. =.-=
"Well, we'll try to hang YOU" he
added.
There was an expression Of graft
tude in Rolfe's eye as he replied.
"Thank you. That will ease my
conscience"
The Judge again knocked the ashes
from his pipe, and spoke:
"Well, come here in half an hour.
Til try to get jury"
Rolfe and myself laying our pipes
on the table, were about leaving,
when the Judge asked US to take
drink, which having done we babe
him good morning.
At the expiration of half an hour
we returned, when we found some
twelve men drinking and smoking
with the magistrate, awaiting US. We
we're politely requested to sit down.
"Now," said the judge, addressing
himself to Rolfe, "tell these gentle
men what you have already told me,
Whereupon Rolfe repeated the
staten ent be had before made.
"Now, gentleman" continued the
first speaker, 81 wish to to say, if
this gentleman-Mr. Rolfe your name
is Ell !? well, there's some fine brandy;
make yourself perfectly at home, gen
tleman, you find John Rolfe guilty,
or not guilty, of murder. In addi-
ton to what be said, | will observe
for your information, that have sent
out and found the body just where he
stated it to be"
The jury smoked, rose up, took a
little brandy and water, and then sat
down again, and smoked in silence
for some time. At last one of them,
who appeared to be the foreman, said:
"The case is tolerably clear, and
we rather think he's guilty"
"There's more tobacco on the table,"
said the judge to Rolfe, "the best you
can find anywhere. You have heard
what these gentlemen have said.
WE'LL" he continued, little uneasily,
Il don't like to tell you in my own
house but"
''Let that be no hiudrance," said
Rolfe, filling and lighting his pipe
"Well, them" continued the judge,
"come here at ten o'clock to morrow
morning, and Til have you hung"
Rolfe looked discontented, and ap'