Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-08-24
ArHRILLrNe INCIDENT.

t Chicago, on the Northwestern Raj
q way. AT Oshkosh we were joine
by a delegation of lawyers on thei
way to Madison, the capital, to al
tend the Legislature then in session
! They were all men of more tina
usual intellect, and of exceptions
character. Two were ex-judges o
the circuit court, and one / ha'
seen chairman of the Young Mem
, Christian Association. The part,
, found seats near together, and ate
the first salutatiOns were over, SnC
the news duly discussed, they be
, gan to look around for means t,
while away the time. After awhile
some one proposed a game of cards
No sooner said than done. Tive
seats were turned apart so as to face
each other, a cushion imprOviseC
for table, and three of our lawyers
including the chairman of the
Young Mems Christian Association
and a Chicago runner on good terms
with them, were soon deep in the
mysteries of a game of eucher.
/ was surprised to see Christian
gentlemen and judges of law-equity
LEADERS of society, makers of pub
lie sentiment, lawgivers for a great
State, directors of public morals,
supposed to be public exemplars of
all that is good, and guides to the
young-thus setting publicly their
seal of approval to a most dangerous
and evil practice. To be sure, they
played for stkes no higher than the
cigars for the party. But it seems to
me that, in the eyes of all discreet
persons, this does not change the
act nor lessen the danger of its eX-
ample, but rather heightens it, as
from the less to the greater is the
invariable course of crime. But /
did not intend to moralize on paper,
but was about to say that, while l
was filled with such thoughts as
these, one of the party grew tired
of the game and our remaining
judge was invited to take his place.
saw the blood mount i'm an
honest blush of disapproval to his
manly face, and he hesitatated and
drew back. But the game had be-
come interesting, and his excited
companions urged him. "Come,
Judge, take a hand," they cried,
"we can't go on without you" So
the Judge rose slowly from his seat,
inwardly condemning the act as /
evidently saw, and stepping forward
took a seat among the players, and
the game went on.
/ had noticed an old lady in a
seat to the rear of the players, who
had got on board at Menasha, / be-
lieve. Gray and bent with age, she
had set abashed, and, with eyes
closed, seemed asleep most of the
time until the train, stopping at
Oshkosh, took on board the company
of lawyers. She then underwent
change and became greatly interest
ed in the company, looked often
from one to the other as if she recog-
nized all, or was trying to recall
their faces. When the game of
cards was started she became very
restless, would hitch uneasily about
in her seat, take up the hem of her
faded apron and nervOusly bite the
threads. Once or twice / thought
she wiped her eyes under
tell. She acted so strangely j be-
came more interested in her than in
the players, and watched her clO.ely.
She got up after a time and tOttered
forward, holding on to the seats as
she passed. She brushed against |
Judge -- in passing, but he had |
become interested in the game and |
did not notice her. Reaching the |
water tank at last she drank a cup !
of water, and took a seat near the !
door, with her back to the players. |
But she did not long remain there. |
Rising again with difficulty, she |
tOttered back toward her former |
seat; but reaching the players, she |
paused directly in front of them, |
and now, greatly excited, threw
back her bonnet from her face and
looked around the company. Her
action at once arrested their atten-
ton, and, pausing in their play,
they all looked up inquiringly.
Gazing directly in the face of
Judge ---, she said in n tremu-
lous voice, "DO you know me
Judge --"'
"No, mother, | don't remember
you," said the Judge, pleasantly.
''Where have we met ?"
"My name is Smith," said she.
81 was with my poor boy three days,
off and on, in the court room at
Oshkosh, when he was tried for
fOr-for robbing somebody; and
you are the same man that sent him
to prison for ten years; and he died
there last June"
All faces were now sObered, and
the passengers began to gather
around and stand up all over the
ear to listen and see what was going
On. She did not give the judge
time to answer her, but becoming
more and more excited, she went
)n: "He was a good boy, If you
lid send him to prison. He helped
as clear the farm, and when father
was took sick and died he done all
he work, and we was getting along
right smart till he took to going TO
-Own and got to playing keards and
thinking, and then somehow he
lidn't like to work after that, but
Ised to stay out often till mornin',
md then he'd sleep so late, and /
couldn't wake him when / knowed
ned bin out so late the night be-
ore. And then the farm kinder
.un down, and then we lost the
cam; one of them got killed when
ned bin to town one awful cold
hight he staid late, and | suppose /
hey had got cold standin' out, and
rot 'skeered, and broke loose, and
'un most home but run agin the
ence, and a stake run into one Of I
EN-, and when we found ii the next !
ii was dead, an the other
vas standin' under the shed. And
10 after awhile he coaxed me to let
him sell the farm, and buy house
md lot in the village, and he'd
work. at carpenter work. And so /
lid, as we couldn't do nothin' on
he farm. But he grew worse than
,ver, and after a while he couldn't
ret any work, and wouldn't do any
hing but gamble and drink all the
ime. / used to do every thing !
Ould to get him to quit and be a
rood, industrious boy agin, but he
lsed to get mad after awhile, and
,nce he struck me, and then in the
morning / found he had what lit
le money was left of the farm, and
lad run off. After that / got along
IS well as / could, cleanin' houses
or folks and washin', but ! didn't
lear nothing of him for four or five
,ears; but when no goi arrested
nd was took up to Oshkosh for
rial, he writ to me-"