The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1874-04-22

never y 'sCall Kite Stinson," said
Dir Pearce, and the courtroom was
agog with excitement, as the ghost
seer came to the stand. He was q
tall, b0ny youth, with very long arms
and decided stoop in the shoulders,
his hair was 81 straight, faded yellow,
his eyes pale blue and staring, and
his skin tanned and frecGled to the
/ hue of beach sand. After O little
sparring among the lawyers IS to his
| competency as o witness, Kite was
sworn. He stood with his great bOny
hands resting on the crier's desk, his
wrist half yard below the sleeves
of his threadbare linsey jackets
very odd-looking, unsophisticated
fellow. 1t had got toward evening,
the courtroom was growing dusky.
and the eager silence that prevailed
made the scene impressive.
That's a strange story you told
Pals0n Fleming, Kite, what did you
mean by itT' '.Tworu't the least
bit Of g story about it sir, it was all
true as preachin," insisted Kite.
live seed the old gentleman nigh ON
to a dozen times" "Seen who?"
''Old Mr.. Sudler; him that's gone"
''Seen him IwhereF' No end of
places. Out fishin, in the bow Of
my Gunner (canoe), nights, when I
was gwine to sleep, daytime, ut work.
Lor,' q dozen or more time. | seed
him out settin on the fence when I
was at the wood pile a chopin
wood" "Did he say much to you =
''Not word, only beckoned and
kiner nodded, you knew" Wasn't
you very much afraid of him?' "No.
he never done me any harm, he used
to give me many ten cent note"
What, the ghost did?' mo that
was when he was alive" did YOU
ever touch him or he your Never,
but 0nst, that was the time / telled
Parson Fleming about" Well.
suppose you tell these gentlemen
about it. Kite.
"Well, | will you see was at the
oyster pile one afternoon a shuckin'
away for dear life, case it was cold
and the wind a blowin' sharp, and +
wanted to git done. Then | see him
standin' right front o me, noddiE
and beck min to me at a great rate.
So [ says to him, tain't no use to
bother me now, I'm busy. Then he
kinder frowned and keeped on a
noddin'. But | only shuck my head
and keeped on shuckin'. Then fust
| thing l knowed he was standin' right
over me and putting his hand on the
check handkerchief | had round my
neek-here's the handkerchief now,
gentleman-and the hand burnt into
me like fire. So | kinder fell forred-
like on to the eyster pile and dozed
off for minute into q dream like,
and what [ dreamt was this, gentle
meu: l was in kinder of strange
room like (here the witness gave q
graphic description of the blue room)
and saw tall man thar settin' n
writin' at table. and he got up and
folded the paper this way like, and
took q picter down from the wall
| (here he described the picture Of the
Judgment of Solomon'') and took
some boards outen the back, and
put the paper in thar, tackled the
boards on agin, and hung the paper
up the same as it was before. Then
| didn't see no more, but walked up,
and found was lying on the oyster
pile sprawled out. So / picked up
my knit, and went on shuckin'. for
was cold and shivery, and wanted
to git done. And, gentleman, true
as gospel. when | tuck off the check
handkerchief from my neck that night
this here hole was burnt into it just
like the print of a red hot hand"
The court room was intensely si.
lent as Kite handed Mr.. Pearce the
handkerchief, and Mr.. Pearce passed
it to the jury.
"Well, Kite, have you ever seen
that tall man since whom you saw
in your dreamF'
mo, SIR
"Would you know him, do yoH
think, if you saw him nowF'
81 dunno, indeed, sir.''
"Well, look carefully around the
court room, and tell me if you sec
him now."
There WAS breathless silence aS
Kite went methodically about his
task, craning his long neck and
peering around him in the gathering
twilight. Suddenly he lifted his
bony hand and held it out arms
length, pointing with forefnger TO-
ward Mr.. Emory Sudler. ''Yon's a
man that -," he began, then
cried, quickly, breathlessly, ''that'
him that's him and the old one'a
behind him see him peint--he's
| froWning black - he's-look out
he'll strike you DOWN. The whole
court room rose with excitement, all
except Emory Sudler, who fell inn a
dead faint, and Kite, who, crying
"he's gone ~ cr0uched and hid his
eyes shuddering.
Judge Robinson adjourned the
court at once. Next morning Emory
Sldler was missing, and Matthew
Merritt came into court and confess
ed his share in the conspiracy. Tes~
timony was taken for two days long
er, both to show what Emory Sud-
ler's character was, and TO prove the
affectionate relation that had sub
sisted before Sylvester Sudler and
his wife. Then tile case was given
to the jury, who had already agreed
upon tho verdict from the moment OF
Kite Stinson's dramatic testimony.
and the opportune appearance OF the
ghost OF the court room.
10 Mrs. 8. S. Wilson, accompan-
led by her sisterinlaw, Mrs. Thomas
Watson, went into the drug store or
4. MI. Shepperd. at Mt. Vernon ILL.,