Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-03-26
THE ACME OF MEANNESS,
A Case in Where Lynch Law Was Indi-
Gated, and Unstable.

| "A case IN where Iynch Law was lnd1-
| Gated, and Jusifable.
| The meanest man in all this land OF
| United America went down from
| Lincoln, Nebraska, into Kansas, the
other day. Mind you, he wasn't a
| Nebraskau, he was an Interstate i'm
| M grant, coming from somewhere east
| of the Mississippi At Wymore there
| is merchant who carries his stock in
| basket and he is famous all that Ian
! over, for his popcorn. He came on the
| car with his wares, and this mean man,
| who was travelling with his wife, little
| child of perhaps three years, and his
| father-in-law, asked the price of pop
corn. Five cents package" That
was too much. He d dn't want any.
| After the merchant left the car, the
mean man said: Il want some O. that
'ere popcorn, but / kin git it cheaper
| that" Presently he went out on the
platform and said to the dealer
in the fruit that cheers but not
| ine-hic-briates: Say, mister, l want
some of that popcorn, but / hain't got
o'ny three cents. Now, if you kin
lemme have paper of it fur three
| cents, all right; but [ KANT give no
more fur it, because / hain't got o'ny
that much money" Well, after some
dickering. the merchant finally let HIM
have a paper of popcorn for three cents,
and the mean man came IN the car, sat
down beside his wife and little child
and began munching his popcorn.
Never crumb did he offer to ANYBODY.
He was Just enjoying it. He said: Il
had enough money to buy his whole
basketful, but L knowed 1 could ct
| some fur less'n five cents AS he
munched his tather-in-law and wife
seemed to understand that they were
not in on that treat but the oh Id began
to reach up it's little dmpled hands and
in the sweetest childish accents.
beg for some popcorn. Save to hold
the package up out of the reach of the
pleading little hands the mean man
paid not the slightest attention to the
baby, but kept on eating. Presently
the mother spoke to him and said the
child wanted some of the corn. ''WelI,
replied the husband, eff the child is any
hungrier'n 1 am, an wants this pop
corn more'n do. he'd ought to have
it, But he kept on eating it himself,
and never a grain did the child get.
Pretty soon the little fellow began to
cry for the corn. This may have an
uOlc IuC OCCSidoC LCSoou ttACoCs
put the popcorn up in the rack, out of
the child reach, and went into anoth-
er car. While he was gone the child
continued to cry and reach after the
banquet, and the mother took the pop
corn down and gave some to the little
one. While this was going on the mean
man came back. Fur.onsp You never
saw anything like it. He snatched the
popcorn away from the child and
poured torrent of abuse upon his
wife for daring to touch his popcorn.
Then he put it back into the rack and
at intervals got up and ate some of it
until it was all gone.
Now, in case of that kind-and the
above isa truthful narrative of an actual
occurrences not lynch law justifi-
able? Is not that kind of man more
valuable and useful as fertilizer than
ANYTHING else? Isn't he curse to So
ciety so long as he lives? And might he
not prove blessing to the medical
student and barren land wnen he dies?
Then why not kill him and make
blessing of him? The world has no use
for a mean man. A drunkard, liar,
q swearer, thief, tramp, swindler,
, murderer, may have good traits and
nave some sphere of usefulness in this
would, but mean man, pure and SIM
ple-God wasted mud when He made
him. -Burdette. in Brooklyn Eagle.