The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-09-14

'urOJ up.
al walked on to your land and I'll
walk off, and nothing you can say or
do will make me trot,' was the cool
reply.
"'T'll make two of these chaps take
you down and beat the life out of you,
you impudent rascal, said the overseer,
in voice cholled with passion.
" You'll have one negro the less,
then, for while they are doing it shall
certainly kill one Of them,' replied the
peddler, Strengthening up and taking a
calm survey of the brawny Samsons
around hm.
"Cyrus! Major! tie that Yankee
sneak down and give him fifty came
the order.
"The negroes skunk back, affecting
more fear than they really felt, for they
rejoiced in the opportunity of paying
off old scores against their brutal
tyrant. L das'ent to touch that white
man, said Cyrus, trembling, fur he'll
kill me shore
"I'll show you how to come here
teaching these black apes sass, said the
| Oyerseer, almost beside himself with
rage and seizing the peddler where
upon ensued a scuflle in which his brute
strength was no match for the youth
| ful agility of his rival, and he soon
cried Justify for quarter. The peddler
seemingly well satisfied, released his
hold, and with Il friendly nod to the
negroes went on his way. He had
reached town in the afternoon and was
exhibiting his wares when he was
roughly seized and Il sheriffs warrant
thrust into his hands. He was arrested
upon the grave charges of intlicting
the slaves to resist lawful authority
and Il murderous assault upon the per
son of their OverSeer. In the midst of
strangers, and almost penniless, he was
thrust into jail to await his trial before
the ensuing court. Rumors of his dam
gerouS character and incendiary mis-
sion tloated like thistle-down upon the
wings of every wind ; for it was at an
era when the seeds of sectional distrust.
destined like the teeth of the fabled
dragon to spring up armed warriors,
were being sown broadcast.
\ few days before the trial he sat
in his cell thinking sadly of his far of
home and his widowed mother. when
he was reused from his reverie by the
grating of the rusty bolt of his door.
which swung open and admitted the
jailer. He was followed by a man in
the prime Of intellectual and physical
yigor. Aristocrat was stamped upon
every line of his finely chiseled face,
and he carried himself proudly as one
born to rule. Colonel Vining,' said
the jailer, has come TO see What he
can do for YOU A sudden hope sprang
up in the heart Of the prisoner as he
looked into the calm dark eyes and noted
the confident bearing of his visitor
They were left alone, and after a con-
ference that lasted far into the night
they parted with fervent, God bless
you, sir from the peddler. If my life
is spared, said he, 4 will repay your
Kindness
understand, young man, / don't
espouse your cause for the sake of a
fee. | have just heard that none of
these pettifoggers would defend you,
and it shall never be said while Ed
ward Nining lives that Il helpless
stranger could find no advocate in the
courts of Alabama. It's not the first
time by many that | have done what
they don't dare to do
"The day for the trial rolled round
andpublic excitement was at fever heat. |
reckon Nining will hardly get iurv |
to his liking from this crowd said a
lawyer, looking over the sea of surginr |
angry faces, Il don't know: I've |
never seen him fail to bend them vet |
was the reply; but if he succeeds |
here, | think there'll he an appeal to
Judge Lynch before yonder sun goes
down The jury was impaneled, and
the witnesses examined. The whole
weight of evidence bore heavily
against the prisoner, for the overseer
and his family were the only witnesses
whose testimony could be received.
The prosecuting attorney summed up
the evidence, then painted him as a
assassin sharing the hos
pitality Of the simple planter and
stealing from his tireside under cover
of darkness to array his slaves against
him. n hush like that of the grave,
broken only by the labored breathing
OF angry men, fell upon the room as
he took his seat. This Ominous 81
lence was broken by a low murmur
like the sweep of the distant tornado
rs Colonel Vining rose and began to
speak Soon the low, llute-like voice
stilled the rising tempest, and the au-
llence with impassive faces settled
themselves to listen.
Giles got 'em dead now,' WHISPERED
the lawyer Nobody ever listens to
him without going his way He too
up the evidence, and with such
,learness did he present it as tissue
)f falsehood that men hung their heads
for having accepted it. With wither-
ng sarcasm he tore into shreds the
character of the plaintiff, his petty
his'known intemperance
md his unyarying cruelty. Then the
silence became more intense, and men
eaned eagerly forward, as with touch
Of pathos in the silvery voice he re-
counted the leading facts in the pris-
1ner's life. How mere boy, he had
eft his New England hills to earn a
living for widowed mother, who even
hen was watching for his return. little
thinking that her boy was in jeopardy:
attracted to Alabama by reports of her
open-handed children he
lad learned to love them for their kind
ness to the wandering stranger. Then
n glowing words, each one 'as a nail