The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-01-05
ASToNISHED DARKIEs.
How a Chesnut Log DemOralized Whole Far

How a Chestnut Log DemOralized Whole Fam
lily.
Near West End, and in a secluded and
| romantic spot, appropriately named bv
the people around, "Helis Half Acre"
there resides one Hampton Hall. lamp
ton is venerable and industrious dar-
key, and is the author OF a plan to stop
stealing, as eficacious as it is novel.
| Some such plan was badly needed about
the time that Hampton put his into sue
cessiul operation. Among the Inhabi-
tants of "Helps Halt Acre" the tenure
of property is rather precarious and un-
certain. The people are mostly negroes,
and of a migratory dispositiou.. They
are hard to find in the day time, but
come to the surface in large numbers at
night, and earn their living by picking
UP whatever is lying around loose.
| Chickens are unknown in "HelPs
Halt Acre." and but little attention is
paid to the culture OF pigs. The wise
and sober class OF the population invest
their earnings in property that is not
capable Of tr transportation, and thus en-
Hoy comparative safety from the Visita-
tions of their neghbors. Some four
weeks since, Hampton concluded that
the lence around his humble cot needed
repairing, and with that view purchased
| a number of chestnut posts. These
were placed in his yard, where they re-
NAMED all right until few mornings
| ago, when, upon counting them, Hamp.
| discovered that they counted one
short.
The morning after another was miss
| ing. Hamp. did not bear his loss with
out repining. On the contrary, he loaded
his old gun full Of powder and buckshot
and laid in wait. But this did no good !;
inn To 1ico ~
Hamp. was 50 tull oil anxiety and wrath
that he fell sick. While he lay upon his
sick bed, a plan suggested itself to him
whereby he could astonish the thieves,
if he did nothing else, and with tiendish
malignity he proceeded to put 1T into in
stanLaneous execution.
He bored hole into the largest and
most tempting of the remaining logs,
and into this he poured a half pound OF
extra fine powder. A plug was securely
fitted in, and the now smiling Hamp. sat
down on mis- back steps to await deVel-
opments. The trap was set at 7 O'clock
| in the evening. The development oc-
Cured at s, and came from GAe negro
cottage next door.
The first thing Hamp. heard was a
dull explosion, followed by series OF
wells and peculiar smell, as if there
were some scUrched niggers around in
the neighDornood. The first thing he
saw was badly used up cat, which
came flying through the window like a
shot from Il cannon, followed closely by
| the fragments OF two ash cakes, several
bricks and quantity Of SCOT.
The clamor lrom the house increased,
and upon going to the door to investi-
gate, Hamp. found the old woman, with
half the skin blown of her right cheek,
praying in one corner, while the old
man was engaged in pounding q badly
blistered boy with the remnants of
ruined chair, and threatening TO kill him
| for putting Them peppers between his
| toes while he was asleep and touching
''dem Off" 1t was badly mixed up
affair.
The old woman wanted some hide and
considerable hair. The boy wanted
more hide and pair OF eyebrows. The
old man, who was asleep with his feet 10
1.-THE fire when the accident happened,
wanted several shoes and pair OF toe
nails. The lurniLure was piled about
promiscuously, and the whole room
looked as if the lightning had struck it.
The wrath of Hampton was tulled yes
terday morning when he led three
scorched and well-bandaged darkies be-
| tore Justice Wright, and charged them
Will 5GSdlluS LIS AOkS' 4 nc mag u dIo, D
heart was softened by the dismal ap-
pearance Of the woman, Alice Gausman,
and he turned her loose. The man, JAS.
Franklin, and boy, VIM. Wilson, were
committed 10 Jail.
Hamp. has got him some more logs and
put them also in his back yard. They
lie there securely, for none OF the inhab-
itants of "HelPs Half Acre" can be in
duced to come within hundred yards
OF them.- Georgia Constitutionalist.
------SsS-----
| AN ENoCH ARDEN CASE IN ENGLAND.
How curiously the American civil war
crops up in all sorts of places and under
all sorts OF circumstances. In 1861 The
| daughter of an officer in Ireland married
a man named Darlington, and they
lived together about year. He then
went TO America and entered the con-
| federate service, and she heard nothing
more Of him until, after advertising,
satisfactory evidence was obtained thar
he was killed during the war; In 1871
she married the head Of one OF the mos 3
respectable families in Scotland, and
has since had several children. Be
Gently, however, Darlington made his
appearance and claimed his wife. You
| eau imagine the distress that was oc-
casioned, but, by some happy accident
1T was discovered that when Darlington
married the lady in 1851 he had anoI
wife living, who is still alive, and SO
our Divorce Court has this week pro-
nounced the 1851 marriage null and
void, and the lady remains with her
Scotch husband
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