The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1866-04-26
TME Ha nj ng Of EPM. ToLLEY
COlonei 'Bob Blank as Jack KetcA-A
Graphic Southern Narrativc-A situa-
tiOn Worthy OF suggs.
lFrOm the N. o. crescent.)

well tDat Wnen 1 reIAtc inc lOllOWlnS
little story his identity will be suff,
ciently apparent; therefore, l shall moi
expose myselfto his wrath by expo.
sing his pagan name in connection
herewith, His hopeful nephew, Frank
Is better known here than the old man
and when lie shall have attained his
venerable relatives years and expert
ence, will add to the family love Of
drollery and mischief a mind we'll edu-
Gated by study and foreign travel. He
seldom meets me without "spinning a
yarn"in an his peculiar style, and the
other day gave me an account of an
execution in --- County, Miss.
to which the sheriff had given him q
special 'invite" in the following style,
verbally:
"Come over and see me strangulaSs
that burned cuss, Eph. Tolley, for ar
son and. settin' old man Odum's house
afire-durn him."
spll'give the story in Franks words,
as nearly as possible:
The appointed day came, and as we
had about fifteen miles 10 ride, and the
execution was to take place at 9 A. M T..
it was necessary to start early, and
accordingly Uncle Bob directs Jerry
to wake US up before day. 1t seemed
to me that we had hardly turned in
when was awakened by Jerry's voice
calling out:
.'Mars Robert! Mars Robert It's
most fore day" $50 to ~" was
Uncle Bob's benevolent response, and
Endorsed it. Another short nap was
shortly broken by Jerry warning US
that it was "fore day." Mars Robert
now, for ,true!" A loud snort from old
Bob was Jerry's only answer, and for
an hour we were not again interrupt
ed; when he bawled out a third time
"Clean daybreak Hi! Mars Bot
play de debble gettin' up fore dayl"
The secret of Jerry's wakefulness
was explained by the fact that his own
little mule, "Stump Sucker" was
standing ready by Uncle Bob's horse
and my own. He was bound to be in
at the death. We took q light break
fast, and as Spartanburg Court House
was not o place to look to for our din
ner, we deposited in our saddlebags 6
couple Of bottles Of whisky; 1 think
Jerry had one, too. These, and PLUG
of tobacco, constituted our lunch.
When we arrived at Spartanburg
we found about dozen planters anc
overseers loafing about, some of then
occasionally anxiously inquiring OF the
sheriff "what time was he gwine t
hang Toley?" l should like to show
you the sheriff Of - County, Geor
gia; he is the durndest, ugliest, funniey
little cuss you ever saw. He stauds
about FIVE feet in his shoes, and i,
about as broad as he is long, and hi,
mug would frighten the savagest cata
mount ineall creation. Bustling q
bout big with the importance of hi
position, he waddled up to Uncle Bob
and pompously offered his hand.
Colonel, I'm durned glad you've
cum. These cusses here amt gin MI
no peace since sun up, akin mo wher
/ was gwine to begin. It's none o
thor burned bizness; I'd invite you t,
sec the hangin for l knew you'd lik,
sport, and wasn't gwine TO begin til
you arriv ef L had to put off the execu
ton"
Mounting the steps of the Cour
House, he then sung olt in tremend
Gus voice:
30, yesl o, yes! o, yesl I'm nov
gwine TO proceed to carry out tho sen
tence of the law on Eph. Tolley, whicl
has to be hung for arson and settin' O
Rman's house afre! Whar's Bill Sim
mons, my depity'"
"He's over at Jim Boards playin
seven.up with Lanty Corrigin, and
beatin' Of him like SKIES" answered
pot, bellied, yellow faced specimen of
dirt.eater, "He wants me to take hi
place -" Hal',.I
"You take his place! You take,
Indignantly interrupted the sheriff
"durn you, you'd look heap better
takin' Eph. Tolley's place. Call Bill
Simmons" ~
After some delay Bill Simmons ap
peared, and Mr.. Sheriff, taking pec
Of clothes.line about four feet long on
Of This pocket, tossed it to him ant
said:
"Mr. Depity, go fetch Tollcy ou
here"
Up 70 this time l had been vainl,
looking TO find some preparation for tn
fatal scene, but the only thing visibl
was an inclosure about forty feet squar
Eve feet high, made of rails laid in tn
fashion of 4 "worm fence" and resem
bling q suspicious pig-pen more thai
any thing else. In the center of tn
iRclosure stood pole of black jack
tOrked at the top, and lying beside
was another pole, about twelve fee
long, peeled Of lite bark.
"Mr. Sheriff" said 1, "are not thes
proceedings rather irregular? Th
law says an execution must take plac
within an inclosure, and"
"Well, amt that an inclosure, sa.ay
The law don't say I'm to build a ston
wall, nor I I've gOtter chunk up tn
cracks. nuther! !"
"Where is the gallows?" I ventures
70 aslK. g vHJrsa re-.s
esquire" said the Sheriff, with i'm
prsssive dignity, squire, don't yo
fretyo gizzard. l know my biznesE
and you'll oblige me by tendin t
'youFn.' Hold your hosses and you'll