Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-01-10
ASTONISHED DARKlES.
How Chestnut Log Demora1ized a
Whole Family, and Produced a Small
EarthOuake.

ASlVNlSfED DAhhkEOs
Whole Family, and Produced a Small
Earthquake.
From the Atlanta (Ga) Constitution.
Near West End, and in secluded
and 10 mantle spot, appropriately
named bJ the people around, "Hell's
Hail acre." there resides one Hamp-
ton Hall. Hampton is venerable and
industrious darkey, and is the author
of plan to stop stealing, as efhcacious
as it is novel. Some such plan was
badly needed about the time that
Hampton put his into successful oper-
alton. Among the inhabitants of
"Hells Half Acre" the tenure of prop
erty is rather precarious and uncertain
The people are mostly negroes, and of
migratory disposition. 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
Half 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 transportation, and thus en-
JOY comparative safety from the visi-
! tations of their neighbors. Some four
weeks since, Hampton concluded that
the fence around his humble cot needed
| repairing, and with that view pur-
! chased number of chestnut posts.
These were placed in his yard, where
they remained all right until few
mornings ago, when, upon counting
them, Hamp. discovered that they
counted one short. The morning after
another was missing. Hamp did not
bear his loss without repining. On the
contrary, he loaded his old gun full of
powder and buckshot and laid in wait.
But this did no good; the posts con-
tinued to disappear, until Hamp. was
50 full of anxiety and wrath that he fell
sick. While he lay upon his sick bed,
a plan suggested itself to him whereby
he could astonisn the thieves, if
he did nothing else, and with fendish
malignity he proceeded to put
it into instantaneous execution.
He bored hole into the largest
and most tempt ting 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 his back
steps to await developments. The trap
was set at o'clock in the afternoon.
The development occurred at s, and
came from the negro cottage next door.
The first thing Hamp heard was dull
explosion, followed by a series of yells
and a peculiar smell, as if there were
some scOrched niggers around in the
neighborhood. The first thing he saw
was q badly used up cat, which came
flying through the window like a shot
from cannon, followed closely by the
fragments of two ash cakes, several
bricks and quantity of SCOT. The
clamor from the house increased, and
upon going to the door to investigate,
Hamp. found the old woman, with half
the skin blown off her right cheek,
praying in one corner, while the old
man was engaged in pounding a badly
blistered boy with the remnants of a
ruined chair, and threading to kill him
for putting them peppers between his
toes while he was asleep and touching
"dem off," It was badly mixed up
affair. The old woman wanted some
hide and considerable hair. The boy
wanted more hide and q pair of eye
brows. The old man, who was asleep
with his feet to the fire when the acct
dent happened, wanted several shoes
and pair of toe-nails. The furniture
was piled about promiscuously, and the
whole room looked as if the lightning
had struck il.
The wrath of Hampton was fulled
yesterday morning when be led three
scorched and well-bandag ed darkies be-
fore Justice Wright, and charged them
with stealing his logs. The magistrates
heart was softened by the dismal ap-
pearance Of the woman, Alice Gaus-
man, and he turned her loose. The
man, Jas. Franklin, and boy, VIM.
Wilson, were committed to jail.
Hamp. has got him some more logs
and put them also in the back yard.
They lie there securely, for none of the
inhabitants of Hell's Half Acre" can
be induced to come within a hundred
yards of them.