Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-01-30
WILD JOHNS AoNevcurr.
How He Biunsd tho Constable by 0aots.k
Fictitious Law.
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Fictitious Law.
| tselma (Aia-) Times.j
A few years ago there came 10 Randospn
two Canadian Indians, q father and
| daughter, who fought the battle for bread
| by making beaded baskets, pin-cuuhions,
etc. They remained about town q day cf
two undisturbed, bat fnally tAe magic.
trate, who considered HE position Q very
exalted one, concluded that the strangers
should psy license and In small way
fatten the cxchequer Of Randolph. He sc4
cordingiy approached the bead vcnders
and demanded q license Of the old Indian.
whose only response was TO draw from hiS
coat-pocket a passport from fis own Cow
ernment. At this the old magistrate grew
wrathy, callod his Constable, familiarly
known from his gigantic frame and super
abundance of flesh a. "Big Joeu Latham.
and ordered him to arrest both Indians,
father and daughter.
The order was obeyci promptly, but 1ust
at this point Of the proceedings Johns
Honeycnst appeared on che scene, and the
following conversation ensued:
"Look'sr here, Big Joe Latham, what's
yer goin' 70 do with these Injuns!s
VI have arrested 'em, air, because they
haint psid NO license for manufacturing
beads, and unless they rake up the spons
they win have ter go TO fail, and they
will"
"Big Joe'' held the Indians' passport,
which Johns demanded, and after glanc-
ing at it, he replied:
Big Joe,' you're durn big fool ;.these
is citizens Of the English republic, and the
fust thing you know, durn your fool skin,
Queen Victory will send her Sheriff ont
here, take you over the water xnd hams
you until you're deader nor q herrfnf.
Now you just hands of; Til take charge
of the critters, and if you mean 10 keep .
whole hide, don't yer touch 'em.n
The big officer knew his man and yielded
with a little exhibition OF reluctaaoe. Johns
led the "Injuns' to the little hotel kept by
his mother, left them safe within, and then
took double -barreled gun and seated him
self in front of the door. Johns loved corn
juice, and when well soaked held the ribs
bons over the town, SO to speak but finally
big Joe" mustered courage and ap-
preached him.
"Johns Honeycutt," said the big cone
stable, "Pse officer Nv the law, and de-
mand them prisoners, an of yer don't give
them up I'll git er bill Nv indictment
ergainst yer, and then wen sse whose'er
big Joe Latham you are the durndess
biggest fool in twenty States. Just wait er
little and let mo road you the law" Johns
looked around and found ON old weather.
worR code OF Alabama, opened the lids and
quoted aloud from his own fertile imaxi.
nation:
"Be It ordained that henceforth, now ana
forever, every citizen of the English re-
public who may or shall come to this coun-
try must be allowed to make bead baskets,
etc, and any officer or anybody else who
posters them shall be convicted and sent 10
the PeniteRtiary forevermore."
AS "Big Joe" couldn't read and was not
thoroughly posted in statutory law, he did
not discover the fraud, but quietly re-
marked: "It looks leetle strange and
surrendered tho fort.
Johns stood guard at the door Of tho hote,
until freight train rolled up and stopped
at the depot. Then he hurried the "Injunso
to the train, opened an empty bCx car.
forced his prisoners to get In, and then
closed the doors. The train rumbled away
and the bead-venders have never been seeu
from that day 20 this. But everybody
around Randolph and for miles along the
railroad remembers how Johns Honeycutt
played a bluff game on "Big Joe" Latham
by quoting fictitious law and telling him
what Queen Victory would do. Johns
rescued the Indians, his bread eane back
from the waters. his friends have rescued
him, and to-day he is as free as the widest
redskin in the "Great West"