The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-02-06
Tho Extreme Penalty OF the Law.
~ s-s,s5 F.,orn The Naoik Rc0istsr.1

a rather rapid young gentleman, often seen up-
on the streets Of Mobile: whom We shall call Smith,
chiefly because it is not his nalne went up to West
Tennessee to spend the Christmas holidays with q
Young lady he used to sit up with before the war,
and. whom he would have married but for an inter-
position Of Providence in the shape Of an unwilling
parent, who. want.aa to blow him up with horse
pistol to prevent the wedding. Smith returned 70
and seine OF his friends yesterday by telling very
pretty story of way the West Tennesseeans have
pnidsmng cotton thieves when they happen to
most Wild and barren Of the Tennessee counties
bordering on the State OF mississippi, be stopped
to spend the night with an old gentleman in whose
.lotWere piled some Six or eight bales ofcotton.
Knowing by what an uncertain tenure the staple ls
held by its. owners further South when they ind
e necessary to leave it out at night without
guard Smith said to his host, after supper:
q see you've got fine lot;of cotton out yonder,
Mr.. Grimes; amt you afraid somebodyn come
along ono Of these nights and steal it ?"
stOh, no. said Mr. Grimes; s'cotton stealing IL
aint afraid nobodyis gwine to steal mine.
Before sunrise the next morning Smith was
.wakened from 20 sound sleep iby some of tho
heaviest swearing he had heard since the mule
s'Eomped onto" Captain Browns toes at Corinth,
lust before the battle Of Shiloh, Smith got up
and went to the window and looked out. Ola man
Grimes, bare-headed and in his shirt-sleeves, was
standing On his pile Of cotton bales in the lot,
and pouring out q whirlwind Of oaths that fairly
"shook the scar leaves from tho wood
As Il 3 storm passed by. -
Smith, who is hne, practical mathematician,
estimates that Mr. Grimes uttered, in two minutes
and halt. sufficient quantity Of d-ns and other
Impressions to sink q fat boat. Smith threw him
se1f intOhis clothes, and went ont into the lot to
ascertain the cause Of the row. It was about If
teen minutes before the old man could cool down
sufficiently to explain the why and the wherefore
Of his wonderful profanity But he finally man
Somebody S ss II had come during s the night and car
RED off two bales Of his cotton. - = -
Immediately after breakfast Mr. Grimes and
his son, slab-sided, longlegged young man
who had been summoned for the chase,
mounted their horses and stsrted in pursuit of the
stealer Of the cotton. RayiDg nothing else 10 do,
Smith determined to stay where he was and learn
the result Of the chase. I The weather was cold;
P9t Mira Crimes had good fire, and seating him
in talking to the old lady about the war, and in
reading copy Of tho Patent Office Report for
18 "A little after sundoWn Mr.. Grimes and his
son returned, the former driving a two horse
cotton. Smith walked out to the. gate.
q sssAnd you got your cotton, did you, LII. Grimss?"
said Smith, interrog gatiyely.
: Eyes, 1 got it.
aAnd did Jon get the fellow that stola it %
Yes, I got him. .s, ss.#
where ia ~, -,
sHea back yonder. 80. s.sss;!
ssWhere r. = - 80
SHE'S back yonder piece s,.zz.:z
SIS th&t ,his wagon ?az
y seI 'spose it's isn-it ain't mine. ,,
All thistime The old man was engaged in unhar-
Messing the horses, and having taken them from the
wagon, be led them toward the stable. Smith saw
that but little information was to be had in that
quarter, and turned to young slabsides, who sat
his thrown a as.oss the neck Of his
+: And you really caught the fellow, did you?"
said Smith to young Grimes. fls.sfs...
ssYou bet, answered that gentleman.
ss1hen, where is he z" -. - = -
:.Why, jest as daddy told you-he's back onder
But back where 2" - $.
.sWhy; back yonder in the goods where me and
daddy aud Jim Mcks hsted him to q limb
Yaal nyou don't mean to tell me you actually
WW course We hung him. You don't take me
4pd daddy and'Jim for spassel OF - fools, do
GOOD heavensl i" exclaimed Smith with unaAect-
ed horror depicted in every feature Of his face sis
there no law in this country 2" -.
Law! why, there's lots Of the best sort Of law
:ons and we tuck him out into. the woods, and
SWING him higher nor o kite;Id like to knoY
Xhat !. the y You'd want WITH any better Ian
Smith didn't think il safe to enjoy longer the
hospitality Of the anil Bile Mr. Grimes. and order
ng his horse, rode On to the next house. where he
spent tho night, determined to make @ very early
,tayt III the morning for section Of country
s6ere they had a different sort OF Laws if not bet
er ones. Accordingly, immediately after break.
ast he began rapid retreat sputhWard He hadss3
zone about two miles when young Grimes came
.alloping up behind him. Smiths hair stood on.
nd. Ee at once detesmined to sell his lie at
he highest price it wo3lG bring but then, remem-
ering that he mad n3 arms, no thought he had
etter take his Life out of danger, ind was in the
ct Of putting sp:Is to his horse when Young
lrimes dashed up Beside him.
ssHel1o, Mister! Is that you You amt skeered
hops, = thought you was gWine to run"
pScared certainly not" said Smith, with white |
pa and chatterirg teeth. "What ig there to scare
%
Nothing that know Of. I was gwine down tho |
oad piece, and saw You on ahead Of me, and Z |
aoughb I'd catch up and ask you if you didn't \
ant to ride out here into the woods and SEQ I
nat feller that ME and daddy and Jim sent up the j
oout.
~ this time Smith had gotten pretty well over
is scare, and seeing that Grimes, like himself |
as unalmed, concluded to go and see if the
felier" really had been hange}. They had gone
bout three hundred yards from the road Whcr
rimss reined up his horse. "Yonder he is" said
o. Smith looked in the direction indicated, and