Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1877-08-29

succession. John RaddIe, with q ball
in his thigh, the shot Of dropping
pistol, saw Frederic May6eld fall for
ward OH his face. The others ran
back; there was CHASTITY group iu
the moonlight; corpse wetting the
dark turf with its blood; girl roll |
ing and shrieking beside it; four
men, white and staring.
"IIe's doue for" whispered Scott
Jefiris. "Gitu up and git, uncle: Find
yer boss and travel for the swamp
AS John Rad,lle and his relatives
Disappeared, Mr.. Seymour came up.
Oh the scene. He had been awakened
by the alteration; had looked out of
The window at the moment when the
three Jeflrises we're retiring before
Mayfield; had dressed as rapidly as
possible, and arrived too late. All
that he could do for his pupil was to
carry his body into the house.
Next day there was a prodigious
excitement in the district At first
public opinion WAS somewhat di-
vided as to the guilt of John Raddlc,
many persons sympaihizing with
him when they learned the provOca.
tion under which he had acted. But
when the Judge ofthe Circuit Court,
old Squire SOmers, Col. Thornton,
and in general the lofty and wealthy
citizens, toOktthe ground that muir
der was murder, the commopality as.
scented to tho proposition, and agreed
that the fugitive must be brought
to trial. His low origin, his generally
evil life, and especially his crime of
selling whisky to negroes, also work
ed to his prejudice. Perhaps, too, his
pecuniary success was now an injury
to him, tor envy abounds in back
woodish regions, and is good
hater.
The feeling against the homicide
was heightened by the excr;ions of
Col. Mayfeld, who, on receiving
news of his sons death, hurried post
haste to Soperville, attended by
several martial connections, Us a
Highland chief of the olden time
travelled with his duihnewassal. The
Colonel was man Of forty. five,
swarthy, small, 1.-the, and graceful; a
planter of unusual wealth; leading
politician in the state, and a thorough
aristocrat in feeling; but smoothly
condescending with the masses, per.
suasivc, fascinating, and eloquent.
Full of grief, but full Of vindic:ive-
ness, he was determined that John
Raddle should die; and he labored
for that end very much as he would
have labored for an election to
Eongrnss- must be admitted, !
suppose, that vcrdicts in South Car.
DINA did not Mt that period follow
strictly in the footsteps of law. TO
secure a favorable result in court it
was often necessary to secure fav.
orable public opinion.
"My son did perfectly right" dc.
clared Col. Maytield to Col. Thornton,
as to other heightened personagcs.
ale did just what ] would have
advised him TO do, and inst what you
would have advised him to do.
Marry the daughter of Cracker
of the keeper of q crossroads gro
Gerry! impossible! 1t was q most
insolent demand, and urged with H.
legal, Insulting violence. What will
our class come to il such demands
can be nratie on it Tie boy did
perfectly right-as / might have
known he would. AS fine boy-as
gentlemanly boy here the Colo.
ners voice quavered q little-"yes
Sir, as noble and honorable a boy
{ as your own"
Thornton grasped his hand in
!, silence, and Mrs. Thornton burst
into tears. The sOrrows of the de
graded Raddlcs were crowded on
: of sight by the sorrows of this flint
gentleman - their associate an(
equal.
To commOner spirits the COlone
) insinuated that the whole adventur,
r had been q matrimonial plot of tn
Raddles; that they had put on
their girl as bait, with the hope O
r thereby deluding or bullying a ricl
youth into marriage; and that find
t ing their game fruitIess, they hat
j. murdered him in coarse anger, o
i. mere savagery.
y "Im glad l met up with you
J. Colonel said more than one cor
i vinced farmer. 81 never got at th
Q full rights Of the case afore now.n
t 1t is n picture OF justice in it
b si#pfer and more popular Stages
}. One is reminded of Lncius Quintiu
imploring the Quirites in favor Q
9 his sou, Ceso; OF yirginius declain
j. ing with sobs in the Forum, in PR
e paration for the trial of Appiu
r Claudius; Of accused Athenians G,