Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-02-28
A TALE OF HORROR.
How Mlks Smith was VloiimlZsd By the
esmblasd Operations Of AlG0hSl and
an Ex.eoEstahls.

Mike Smith was yictimized fearfuny a
few days age. He was set upon BY q
bogus limb Of the law who literally
skinned him alive. The manner Of il Wsa
painful to Mike, but entertaining enough
to others. He is an old bachelor, and lives
Ia & dilapidated Darkroom in q rickety
shanty down in South Memphis, He
would have money If he could do without
drinking. That is, or rather was. lis only
pecuniary misfortune. He drinks; aye,
he drinks like a Gsh, eats his ale, sleeps
on bis ale, and lives On his ale. He is a
genuine toper-a man that never shared
a social bowl with mortal. His regular
solitary, selfish toast is, Here's yer
health, Mike;7 and he guzzlss the liquor.
He is q topper in the proper sense of the
word, for no one ever saw him drunk. He
managed, in consequence of his steady
ploddfng, a secrstive, silent disposition to
achieve the reputation Of being most
profound and also a mighty safe man 10
intrust money to. He got $500 to
keep for a neighbOr with a small family.
This was during b war, when things
we're unsettled. Mike. went through ~.
laid it out IN dimes and quarters for
liquor so that the owner could not get ft.
He was sued-but il would be as profit
able to sue a bird Of the air who hath not
WhereOn TO lay his head as to sue Nike.
The personal property of Nike would not
bring a dime in a decent auction house.
On the contrary, he would be likely to
get money for removing them from the
store. The lender of the money at length
died. and the children made several very
affecting appeals to Mike for at least some
Of the money. No 90. Sometime SGD, a
brother Of Mixes died on the Mississippi
road and left a few hundred dollars be-
hind in cash, which Mike got. Mike re-
turned to toWu, got a 1.-TWO weeks leave Of
absence from the railroad officials under
whom he worked, took to his room, hav-
ing laid in q stock of coal oil and a new
lamp, for he hated to be in the dark at
night, and also a demijohn of benzine,
and was enjoying himself In what ne
considered q huge way, and, no doubt
would be enjoying himself still If nature
or the devil, it is hard to say which. had
not mads-hrstly, delsrium Jremens,
and, secondly, radical OHce-hOlders. On
one OF those dark rainy nights that
occurred lately, Mike was uneasy. and
could not sleep in his back room. The
oil in his lamp ran low, the light was
growing dim, and just IS the clock was
tOll1ng the Witching hOur when church
yards yawn, a white figure mystsriOusIy
walked into Mixes room. and told Mike
in a hOsrss voice that he was the ghost of
the dead creditor, and that he would
haunt him until the day of Judgment,
unless he paid hat money the next day
to a man that would call for il. In q
tremble and a sweat he promised eyes"
and the white figure silently withdrew.
Next day q person, who had been a con-
stable in this county, but who is now
happily enjoying the deep shade of pri-
vats life, called with proper papers, and
said he wanted that m0aey. Mike paidit
W without q word. The family of
needy children, though, never got a cent
of g. NET and AFFHa ia H~wF-r- - E,--~# HE
chagrin and rsmOrse in liberal doses Of
hydrate of ChlOr8l. The ex-coustable has
fed TO parts unknown. Nike SAYS he
remembers very distinctly a striking
facial resemblance in the ghost and the
constable.