Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-06-10
INJUN BAPTIST.
He Went About Lighting Matches
and Became Intolerable.

and Became Intolerable.
POTTsVILLE, Ten, June 7.-Gniun Bap-
fist never mad an enemy until he STUN
bled upon one. He came from no one
knows where, though it has always been
suspected that he was an Indian Terri
tory product. He is we'll acquainted in
the Nation, seems to have IDdian blood in
his veins, and looks more or less like red
man of the improved order.
The oldest inhabitant cannot remember
when Injun Baptist was a smart man,
but great many people here knew him
when he was smarter than he is now. He
always had cloud on his brain. Simple,
docile, credulOus, he was in earlier times
a sad wreck of border civilization. No
body ever interfered with him. He
! came and went among roughs,
desperadOes, and outlaws the same
as among men whose boast it was
that they were honest. His long
absences created no comment, and when
he returned "Hello, Injun," was the
only greeting that he received. He would
! toll labOrOusly when put at work, and
would not leave any Job that he had I'M
dertaken until, exhausted from hunger
and lack of sleep, he would wander off
not to return. When children first APP
l
! They rode him around like donkey, and
he seemed never to weary of their tyranny.
According to all accounts, he never eX-
| hloted any signs Of mental power but
once. On one OF his periodical visits to
the Nation he fell in with a party of des-
! peradoes who were on marauding expe-
ditlOn. Some of them knew him, and,
thinking they might make use OF the
foolish" as they called him, they per-
| V
ever they asked him to do he would do I'M
complainingly, and as newer OF wood
and drawer of water he proved himself
of great value to his com paniOns. One
night lnjun was left in the out
law camp, near the Canadian, with orders
to remain there until they returned. Tue
horses were all bridled and everything
was in readiness for flight, but the unfOr-
tunate who stood on guard perceived
nothing, eXtraordin airy in the situation.
An hour or two later the men returned,
and one OF them, calling lnjun to one side,
led him far enough away from the camp to
point out house that could be dimly
seen In the moonlight, and with instruc-
tons that he was to go there and remain
until they called for him, he darted off.
Injun made his way to the house, walked
around it once or twice, and then, seeing
an open door, entered. All was dark
within. Lighting a match, he peered
around, and, seeing nothing, he advanced
few steps and lighted another. In
corner OF the room was the body OF a man
drenched in blood. Once again Injun
drew forth match, and, lighting it, he
turned around to fall over the PROSTATE
forms OF two other men. HIS
matches were now gone, but while
he was mechanically searching his
pockets for more, it is believed, from
the story that be aiterward told, that one
| of the victims who vet retained conscious
ness recognized him and told him to go
for help. However that NAV have been,
the fellow who never before seemed able
to act intelhgently on two ideas in sue
cession set out alone and without waiting
| for daylight in search of neighbor. How
! long, or how far he tramped was never
known. but he did not abandon his search
until he had found assistance and
| led the way back to the cabin.
| The sight that there presented itself
| was enough to make the stoutest
heart quail. Everything in the house
Indicated the desperate nature of the fight
which had taken place there. The walls,
the ceiling and floor were spattered with
blood. and the three men, now dead, were
frIghttully mutilated. Injun showed how
he had entered the place, and finding the
stub OF match on the floor he exhibited
it with pride, and by motions and grunts
demonstrated how he had CROPPED his way
around IN the horrible place.
The herders who had been summoned
| took in he situation at a glance. From
Iniun they learned something of the size
of The murderous band, and the nature of
the work done indicated clearly enough
that revenge rather than robbery had
been the motive. Communicating the
facts to the proper authorities, 1t was not
long before posse was on the trail OF the
murderers, and in running fight which
afterwards ensued between the two par
ties two of the desperadOes were killed
Iniun found his way back here in the
course of time, and was made great
deal OF. The sympathy of his old friends
was aroused, and many OF them
went out of their way to compliment him
and do him kindnesses. "Injun Baptist
getting smart now" he would say when
questioned on the subject of his adven-
ture, and everybody would admit that he
was telling the truth. After a while he
developed habit of going around with
matches in his possession, lighting one
occasionally, and while it burned or the
stub remained in his fingers appearing to
be searching for something. For a time
people smiled pityingly at Injun, thinking
that he would soon get over the passion,
but they were mistaken. 1t grew upon
\ him, so that, instead OF going through his
!
case, for the benefit of others, he got to
prOwling around at night In dead earnest.
No place was secure from his intrusion.
Ladies going down cellar would find In
jun there striking matches. Men going
to their barns would encounter him, al
ways mysterious and always with a
match. Late at night he would be seen
prowling around the streets with his flick
ering light in hand. He would follow
people home, striking matches at almost
every step, and when they had
closed the doors of their houses
in his face he would hang about
the yard, striking matches under the
trees and bushes, and peerng into the
grass as if looking Tor something. His
friends bore with him patiently for a time,
but at last his performances became 50
much Of nuisance that they were very
reluctantly forced to cause his arrest.
He has beeneXamned by physicians who
have pronounced him non compos, aud
the places which have known Injun Bap-
tist so long will now know him no more
/ forever