The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-05-08
AN OLD MANS YARN.
HOW UNCLE BILLY CAME VERY
NEAR BEING HUNG.

o 'close of our earthly pilgrimage" mu
Iee That surprised us in our youthful days,
IL fully condoned for in that sober ana sta
period of our existence, when we are co
10 tent with ease aud free from the cares
= thls troublesome world yet we cling
g. lie with perhaps more tenacity when W
d are '1growing old' than in our earlier day
10 but are fond of past recollections, and fir,
~ quently live life over again. With TIL
= kind of feeling we recur to former time
ana whlle Ill this mood we are inclined [
: give you n rambling sketch of times pas
u and gone, or rather an incident that haI
V pened long, long ago." for the truth {
s which only old timers can vouch.
v In the year 1887, while sitting at IN
, family fireside. with my little ones aroun
! me, seeking rest from a laborious day
work in the courthouse. a cosy fire spark
ling with contentment, also sat near rel,
tive, who had been invited to partake o
our hospitalities-on who was con
Meeting link between the past and the pres
ent We concluded, as all the surround
ings were in keeping with the desired ide;
we had, that now was the time to inter
. view our aged relative respecting the an
cient history of our county, and the early
pioneers who had made this their home and
abiding place. Exercising good deal OF
manouvering and some skirmishing, as oul
elderly relative was much amused and edi-
hed by little three year old, to whom he
had taken liking, and who was entertain
ing him in his peculiar way, it was some
time before we could get fairly down to our
work. Finally, we pumped out the ques-
ton that had troubled us for some time,
and boldly propounded, as the law yers say,
interrogatory first:
"Uncle Billy, some time since | was told
of an extraordinary trial, in the early his
tory of this county, in which you figured
very prominently, which thought at the
time was Il little colored and far-fetched.
AS this is very opportune time, would
like to get the history of that event from
your own lips; will you amuse this little
circle by relating the circumstances us they
actually occurred?' ~
His little protege, who was on his lap,
had ''gone to nappy's house" The year
ling was removed, and placed to rest in his
crib. The old man, relieved of his care,
answered:
Well, it was long time ago-yes, be-
fore your wife was born, and before that
courthouse was built. If my memory
serves me, it was the year of that miracu-
lous wind or hurricane, when the Bogue
ChittO, for about five minutes ran up stream.
Let me see, it was just after orn-planting
in the spring of 1927, the year that your
aunt Judy married Billy Gates, and moved
up near the purchase. 1 then lived down on
the river. There was good many people .
who had moved into the settlements, mostly
from York District, South Carolina. / re-
going to Holmesville on Saturday,
and finding quite gathering. The occa-
sion of so many being there l do not now
but L think it was a shooting
match A man by the name of Kline had
put up II little store and also sold whisky
by the gill and pint. When we went to
reat, we would buy gill or pint, and
zach one would drink his share. Well, we
alked about neighborhood affairs, the
rops, and some little politics. | was
Jackson man and there was some Adams
men, and we got pretty hot, but finally we |
made up II match to shoot for gallon of |
Whisky We had our target put up against Q
big gum tree upon the corner Of the pub q
ic square. The old tree l seed to-day was l
one. We put in the afternoon by target
hooting, and by the time we all got through '
'e were pretty lively. We adjourned to {
Tines store, and it was hard to tell which
ne OF us could talk the most and the loud &
y the name of Bill Hurt, (he was after e
ards whipped at the common whipping
Ost for marking somebody else's hogs.) Ii
e had been cavOrting around, and brag- o.
g on his manhood, and the crowd appear II
! to me give it up that Bill was the best
an in the crowd. l had just enough in A
c to believe that Twas hard to handle, and
ried me considerably to hear him crow 81
7er the crowd. l knowcd he was II big III
II man than me, but concluded to try him. r.
took another drink, merely to tone down
c steam in me, pulled off my coat, took
my hat put them inside the store for
fe keeping, and jumped up and cracked h.
7 heels, and told Bill he should be ac- of
A ring was struck, and at it hi
went. cu .oi
{ do not know how it was, but went In
% that fight believing that could whip 60
n, and to this day don't believe that / %. o.
er would have hollered. We had it up me
down, (therc was no weepins them days. Nh
r friends they hollered and hollered, but lh'
ally got the lock-step ON him and down sta
came, on top of him. lie was hard to on,
d down but | worried him out, and he ce'
Tered. 1t was near night. We both 81,
shed off. In the mean time Kline, who afo
5 bound to keep an orderly house, had
It up his store and gone clean off.
ked around for him but could not find III
1. My coat and hat was in the store ~
Ise, and was bound to go home. The In In
lse was made of pine poles, covered a.. a.,
h boards held down by weight poles Il
Is were scarce in them days, and mighty tak
h. considered while, got up on the 40C
se, removed the poles and boards, went Tn
IN into the store, got my coat and hat, wo
went home. arr
never thought any more about it until sGn 81
day was bedding up the ground for nr; rIi
on, when Nehemiah Weeks came INTO in,r
field and says to me, you are my pris- Ma
r. l axed him what for! He said Ro
he had sworn out an affidavit araiust ent