The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-08
,,rr,r lin HARDEN BOY.
An o,a story of ~ Tragedy In Frank'i"
Cnuuty.

A.. MA storv of "a Tragedy In Franki"
County.
The report from Franklin county oe''''-
A.. on account of a man beating his son
70 death. recalls an old story told us cn'''
d,cn by my great-Tandmother. VINO was
horn reared and died in that same iocaliv I;
II sppcars that man came vi retui"cu
there during or after the heIoiu'ion'i,
War. bringing with him littie boy, Wnose
,r,ii doure and sweet face elected the love
I'd ,h, sympathv of all the neighb0rhood.
The man lived alone and was very
rough man, having little intercourse WIN
any of the good people OF that locality.
lie called the boy ''Jim." and was haish
and cruel 20 him, ciIrsing him ana klckihg
and cutting him about under the silghies.
uretext. and made him work so nara ina'
little lin was soon known 10 the neIgnbol-
hood as Little Jim Harden Boy or "foor
Little Jim Harden Boy" rs old grand
mother nut il. some time passed ana ht,ie
lin began 10 be missed, and naturally the
ncighbors began TO talk about IL. .,.,.
The man was approached, ana tnousn
every one feared hm. he was asked " vH w,
nlain the bows absence, but this he WouIu
not do. ,;,o a.
one sunday. so the story goes, WINE Il
Marty were on the way home from meet
inc" they stopped and sat down beside 'he
log bridge that crosses the stream nearby
..'Tbo Chestnut" | believe they called II.
They were discussing the absence OF little
Jim Harden boy when one of the member
attention was attracted by the ah'lcS
of "A bird. which, according 10 oiu
grandmother, would fly on to something
i'm the water, which was nearly covered ana
nv back and back'ards and iOrards, so man!
..f fls
and with a stick examined the Iearly SUD-
merged object. and then drew it up ON the
bank. when il was recognized as poor III
tie Jim Harden boy
..There were great wells on his back ana
neck and shoulders" said old grandmother.
"and his pretty face was all bruised, ana mr.
tiny arms were scratched like some wild
beast had torn him." The finding Of the
| body was soon made known, and many peo-
ple came 10 the place.
\ party went after the man, VINO came
! back with them, and when he saw the boy :
prostrate form underneath the shade Of The
grove, where IT bad been taken ana ialu
upon a messy bed, he looked solemn
and pcrpeXed for while, and then
turned away. but again he cam,
| hack and began 10 cry, ana
cried most bitterly; when he stopped down
and laid his hand on little Jim Harden
bows breast, said old grandmother, The
blood lust pushed out the little boys mouth
! and the bird few on TO the mans shoulder
and then hoped down over little Jim liar-
den boy. and il staid around until they TOOK
the body and buried il.
| do not rccollect what became Of the
man. but it strikes me that he was tried
aud acquitted, and then left the neighbor
hood. Perhaps some one Of THE TINES
readers can tell the whole story, and better
than |. for il was many years ago, and
was a very small child, when, with the resi-
of the children. sat under the porch Of the
old Homestead and, as twilight burned int
starlight. listened to old grandmother tel
what we considered "ghost story
| BELL.