Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1873-05-08
Dsvy Zones, yundeR.

He was questioned as to what he
had been doing? where he had been?
why he had loitered? He answer" d
with prompt impudence, "that that
was his business and that he had
seen NO reason to hurry over Mr..
Stsrkie's errands, who was no mas
ter of his" Beingpreesed andthreat-
ened, he was little disconnected.
Finally he admitted if they must
know, be had been playing "piteh-
and-toss," with Tom the po5-boy,-of
whom they might make inquiry on
the subject, if they listed. Tom the
pot-boy was discovered, and confirm
ed the story. He said they mad
been playing "piteh-and-toss' fos a
matter Of ten minutes,-or, it might
be, a quarter of an hour. And if
they had been playing "pitch-and-
toss, both boys demanded, with one
consent, where was the harm, and
what need all that to-do about it 2?
I'VE know what pitch-and-toss
leads to my fine fellows, said by
stand.er severely. But, upon the
whole, Davy 's.judges were somewhat
shaken. BE was, they held, either
altogether innocent, or else a harden
ed criminal the latter for choice.
Suddenly Mrs. Barford placed light
ed candle on the ground.
eff he's been out in Blocks wharf
this night, She said, his shoes will
be covered with wet clay"
But submitted to this test, Davy
came out triumphant. His shoes
were as clean as were Mr. Starkie's.
Indeed his appearance generally was
distinguished by an order and neat
ness altogether new to him. There
WAS even some evidence to the effect
that his hands and face had bee1
washed recently in soap and water,
and that his hair had received the
unaccustomed benefits Of brushing
and combing.
I" 1t doesn't prove very much"
said Mrs. Barford, thoughtfully, as
she took up her candle; Z" for he has
had time to change his shoes.
at would be difficult" Davy re-
marked, quietly, seeing that I've
only got one pair of them
It'll see to the bottom of this, if
I die for it. I can't have such a
scandal as this going on in the neigh.
borhood of The Travellers JOY"
Who's man enough to go round with
me and search the wharf?" demand
ed Mrs. Bariord resolutely.
This inquiry had rather the effect
of thinning the group that had collec-
ted about the bar. Many went quiet
ly back to their seats in the tap-room
and parlor. They were men of peace.
1t was not their vocation to go i'll
quest of murderers and such-like.
Least of all on such night as that.
Besides who knew but that the man
who fired tie shot had other shots in
store for those seeking his arrest?
Still, twoor three proclaimed them
selves men enough for Mrs. Bartord's
purpose. Thereupon the landlady
lighted stable lantern which she
gave to Mr.. Starkie to carry, took
down blunderbuss from over the
mantel-shelf in the bar, put on the
old.fashioned head-gear known as
calash,' prddently removed the
massive silver watch which swung
from her girdle, (wora very high up
short waists were the vogue and
proceeded upon the proposed :.reeon-
Nuisance Of Mr.. Blocks premises.
Hold up. the lantern, Mr.. Star
kie," said Mrs. Barford. "Be very
careful where you tread, all Of you.
The shot was fired level with the
window. The man who fired it must
have stood on this part Of the wharf.
The shot gould ut have come from
tie river. It would Mt in that case
have struck the parlor where it did.
We shall find footprints in the clay,
depend upon it,-close under the
window.
They found. none, however. The
night was very ark,-all was quiet,
save only the distant sound of the
Thames licking. it's mud banks. A
man could hardly have escaped from
the premises of the river, for it was
quite low water, and if he bad at
tempted to leap from the raised plat
form of the wharf, he must have bro
ken his neck by the fall, or have been
smothered in the dense, deep Maud be-
low. On. either side were wooden
palisades Of :frail make, which must
have given way had any one climbed
them endeavoring to seek refuge in
the adjoining premises. They hsa
been lightly constructed especially
with that object. Yet the palisades
remained whole; there had apparent
ly been no escape over them.
1t was very strange.
Was the man still hidden in the
wharf? Search was made among the
grizzly skeletons of decayed ships.
Here. was aa'fregment. Of the hui! sof
the Give, East lndiamaB the mutt
lated fgure-head pointing significant
ly With its broken right arm to the
pselM whers d., atarkie bad ,hsan