The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1866-05-03
The Hanging of Eph. Tolley. A
Graphic Southern Narrative.
MOBILE, Feb. 13, 1866.


MOBILE, Feb. 13, 1866.
. Everybody in Mobile and New Or
leans knows old Col. Bob - so well
that when I relate the following little
story his identity will be sufficiently ap-
parent; therefore shall not expose my
self to his wrath by exposing his pagan
name in connection herewith. His hope
full nephew, Frank, is better known here
than the old man, and when he shall
have attained his venerable relatives
years and experience, will add to the
family of love and drollery and mischief
mind we'll educated by study and for
eign travel. He seldom meets me with
out "spinning Il yarn" in his peculiar
style, and the other day gave me an ac-
count of an execution i'll county,
Miss, to which the sheriff had given
him special "invite,n in the following
style, verbally: =. .sE.~ zsfT..T
"Comc over and see me strangulate
that burned cuss, Eph. Tolley, for arson
and settin' old man Odum's house afire
-durn him."
I'll give the story in Franks words, rs
nearly as possible:
The appointed day came, and as we
had about fifteen miles to ride, and the
execution was to take place at 8 a. m, it
was necessary to start early, and, accor-
dinghy, 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:
"Mars Robert! Mars Robert! It's
most fore day" "Go TOP was Uncle
Bob's benevolent response, and indors-
ed 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 bawlcd
out Il third time:
'Clean daybreak! Hi! Mars Bob
play de debble gettin' up fore day!.'
The secret of Jerry's wakefulness was
explained by the fact that his own little
mule, "Stump Sucker was standing
ready by Uncle Bob horse and my own.
He was bound to be in at the death. We
took a light break fast, and as Spartan
burg Court House was not Place to look
for dinner, we deposited in Dur saddle
1 bags couple of bottles of whiskey; |
think Jerry had one, too. These and a
plug of tobacco constituted our lunch.
When we arrived at Spartanburg we
found about dozen planters and over
seers loaflng about, some of them occa-
sionally anxiously inquiring Of the sher-
iff "what time was he gwine to hang
Tolley?" / should like to show you the
sheriff of - county, George, he is the
durndest, uglicst, 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. Bust
ling about, big with the importance o
his position, he waddled up to Uncl'
!. Bob and pompously offered his hand.
. Colonel, I'm burned glad you've cum
e These cusses here amt gin me no peac
since sun up, akin me when l was gwin
to begin. It's none Of ther burned biz
ness; I'd invited you to see the hangin'
for knew you'd like sport, and wasn'
! gwine to begin till you arriv ef had t
0 nut off the execution"
Mounting the steps of the Court hous
he then sung out in a tremendous voice
20, yes! O, yes! Dyes! I'm nov
gwine to proceed to carry out the sen
tence of the law on Eph. Tolley, whicl
!. has to be hung for arson and settin' Of
n mans house afire! Whar's Bill Sin
r.
;. mons, my deputy?"s
"He's over at Jim Boards playin Sc,
en-up with Lanty Corrigan, and bea'
Ld - l.: oxaau-orod a Nff1