The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-06-04

don wan cr gil hurt. His visitors, whose
faces were concealed by torn pieces Of
cloth, carried him away through the
woods. several hundred yards Ecforc
| hating.
At last, coming to little clearing III
! the woods where the moon shonc brightly,
they paused and ordered their prisoner to
hold out his hands, which one Of them
Immediately proceeded to bind with a
sh9rt piece of rope. With an oath the
captors declared that they would now
proceed 70 business, producing L rope
that had IN unmiStakablc moose tied IN
one end.
'Dis is dc way we cyoTes hoss steal
in, one said. with Il coarse laugh, san
hit giner'iy cyorcs, too, cf hit don't kill
| en-.
Pete Jaggs was trembling violently.
He had been too surprised and terrified
to resist his assaiah.s, even if 50 weak
and almost helpless person as he could
have hoped to cope with such strong
and desperate enemies. He inStinctively
drew back, shuddering, at sight of the
rope, as the evident purpose Of their un-
secmly visit flashed upon him.
wat yer gwi do, Bill, you an Dick
Waters?" he asked, recognizing Mr..
Jobsons tenants in spite of their himsy
disguise.
ewes gwiner hang yer fer stealin'
Dan'l Jobson's marc, dat's wat, one of
them answered roughly.
"Boys.' cried Jaggs, II ain nee tuck
none Ell Danl Jobsou's critters; ain
ne er hyeerd none er EN- been stoled tell
l gets back home ter night"
cain no use er lyin' crbout hit, Pete;
yer done tive tracked yer an de
marc, ans Danl war gwi' put de sher'ff
alter yer, we thought we'd save 'em dc
trouble. We knows yer do wan er go
ter de penetcnch'ry no-how."
They rudely adjusted the moose upon
the neck of the trembling little hunch-
back, and throwing the end over the
limb of an oak growing near, seized it
and began to draw him up.
eyer won steal ma nuther'n, Pete, l
rcck n, they said, as they pulled on the
rope. At that moment the sudden, sharp
report of rifle rang on the still night
air. The suspended body Of Pete Jaggs
made few rapid turns. rs the rope un-
twisted, and he fell to the earth. The
rope was cut just above his head by a
wc!l-aimci bullet. The men pulling
hard on the rope, as it parted, fell to the
ground.
Nancy Jaggs hal become alarmed at
the summary way IN which her husband
had been carricl off. Feeling sure that
some harm was intended, she dressed,
and scizing his rific-which she had
learned to use, and with which she had
brought to death many a wild turkey and
even deer in the wilds of the Ocmulgee
River swamp, not far away-followed
the men stealthily, until she came upon
them as they were in the act of lynching
Pete. In an instant she thought that If
the rope were cut Pete would fall to the
ground rninjured. Taking quick, but
steady aim at the cotton rope cleaning IN
the moonlight, she fired and severed it
with the shot.
Throwing aside tEc now useless
weapon, she rushed forward, seized one
OF the rifles that had been laid down by
the men and covered them before they
could realize the situation.
"Dc fust 'un at moves is cr dead man"
she cried, cxcitcdly. Il ra@H'n yer ain
cwi' hang Pete ter night, al: ycr'*
Don't shoot, Nance" they implored.
"We's iist cr skecvinS Pete. We nccr
lowed ter hurt i'm. Pete ain hurt none
is yer, Pete:'
Pcte's activity showed he was not
much injured, for, having scrambled to
his feet and rid his hands Of the clumsy
bond, he had seized the other rifle and
stood ready to assist his wife in guarding
/ his late captors.
They carried the wouid-bc lynchers to
Dauicl Jobson, who, aroused by their
calls. came out and secured the men in
an clubhouse, while Pete and Nance stood
guard without.
At the trial which followed the arrest
of the two men it was brought out that
they had stolen Jobsou's mare and pur-
posely carried her to Pcte's house in
order to throw suspicion on him. They
were convicted and sent to the peni-
Tertiary, from which they were so anxious
to save Pete; and Jaggss wife became
! the heroine of the ur-Ne,o Orleans
! Times Democrat.