The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1880-01-01

J 4
order that they might show cause why
/ they should not deliver up the whole
Of their worldly goods.
On the eventful day, which was ush5
cred in with hurricanes of binding
sleet, ordered Shawn to bling out the
[ horse and car, that we might drive into
Portaclare together. BY the time we
started the hail had ceased to fall, but
still the wind blew bitterly, freezing
with its icy breath the little pools on the
way-side, and when we drove into Port
aclare l felt almost as if my blood was
/ frozen. 1t was midday by that time,
and, save for one or two decrepit old
men whom we had passed on the road,
/ we were the last to arrive.
What a gathering there was!
/ The streets of the little town
were so crowded that it was almost i'm
| possible to make ones way along. In
the market-place bevies of rosy-cheeked
! servant-girls stood waiting to be hired
pigs grunted and squealed as the drov-
crs whipped them along; the shOp-keep-
T,ers stood at their doors shrieking to the
passengers to buy; the agent sat in the
cozy parlor of the inn comfortably en-
joying lis glass of wine, gazing with a
smile into the wild woe-begone faces of
the creatures whom he had summoned
thither, and determinedly shaking his
head at every heart-broken appeal.
- Don't come to me,'' he said; - I'm
done with yea lot of lazy spendthrifts
as ye are. Ye'll 90 before them to-day
as II make ye pay"
/ sat in a remote corner of the room,
and quietly watched the wretched crea-
lures who crowded around the man;
their wild eyes, their famished faces,
their trembling bodies clad in the dirty
rags which were their sole protection
from the cold. And as 1 glanced from
them to the frozen window-panes, and
the sleet which fell, covering with thin
crystal sheet the curb-stone of the street,
my heart turned sick.
- Poor, miserable, ,half-starved wretch
es!'' / thought, q most of you will have
sore hearts tonight, for you will lose
your little all, God help you! and there
will be nothing but starYttiOn left.
Heart sick at the sight of so much
woe which 1 was utterly powerless to re-
lieve, 1 arose and was about to leave
the room, when my eye was suddenly
arrested by figure, ragged, wild, and
wOe-begone, which crouched close up
by the window. Five minutes before,
had seen this man crOuched like a strick-
en- beast before the agent, his skeleton
hands outsuetched, his parched lips SUI
ing for mercy.
F'For the love of God, Tony Man
naghan, niver be hard on a poor boy"
he had said call my potatoes had the
black disease this year, and they rotted
in the ground. My pig took the sick
ness and died. have two little chill
dren down wild n fever, and if ye take
away my COW, III have no dhrop of
milk to give them, and they'll die!''
This appeal, heart-breaking as it was,
had met with the usual repulse.
" Don't bring yer lies to me. Yen
90 before them ASH make We pay"
SO the man had crept back into the
shadow, and as | saw him crouched be-
side the window, / noticed that the pit
eous look of appeal had left his face; his
features were strangely convulsed, his
wild eyes cleaned, and his hands
clinched and unclinched in nervous
dread.
That man means mischief l said,
as l passed out into the street.
At O'Clock the tenants cases were
to be called on, and as the hands of the
clock approached that hour l made my
way through the crowded street, in the
direction of the court. The wind blew
bitterly, thin flakes of snow were fall
ing, and as / walked felt the ice break
ing and cracking beneath my feet. l
noticed, to my wonder, that the streets
through which passed were almost de-
serted. Presently succession of
means and cries struck upon my ear;
then noticed that people were running
eXcitedly, and, following the direction
which they took, at length found my
self on the outskirts of a great crowd,
,ubsob xrvog oOl1acta1 II, tho ,,1.ipni,,ol
street, before the open door of the
court. Seeing my own servant amongst
the throng, | questioned him as to the
cause of the excitement, for [ noticed
that many of the people were wringing
their hands, others mOaned feebly,
while others glared around them with
wild eyes, and then seemed to utter
sighs of relief. Instead of replying to
my question, Shawn took me by the
shoulders and gently propelled me into
the middle of the throng.
Then l saw the cause of the disturb
ance.
| Lying on the curb-stone, his head sup
/ ported in the arms of a policeman, his
| face open to the wondering gaze of hun
! dreds of eyes, was the agent, ,stone-dead.
His body was surrounded by policemen
warders of the court-nay, at the cry of
murder the very Judge upon the bench
| had stopped the course of justice and
came forth.
Good God!" I exclaimed, recoiling
upon Shawn; show did this happen?''
+" He was Just walkin' along the street,
yer honor" said Shawn, quietly, ''when
he fell, and laid his head down and
died"
'NIurderedp''
"Oh, God forbid! yer honor; what
for should he be kilt at all, at ALPS
Nevertheless, / felt convinced that my
supposition was right; nay, more, be-
lieved that I could point out the very
man who had done the deed.
That a murder had actually been COM
mitted could not be proved on the spot,
but the manner of the mans death was
so peculiar as to call for Coroner's in
quiry and a post-mortem examination.
The body, therefore, was at once re.
moved TO the inn, and several hours af.
ter its removal the two principal doe
tors of the town were on their way
armed with the implements necessary
for their work. On their arrival at the
= inn a novel scene awaited them. The
,u,Oeople having at length solved the
he leaning of the awful words "post
ortem examination" had risen up il
81, SIS, and declared that no such desc
oi Avn of the dead should be allowed
rly thar Toney Monaghan became {
led ship rent he had been one of them
var come ard though he had been a httl,
,on oon them of late, there wasn'
- As among them but would rails,
Y. y. against having the poor boy'
: IN lnu up ike a beasts. The conse
2 q1ertaIlhh as-a riot. The police wer,
oN tue ed, the doctors sent packing
the 9se n.ulLn by storm. For two night
the lnong in state hnir,.. ,,.,l..I n,