The Dawson journal., 1885-03-26
DRIFTING WIrR THE TIDE,
The Black Picture Drawn bya Waif
OF His Heartless Father.
Macon, Ga, Telegraph 10Th inst.

haue, SIT, ls CsSlton hSyn-
olds, and I came here from Nil
len, Ga"
The speaker was a small boy,
who sat shivering around the
stove at the city barracks yester-
day morning. He was apparently
twelve or thirteen years Of age,
and on his face tho hard lines had
begun already to make their ap-
pearance. He was thinly clad, ,and
his hair to all visibls purposes had
never made the acquaintance of a
brush and comb. Yet, he did not
seem depraved lad. There was
something in his expression that
! appealed rather tenderly to those
who heard his story, the same in
defnable something in his voice
as he repeated it that suggested
the ring OF honesty, and carried
conviction with it to those who
heard him.
Carlton Reynolds, as he related
his pitiful tale, presented a specta-
Gle calculated to melt the doubts
of the sternest infdel. The lad,
shivering in the cold air of fall
morning, was waif to all intents
and purposes withouta a home on
earth, and with no hands to look
to for help. True, he had a faith
ar, if a fien1 in human shape
could be dign fed with such a IT,
tie. His mother died when he was
even younger than he is now, and
four years ago his father married
again. That step mother has been
the cause of all his trouble, and
this morning makes him wan
derer from his natural home, aId
, casts him upon such mercy as lie
may expect from a public that is
in no way responsible for his mis-
fortunes.
81 came here, sir, Tuesday
morning on the passenger train
from Savannah. My fathers name
IS George Reynolds. He lives
about four miles from Millen
in the direction of Lorette, ,Screven
county. He works there with Mr..
Charlie Perkins, who has shin
gle, planning, saw and grist mill at
that place. He has been abusing
| NE for some time ,and has told me
often that he intended to send me
away. He never did beat me ana
cuff me about until he married my
3ten- mother, and then she made
MIN do it, Her name was Susie
AtkiIson, and she made my father
'reat me- like dog have gone
| whole days without something to
eat, after cutting green sapplings
for rails and ploWing in the hot
sun. They would have biscuits to
lat and sugar in their cpffre, and
yould mike me eat corn bread
| md cold meat. My ather has
lways been able to take care of
ne; he owns 163 acres of land and
aas az much stock as he can take
| care of. Before he married the
second time he was always good to-
| ne, bat since then he has beaten
ne nearly every dag -sometin y
Nth buggy traces and then with
boards, and anything he could get
at the time. He would buy me no
clothes, and took away the lnule
ne gave me and sold it.
Last Thursday he drove me off
;fter beating me and told ne new
| er to come back again, and said il
| did he would ha'e me put on
The chain gang. | went away,but
came back Sunday. He told my
step-mother to make me a pallet
| in the kitchen and let me stay in
the house until Monday, and then
he would send me off. Monday
morning he wrote letter to my
cousin, Bill Reynolds, who lives
about seven miles from his house,
| and gave it to me to take to him.
| He told me when [ got there not
to come back; that he had written
to cousin Bill to put me on the
train and send me off. Ho said,
too, if anybody should ask me
who Twas to tell them that was an
orphan. Cousin Bill carried me
to the train Monday night at Mil
len and paid my wsyto Macon.
lie told the conductor not to let
me get off until l got here, and
| told me then to get on the train.
But [ knew that did not have a
/. cent of money, and that if l did /
would be kicked of.
II waited IN tho waiting room
until day-brsak Tuesday morning
and then started out to get some
work to do. A gentleman gave
me 10 cents Tuesdagaod l bought
something to eat with it He told
me to look for q policeman, and
when l found one he told ms that
Icould sleep up here Ay father
was at Millen the night 1 left, but
lT did not see him. Hs was IN a
bar-room drinking.
The above is picture drawH by
the little waif of his homo and
parents. 1t was learned later yes
l Nv. Ii La M Crn