Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-10-12
SUNDAY READING.
Why a WOEldIlug Refused 60 Work
on Sunday.

The following remarkable narratiyek !
which We reproduce from the New York ! s,
Witaess is IRON the pen Of a lawyer now
living in Brooklyn, aud who voUches for
its truth: About the time when con-S
gress, through the Influence Of Henry
CLAY, appropriated the money fer con-E
'strnotng that great macadamizsd Highly
way known as the National TurhpkeS
sroad, extending from Frederick, in the
State of Maryland, to Indianapolis, in .
the State OF Indiana, the farmers hyinge
lin the ShepeudoAh Valley procured large
wagons capable of holding between hvea
tand six tous OF freight To these i'm y
Smense, capacious wagons they hiiched I
ssix strong horses. Loading their wagons II
swith tour wheat, rye, corn, oats, pota b
stoes, apples and other things of thelr&
8own raising, they, drove 70 Baltimore e
fAiter disposng of their farm products,
;lthey would obtain a return load SomcE
× their back load, as they called 1
Bit, consisted OF goods for the countrye
dmerchsnts OF their own home neighbor-e
8lhoods At other times, rather than re
aturn with empty wagons, a farmer wouldt
Naccept of merchandise destined for al
53more distant point, such as Cumberland,
b %Pittsburg or Wheeling
Besides the teams owned by farmers, :
klwho thus kept themselves and theirt
s5horses busy during the winter months,
NLbere were men who did noihiag else the;
Iyear through but haul lmerchahdise west.
3 ward and Western produce to the city,l
Awho we're known among wagoners asl
regulars The writer, being native'
Bof that part of the country, has fre.I
&quently seen scores Of these arks Of
lwagons strung out 10 several miles 10 a,
@cOntinuous row, but few feet separat
lAing any two oil them, each having six,
&neayy horses attached to it, Every horseI
Ahad bow of iron, ornamented with halt
IA dozen musical bells, strung from one
sside to the other of the collar Wheu,
Hfrom an opening on mountain, any
@person viewed these long trains, they
Sseemed to be one continuous body like
Gan immense monster crawling through
Athe valley below toward the mountains.
eH 0ne Of the old Regulars" was knowo
4 %from Baltimore to Pilsburg aud Wheel
: 'Aing by the unenviable cognomen OF
1Sl1Devil Tom Beard" This significant
, @titIe was given to him for several reasons
Sin the 6rst place, he wore bushy beard
I Gin those days when others shaved clean
. q Then he took the name Of Tom" be
Ecsuse he did not wish his name 10 be
Mknown. On account of his propensity
/ Tor mischief aud for perpetratiDg practi
! 81 .sl jokes, the common saying with regarS
y Eto him was that he was reckless imp
dEwho had no regard for his Creator, h,
! d@teelow-men or for Satan Those VIII,
= wknew him best gave him the widest berth
AHe was also most bl,sphemous wretch
iu sitaking his Makers name in vain almos
8every ten minutes OF his waking hours
II After the Baltimore and Ohio railroa,
built to Cumberland, the trade Of tb
(. 81 regulars" was destroyed. Anon
u kihe men thus thrown out of employ
t. nent was Tom BE was, howeVer, OF to-
;. 4ctive a turn Of nind to Femaio loag i
J N dleness. so he purchased few acres 0
Eand, having stream Of water pa7siul
a- Hthrough it, with sufficient fall an
Scaused to be erected thereon an exec
{, Mlent saw mill.
n A number OF years after this farma
q N the neighborhood, one of Toms reg,
or patrons, had the misfortune to los
arE ls barn by fire. AS the IRE occurre
: q ate in May, the farmer hastened TO hav
- luotAer erected, wherein to store HI
lea rowing and neagly mRtured crops. 0
,aN eertalu Saturday the builder told II
amer hat Il they could get from Tom
keE aw.mill the needed lumber 6g &uuda
Ma sat noon, by fur hest. they would be read
Ito raise the building by the middle
'ga Q week The farmer immediate
aSAm sh,ea bis horse ard rode to the sa,
Bnill. When he Grriyed there the Writ
9n yas pte eat, and heard the conysrsalio
he as follows:
Farmer-"My builder says that fy
oaD let rs have ou. lumber by noon {
j i@MoDday We Oaa raise our new barn {
, i "Wednesday. Can you do ~
Tom-"Ihat is utterly impossible"
req Farmer" so2
itI ToW-"Because could ouly get
&ready by saving OF Sunday, which | W
-erEqo do. / don't work ou Snndsy."
otA Farmer-"Well, suppose you DO sa
y N IN Sanday. how will that hurt your
euM T0m-rI know I an wicked man, b
L cannot work on Sunday"
Farmer-"Noi even when It's wo
I'd Il # necessity, and Consequently work
: a nereyg"
on Tom will not run my saw tnill
all. ESnnday for any reason
Farmer-"You are certainly not /
on Spiops to work on Sunday2'
di-H Tom-"Eo, ! an too WICKED man
Bpretend to be pious.P
re- Farmer-"Vsry well, then; il, throu
6rM0bstnacy, you will not accommodate I
10 my sIsrgepcy, you can let it alon
uisk and | warn you not " say gp9.her
all for me. Such man is OF no good to
i. Haeighborhood, and | will use my inf
i" hence to prevent your getting any nc
ig, work hets Is you we're a Christian a
an Hhad conscientious sscru piss against wQl
Hing on the Sabbath, | could oyerIo
otkyppr conduct could xeu'a you; |
oi&you AYs aG.blpgot the kind; you c
Enotoriously ths ro4t Alaerbemonq o
gg wickedest man io this communityr
.er. So expressing himself, the farmer b
tily rsmoguted his horse ia toweri
gu rage and rode GEsg
nb After the farmer had leh tLs sAW 70
ventured to ask Tom why, under I
'ho peculisr circumstances Of the case,
.nd@bad refused TO oblge bis neigbbor.
of Rhich he eepliad
Vi You are, perhaps, ola epQpgh to
ex- member the good old days wbea
a. goods for our merchants were brour
''ir !" home IL Eagons and you may rememl
those dear old representatives Of Noa
J Eark?} .o.
.e, "H Ireplied ! that | did remember tn,
y, gery VEIL when be proceeded:
~ Very we'll. lowed two such wagol
llesE drove enc Of the teams myself, q
antN Nhired a man TO drive the other tea