The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-04-11
An Accommodatinr Judge.

The following story-only the con-
Guiding portion Of which we give-is
told of Judge j., OF Jackson, Texas,
and John Rolfe, a backwoodsman.
Rolfe-a tall hunter, dressed in deer
skin, and armed with revolver, rife
and bowie-knife-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 l started for this
place, and as / wouldn't chisel, / went
| without eating the whole day. / slept
in the woods, and yesterday morning /
! got mp as hungry as panther and, as
! walked along, thinks /, what am to
do2 / never saw game so scarce; there
wasn't so much as a squirrel to be
! found. l am above cheating any man
out of his dinner, but | felt that dim
ner / must have. Just then q fellow
come riding along the road / talked
to him, and tried to borrow, swearing
TO pay at any place he might name in
a week; but the critter told me he
paid his way out of his own pocket, and
| he'd too little to divide.
"How much have you got2" says L
Two, fifty, says he.
NOW, thinks ], that is too little 10
divide. So, while he is looking the
other way, / shoots him through the
head, and gin him as decent burial as
! could under the old log, and took the
two dollars and half But it won't
do my conscience misgives me. I'm
sorry for it, and wish the fellow had his
money back, if he could be alive. Be
tween you and me, as il is late for that,
/ think l ought 10 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 hung2' he said, with compassion, as
he whitfield cloud of smoke toward the
ceiling.
81 do, in fact" answered Rolfe, emit
ing similar volume of vapor
The Judge smoked and considered
again.
well, Wen try to hang you" he
said.
There was an expression of gratitude
in Roles eye as he replied:
"Thank you. That viii ease my con
science"
The Judge again knocked the ashes
from his pipe, and spoke:
"Well, come here in half an hour
I'll try 10 get jury"
Rolfe and myself, laying our pipes
on the table, were about leaving, when
the Judge asked us TO take a drink,
which having done, we babe him good
morning.
At the expiration of half an hour we
returned, when he found some twelve
men drinking and smoking with the
magistrate, awaiting ns. We were po-
litely requested TO sit down
"NOw," said the Judge, addressing
himself to Rolfe, tell these gentlemen
what you have already told me"
Whereupon Rolfe repeated the state
ment he had before made.
Now, gentlemen, continued the first
speaker, Il wish TO say, if this gentle
man-Mr Rolfe your name is, eh2 well,
there's some fine old brandy, make
yourself perfectly at home-whether,
gentlemen, you find John Rolfe guilty,
or not guilty, of murder. In addition
TO what he 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 2. lit
tie brandy and water, and then sat down
again, and smoked in silence for some
time. At last one of them, who sp-
peared 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 Well,
he continued little uneasily, 81 don't
like to tell you in my own house
but
LET that be no hindrance," said
Rolfe, filling aud lighting his pipe.
"Well, then, continued the Judge,
"come here at ten o'clock tomorrow
morning, and I'll have you hung"
Rolfe looked disconnected, and ap-
peared mortified at the idea of asking a
favor.
"You-yoV hsVe been so kind TO me"
he said, hesitatingly, That hardly
like TO ask you for anything more
"Not at sll replied the Judge "0ut
with 1t; you are welcome 10 il before
you ask"
"Wen," said Rolfe, 81 wish-to-mOr-
row is my ague day, and the shakes
come on AZ ten-Yould you be so good
IS TO hang me al miner
With the greatest pleasure" sn-
swered the good-hearted Judge, shak-
ing Rolfe by the hand mime it shall
/ be"
Accordingly John Rolfe went to the
inn, paid has bill, and the next morn
] inc .-aa hIInn 90 the dol .LrrnI- -