The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1875-02-10


Fly at the travelers. They manifested
however. no desire to begin a con
versation. until the police Judge o
the place, tall, lantern-faced man
broke the silence by remarking.
ats powerful warm day! My
son MilIard said this morningthat ht
thought it was too warm TO do any
thing yet Ihave great deal Of worl
to -do-a great deal, both on the
bench and in the Office v,-. .s---
Yes. Judge, l wish you would try
an mend them boots of mine as soot
/ as you kin; Tim clean out o shoe
leatheF. and if I don's git them boots
( soon PH have togo bar footed, shore, 7
remarked the, Quick, keen voice oi
Coon. B #H
/ swell. declare. Coon. I've done
my best; but I have so much bBsi
ness in the office have not had time
to finish them. I've had fuller dock.
ct for the last few months than both
the magistrates put together" was
the reply. -
The younger Of the strangers here.
directing his question to the Judge,
asked:
! asDe-y know a place about here
called the Morse farm
r'.Yesg indeed; / know it very we'll.
/ I've been over every foot oft When
fOld man Morse died the-beirs wanted
to sell the place. and had it surveyed.
| carried the oiafg for them. That
was twenty years ago last June, but
they haven't sold it yet
No, and they never will" put in
Coon. Il would not live thar if the y
would give me the place"
"Why r inquired the young man
a little euriously 5 +.
But before the man could reply the
Judge slapped him on the shoulder
and remarked laughingly;
"Ah, Coon, you're afraid of the
ghost" Teen turning to the stran-
ger he narrated the history of the old
Morse farm. .T.-
Years and years ago said the
Judge, in very tragic voice, when
old Captain Morse lived there with
his wife and son, a traveller came
there about shutdown and asked to
stay all night. He was a sort of a
peddler. and had his pack slung on a
stick and carried it over his shoulder.
The Captain took him in and that
night about | | o'clock. two men pass
ing along the road heard loud, angry
voices, and then the report of pis-
toll. They jumped off their horses
and hitched them. and went to the
house and tried to open the door.
hat it was locked, and they had to
knock for q good bit before anybody
came to them. At last old Captain
Morse himself opened, the door. and
told them that-;a peddIeF had stop
ped there and be was crazy, aud had,
tried to Kill them all, and his son,
John Morse, had shot him in selfde4I
fense.' AT any rate the man was
dead-sllOt dead 1
Yes. that's true, Shore put imI
Coon. ..for 1 was strip OF q boy
then and went over thar with my
father; ard thar we seed shini,sa lay
in dead on the floor, and a@hote in
his forehead whar the builetweat in.'
''Didale have any money 5"'Sasked
the stranger. srsD,Se
None that was ever found. an
.swered the Judge. except about a
dollar or so. there were no Witness
es except the Morse family, aud their
word had to be taken in the matter
-bnt people had their suspicious for
all that. And one night, not long
Afterwards. somebody wrote on big
sycamore, Just opposite the house =
but across the road from it, "A PHD-
DLER WAS MURDERED HERE and the
date, and it appeared to be burnt in
to the wood with hot iron. ex-
pect some boys were camping ont
there fishing. as they were very often
(the creek runs right along there, and
the fishing about there is very good)
and did it out Of fun But it wasn't
much fun to old Captain Morse,
can tell you he got pOwerfUl mad
and cut the tree down: but in falling
it lodged against another big Tree
and there il is yet with them ugly
black letters staring at everybody
that passes The Morse family NOV
ed away AMI left the place in little
while, aud tried to rent it; but no
body would live there for people
say there is awful sights seen there
sometimes. John Morse didn't live
any great ghiie after that-he was
always consumpted-and the old lady
died a wear or twosafterwards and
when the old naua died. which wa MT 4
more'n n six months after his wife, he
left the place to his sisters children,
and they've been trying to sell it ev-
er since. Ellesly Bell. who wasn't
more'n FIVE years old when the will
was made, wrs here month or so
ago to see about it: he's twenty-five |
now, or there about. He made Law
yer Hardy his agent, and went back |
to Virginia, where he lives"
"Where is Mr.. Hardy to be foundT
asked the stranger. s-.v~,
'.About mile from here, OH the |
road" replied the Judge >"yoaa amt |
going to bny the place, are your
Il don't know answered the |
young man a little stiffiy. ae
"Did you ever see. the Morse |
farm ?" hazarded the Judge.
4'Yes; came by it this morning. |
and little boy met on the road |
told me the name Of the place, which
is all know about it, except what |
you have told me-
His tone would have silenced the
loquacious Judge, even if the land |
lord had not at. that Roment sum-
moned the strangers to dinner.
tsThem sqnarskind O chaps, Shore -
Coon, when the door had
closed upon then. ss1a
{ 1'E'f bet fifty bar'ls of corn that