New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-02-15
lFor the Creseentl
The Hanging of Eph. TolIey.
MOBILE, Feb. Is, BS6e

Everybody in Mobile and New Orleans
knows old Colonel Bob so well that
when relate the following little story
bis identity will be sufficiently apparent; j;
therefore, / shall not expose myself to his
wrath by exposing. his pagan name in connection
herewith. His hopeful nephew Frank, is better
known here than the old man, and when he shall
have attained his venerable relatives years and ex-
perience, will add to the family love of drollery
and mischief mind well educated by study and
foreign travel. He seldom meets me without
'.spnning yarn" in his peculiar style, and the
other day gave me an account of an execution "
in 49, county, Miss. to which the sheriff had
given him a special :" invite in the following
style, verbally:
"Come over and see me strangulate that burned
cuss, Eph Tolley, for arson and settin' old man
Odums house afire-durn him." .T .M-
I'll give the story in Franks words, as nearly as
possible mN
The appointed day came, and as we had about
fifteen miles to ride, and the execution was to take
place at 9A.M., it was necessary to start early,
and, accordingly, Uncle Bob directed 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:
day." go to -I' was Uncle Bobs benevolent
response, and ndorsed 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 interrupted,
when he baw!ed out third time:
"Clean daybreak! Hi! Mars Bob play de
debbel gettn up fore day!n
Tha nf alyafrJ
by the fact that his own little mule, Hstump
Sucker" was standing ready by Uncle 'Bob's
horse and my own. He was bound to be in at the
death. We took light breakfast, and as Spartan
burg Courthouse was not place to look to for
dinner, we deposited in our saddlebags couple
of bottles of whisky; l think Jerry had one too
These and a plug of tobacco constituted our
lunch. 4
When we arrived at Spartanburg we found
about a dozen planters and oyerseers loafing
about, some of them occasionally anxiousy inquir-
ing of the sheriff " what time was he gwine to
hang Tolley?" 4 should like to show you the
sheriff of - county! George, he is the durndest,
ugliest, funniest little cuss you ever saw. He
stands about FIVE feet in his Shoes and is about as
broad as he is long, and his mug would frighten
the savagest catamount in all creation. Bustling
about, big with the Importance of his position, he
waddled up to Uncle Bob and pompously offered his
hand. t4 aG
"Colonel, I'm burned glad you've cum. These
| cusses here amt gin me no peace since sun up,
akin me when was gwine to begin. It's none of
er burned biznes I'd invited you to see the
hangin', for knew you liked sport, and wasn't
gwine to begin till you arriv eff had to put off the
execution" A@ 4f
Mounting the steps of the courthouse he then
| saug out in tremendous voice:
/ "Oy yes! o, yes! o, yes! I'm now gwine to
purceed to carry out the sentence of the law on
| Eph. Tolley, which has to be hung for arson and
settin of a mans house afre Whar's Bill Sim
mons, my depty?n
+" He's over at Jim Boards playin' seven-up
with Lanty Corrigan, and beatin' of him like
Skies" answered a little pot-bellied, yellow-faced
| specimen Of a drt-eater. He wants me to take
bis place -"
i" You take his place You take his place.
indignantly interrupted the sheriff; q. .durn you,
you'd look heap better q takin' Eph. Tolley s
place. Call Bill simmons.p
After some delay Bill Simmons appeared, and
Mr.. Sheriff. takin piece of clothes line about four
feet long out of his pocket, tossed it to him and
| said r-
Mr.. Deputy, go fetch Tolley out here"
| Up to this time had been yainly looking to find
some preparation for the fatal scene but the
only thing visible was an enclosure about forty
feet square, five feet high made of rails laid in
the fashion of O." worm fence" and resembling
spacious pig pen more than anything else. In
the center of the inclsoure stood pole of black
jack, forked at the top, and lying beside it was
another pole about twelve feet long, peeled of its
bark.
"Mr Sheriff." said l, "are not these proceed.
ings rather irregular? The law says an execution
must take place within an inclosure, and =
swell, amt that an inclosure, sa.ays The law
don't say I'm to build stone wall, nor II Eve
gotter chunk up the cracks, nutherln
i "Where is the gaows ?" ventured to ask,
Squire said the sheriff, with impressive dig.
nifty, squire, don't you fret your gizzard. know
my bizuess, and you'll oblege me by tendin to
| your'n. Hold your bosses and you'll see. haint
been sheriff OF - county twenty-five years fol
nothin'.' Eaa
| Enter Bill Simmons with Tolley. He had tied
| the bit of clothes line round the cnlprt's neck
aud was leading him along as you would horse
to water Tolley was almost as short in stature as
the sheriff, very stoutly built, and had sulky
don't.care-a-cuss sort of look on his stold face
! He was quite compiacenty chewing bit of wheat