The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-09-19
JOHN GAIR, OF EAST FELICIANA'
BY MARY T. REILLY.

BY AAkl T. Ehhlh.
You see, Bose, dat wa. prcsen'
When they killed John Gaih,
No one knowei but was hidin'
In de pine woods dehe
was out dat night, a-huntin';
Bad night, sab, TO coon.
Fo', you see, twas light as mawnin',
Dab was sich moon.
was jes' a-turnln' homewahd,
An my taweh was out.
When taught heard a a-tranPlin'
An far-off shout.
Dose was tieklish times, you know, sab,
An taught I'd hide;
Dah's no telIin' bout de white folks
When dey's out 10 ride.
Well, de SCUM KEEP comm nearah,
TIL dey got in sight;
Nigh about hundcd men. sab,
An deih guns was bright
Dey was ali full ahmed Wild muskeis,
Carried pistols, 90,
An couldn' help but wondeh
what dey 2wine to do.
could heah dem all a-talkin',
Plain as Gu heah me,
An ] ioun' dat dey was waitin'
Po' John Gath to see.
You see, he had been arrested
Down to Baton Rouge,
An he begged an prayed de Sheriff
Life Is hard TO lose
Not to take him up to town helh,
Faw lie folks had sail
III rdey caught him In dc parish
Deg would shout him dead.
So knowed dat dey WIS saitin'
TIL he passed dat way.
You could easy tell what den, sab,
A. tried 10 pray.
But / eouldn think o DOthin',
As de time went by;
Bat jes' whs; pretty night twas
Fo' man TO die.
uh l tell you II seemed hahd, sab,
To be shot down deal.
Wid de world SO white ami shinin
From the moon oeh-head.
An den he was young an strong sab;
But de white folks thought
Lection time would 20 OFF bet,ch
Ef John Gath was caught.
Paw you'd hahdIy fine a niggah,
Hunt de parish through,
But would follow whah he'd lead EN-.
An what he said, do.
bah sot an watched de white men
can't tell no name,
Fab of: Well, knows ds; too, sIh:
But tells no names.
Dab was boys not oveh twenty,
could see dem ride
RouR' an roun' de tree below me,
An 50; an tried
Faw to pray 10 God 10 save him,
Po' John, from dat death;
But felt so sick an dizzy,
Couldn' ct my breath.
Aftah while heahd a-tramplin',
An shuek Wild iesh.
Well knowed 1t was de sheriff
An de men wild Gaih.
All got s,ill as death ar0un' me,
'Cept de hesses' feet
Soundin' neah ar soundin' neareh,
Like de death-wateh beat
An desc little quiv'rin owls, ssh,
tsign o. death, dey say)
Got 70 calm in de pine trees,
Jes' 4 step away.
Dey come neareh. tahned ds e5rneh.
Den dey was in sight;
Gath was ridin in de middle.
Bofe his hans boun' tight.
In n minute dey was roun' him
Nigh a hundel men.
Da, bis time had come 70 dyin-
Gaih was eehtain den,
But he galed aroun' him, prayin
Dey would save his lie.
You see he had little ehilJen
An a sickly wife
An it's hahd to die like dat, sab,
But heahd dem say
TOO late now, John. Jes Ave minutes
Lef- faw you to pray
He throwei back his head and stahed up
At &c shinin' sky;
An knowed dat he was thinkin'
What time to die.
Dab was jes' dat look atou, him.
In his strainin' eyes.
You have seen a wounded deeh have
Jes' befo' 1t dies.
Den he drappeG down on his knees iah
But dey cJuldn stay
tSeem like dey was IN n hurryg
Fo' po' John to pray.
Paw, while he was kneelin' quiet,
Some one shot a gun,
An heaht a cry. an den de
Shot come, one by one.
Seems to me dey must have fhed
Aftah he was gone,
Fo' heahd dc shots long aftah
could hcah him groan-
Dey made sahtair dey had killed him,
Den dey riI away;
An come down an went TO him
IL was ll5hL " gay
An didn' want 10 see him
Mangled uid dc shot;
But Ioouldn' help but do It,
Wantin' TO or not
Oh If you had seed him lyin',
All de grass as wet
wid his blood, rs did, Mahstah,
You could not fo'sst-
He was riddIed vld lie bullets,
Ali shot trOo an iroo.
An his po' dead face was awful,
We, Wild bloody dew.
An somehow, as stood by him
Face an head all wet
Wild de red drops-I got thinkis'
% lie bloody sweat
On de forehead Oh de Mshstah.
An taught dat he
Had seen ali po' John had suffered
Betteh fab dan me.
An de blood drops dat was seattehed
Meath de shinln' skies,
Like de blood of righteous Abel,
To de Lori might rise.
-Ser YORK IadePen6e af.