The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-05-06
temperance.
The Jailer's Story.

| wasn't drunk-nODOdy can accuse
me of ever having been that-but / did
have my beer three times a day, and it
was my beer that them fellows doctored
the night of the fracas. The druggist
might tell you what it was they put in.
but all ! know about the matter is that,
though am usually wakeful as a cat,
they let themselves into my room, and
stole my keys, aud | didn't know moth
ing bout it till next morning when all
was over and the poor fellow was
deader nor fish. Yes, / will call him
poor fellow, and as for his @ richly
deserving such fate" that's all bosh.
1t was whiskey that done i'll said so
from the very first going off When he
was brought to the Jail he was so drunk
he couldn't stand on his feet, and it was
not until next morning that | could
make him understand what the row
was about, and then | never did see a
man so took aback. / couldn't con-
vince him till | showed him the whole
thing in print. "Terrible Shooting
Affray-Quarrel over game of cards.
ending in murder - Both disputants
under the influence of liquor ''-and the
rest of it. My Lord, how he did wilt
down as he read the account. He was
sober enough then, you bet. He told
me that when he woke up that morning
he had no more knowledge of having
used his pistol than-than nothing. The
last thing he could remember the even
ing before was going into Fosters sa-
loon with Pierson and lot of other
fellows, and Pierson standing treat all
around. He didn't know no more about
sitting down to poker, and Pierson
cussin' him for cheating than if he
hadn't been there. - liked Pierson
best of the whole lay out" he said.
"and | don't believe it was me that
fired that shot" " You got the credit
of it, anyway" says /, land if Foster
hadn't been so near by, you would
never have been brought here alive.
Pierson, as you know, was cap'n of the
Washington Warriors, and fully half of
his old company live in and around this
town. 1t amt as though you had
dropped some no count fellow what
wouldn't have been missed.n 81 spose
I'll swing for it," says he; a." and don't
much care. There amt much differ
ence to me now between this world anC
hell" :" 'spect it will only be i'm
prisonment for life," says l. l didn't
'spect no such thing, Judge Martin
being Persons uncle, but | wanted tC
raise the poor fellows spirits. / though
he would ask for whiskey, and | was
going to stretch point and give it t.
him, knowing how hard it must be t.
stop off short after the tear he had beer
on. But he didn't seem to think abou
anything to drink, and he scarcel,
touched what we gave him to eat. II,
was so tore up in mind about what h,
had done that he couldn't think o
nothing else. My wife went in t,
see him, and, just like a woman, sh,
hadn't talked to him ten minutes be
fore she was all on his side, though
when she heard of Persons bein!
killed, the first thing she said was
. The scoundrel that shot him ought t.
be lynched!" / reminded her of thi
; when she came out of the prisoner
cell, and then she said she meant tn
scoundrel who sold the whiskey to tn
poor fellow that done the shooting
Knowing that everybody knew Judg
Martin was Persons uncle, | natural
supposed that the law would be Above
F. TO take its course, and it never entere
: my head there was any occasion for eH
ira vigilance that night. If my wife ha
stayed at home things mi ht hav
. turned out different, but she went OF
, with the children to spend the night {
her mothers. l thought my bee
didn't taste the same as usual, and
l. noticed that Foster had sent me
mighty liberal quantity for the none,
but | drank it, all the same, because
don't like to let anything be WASTED
When | woke up the next morning m
keys was missing, but the prisoner
were all in their cells-all except til
man / am telling about, and | WASH
long in finding him, poor fellow, for h
was swinging from the lowest limb {
that big clancy tree back of the iai
The lynchers had done their wo1
mighty quietly, for none of the othe
prisoners knew what had been goin
on. My wife bohooed like baby, an
said it was all my fault, but the Poop
generally seemed to be of ditferel
notion, leastways | was kept in N
place till give it up of my own accor'
l had children growing up, you Sc
and I'd rather not have 'em so close |
Jail, as there are sights and sount
they had better not be too famili
with. There amt been case of lyme
ing here, though, since that poor fe
low was slung up, well nigh on to te
years ago. The Jail has been workt
on, for one thing, and people has mo
= confidence in it; and then, there is a
\ other district attorney. The last oil
never convicted anybody, so it was sal
eXceDt an innocent man occasional
and may be another reason is that swo
n. off from beer-drinking after the mig
a, that poor fellow was sent up the Spot
rs and | snoozed through it all like an o
70 clam. -Christidn at Work.