The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1890-04-03

ure of my company nor the benefit o
my help long, as I soon after movet
to the Six mile place. on the road from
Georgetown to Charleston.
This was ir December, 1886. Thi.
was a lonesome place, but afforded
opportunity for sport. of which wal
very fond. l doubtless would have
remained here for a length of time
had it not been for two circumstances
The first was that in May, 1886, just
as l was about to realize something
from my turpentine trees, / lost all by
fire. The second was that few weeks
! after this my eldest daughter gave
/ birth to a second child, which I also
killed. This created stir in this Sec
ton, and as the people threatened to
push the law to its fullest extent, /
saw no way of escape but to leave the
country.
then came to North Carolina. and
after travelling through a number of
counties in the eastern part of the
State, l found work with Missionary
Baptist preacher, and during my stay
with him he talked me out of my Free
Will Baptist notions, and joined the
Missionary Baptist church, and was
baptized and licensed to preach in the
summer of 1886.
l remained here only short time;
for hearing that threats we're being
made against me in South Corolina,
l left my friend the next night with
out letting him know anything about
it, from the fact that l had no excuse
to offer; but afterwards wrote him,
giving him to understand that 1 had
gone home. Up to this time I had re.
tanned my true name, William S.
Shackleford, but afterwards I gave
my name as j. P. Davis.
. then went to Fayetteville, Green's
boro, New Garden and Winston, re-
naming in the country near the last
named place, until in January, 1887,
when l went to High Point, where I
met Mr.. -, a citizen of Davidson
county, with whom remained about
ten months on the farm. In the fall
of the year I was constantly engaged
in protracted meetings among the
Baptists and Methodists, at the close
Of which I attended conference held
by the Methodist Protestants at the
town of Henderson, N. G.
After this l remained only a short
time in Davidson, and then came to
Durham, where I met J. D. Horton,
with whom I contracted for the year
1888. l reached his home on Satur-
day night before Christmas, 1887.
Here I spent very pleasant sum-
mer. Horton was especially kind to
me, and even offered me indulgences
that l refused to take for fear that I
should not be able, if they were en-
joyed, t" meet my obligations with
him-such as stopping the plcw to visit
with him through the week; and oft
times when | had been off with him at
night till late hour. he would insist
upon my sleeping and IL t going to
work But this 1 did not d., though
sorneti,nes it was all l could d. to go,
having travelled nearly. all night
without sleep. This did for his graft
fication, not that was profted by it
at all, but, to the contrary, was taxing
my physical strength almost beyond
my power of endurance. He seemed
to take pleasure in my company, and
desired me to 90. For this reason l
went, not that even wished to visit
such places. from the fact that my
wishes in that respect were fully met
without having to have the planta
tiun
Horton knew that preferred to stay
at home, and appreciated my seeming
willingness to attend him ON his visits.
He would say t. me snmetimes when
he wished me to go with him, aud l
showed so'ne little Indifference to it:
Il know you would rather stay, but
you have her with you all the time; so
come and 90 with me to night "
And thus we lived in the enjoyment
of whatever presented itself, whether
to be ate, drank. or participated in, III
any other way, until fall, when that
sad aud, to mr, fatal occurrence took
place.
l did not expect it So soon, though
had determined tn have revenge for
some abuse received from him respec
ting the railroad work. and in refer
ence to the way the tobacco hills were
laid off in his absence He cursed me
for all that was low and mean until l
trembled with pure rage. I then
determined to have revenge, but did
not think it would come that way. I
had not decided as to how it should
come, but was determined that it
should come; and when this c,nversa
ton about the railroad work came up,
I rose up with discrimination to put
an end t. it or to him. For this pur-
pose l gathered the bootjack with
which to strike him down, but seeing
my intention he lodged me by going
around the bed. l thought he intend
to 60 out of the room until cooled
down; but to my surprise he stepped
to where the gun was standing, and
with this prepared to defend himself.
I saw no danger, for I was too mad,
and r0ahed upon him with the boot
jack, and ~ came he tried to shoot,
but the gun failed to Are, and as he
turned TO tho wall for another shell /
dealt the fatal blows.
then left the room a few n,on,ents.
not that feared him, for / knew that
the work was done, but that might
Gee that the way was clear. When /
came back he was not dead, but was in
. dying condition. l then took the
pillow, about which 20 much has been