Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-13
0, ACCOUNT OF A w1poN.
WHY the Rev. stephen Bullock WAS Sen
fenced to be Hung.

fenced to be Hung.
4. very sensational case came up be-
! fore an Alabama court several days ago.
/ Stephen Bullock, q colored preacher
of powerful frame and persuasive man
ners, was arrested on a rather serious
| charge. 1t appears that one John
| Hightower, also colored, had protested
religion and joined the church. 1T then
became the pleasant duty OF l'arson
| Bullbeck to baptize him. The preacher
stated, Just before going into the water
with the candidate, that he had tor a
| long time hoped for the coming OF that
day; that he had yer taken the keenest
interest in the soul of his dear Brother
Hightower. Then they went down into
the water. but they did not come
strairhtway out of the water-that is,
they did not come out together, for
Hightower got loose from the preacher,
while under water, and was not seen
again until the next day when he was
found ten miles down the river, hang
ing to a tisherman's trot line. A rela-
tive of the deceased brought about an
investigation, charging that the preacher
had committed premeditated murder.
A large number Of witnesses were sum-
moned, and much conflicting testimony
wa $ introduced. Finally, the Judge
/, growing tired of the pickering OF the
LAWYERS, turned to the jury and said:
"Gentlemen, l will take it upon my
self to conduct this examination. MIR.
Bullock. how many people do you sup
pose that you have ~baptized?"
"In my whole life, jedge?"
"Yes, in your whole lite"
"Wall. lemme see. I'gunter blow
de gospul HON erbout ten years ergo,
an 1 reckons dat 1 has baptized er
hunnud ever year sense dat time"
"Then you have baptized a thou
sand"
~Yas, sab, dat is erbout de size O
my pile,
Judge repeated. well, now, how
many of that thousand succeeded in
getting away from you? In other
words, how many accidents happened
during the time of the baptizing of that
thousand?"
"None Ell tall, sab. I has got er
mighty fine grip in my hans, | has, an
it takes er powerful man ter git erway
frum me when is plum at myself"
"How, then, do you account for the
serious accident that occurred the other
day."
wall, / doan know, sab, IAN ter tell
you de truf, it has boddered the er good
cal, an dat night after we bad all dun
gone home l lows ter my wife-dat
lady settin' right ODER dar-dat l didn't
understan' de rulin' O. de Providence
when de lightnin' come erlong an
knock de life outen de piouses' man in
de whole neighborhood. Da's e greet
many things erbout Providence dat We
KANT ketch up wild as we walks erlong
de road O. dis yere life"
CHATS all very true, parson, but do
you regard it as an act of Providence
when you a man under the water
and drown him?"
IVY sab, eff Providence didn't want
him drowned how could l drown him ::
l tell you dat when Providence doan
want you ter do er thing you needn't
fool erway yo' time wild it, Nr you
KANT do it."
"Ah," said the Judge, elfvating his
eyebrows, "and l suppose that if a MAJ
is sound asleep in his WI house and q
robber comes in and cuts his throat, il
would all be the fault Of Providence"
"You's putty good on de lpgic, jedge,
an eli you WANT so we'll sot onde bench
O de law l would wise you Ter stan in
de pulpit O de speret. But were comes
in de ditfunce. Err man gifts drowned
while he is bein' baptized; dat's dc
Lawd's work. Err man gifts bis troat cut
while he is er sleep in his house; dat's
de work O Satan"
"Your construction may do very well
j, as a social argument, but it will hardly
pass muster in law. Let me see, you
were very anxious for Hightower to join
| the church, 1 believe"
= Vas, sab, powerful anxious, for
allus lubed de man. Oh, he wuz sc
saft in his natur an so kline in hi
heart"
e And as soon as he had joined the
e church, instead of waiting for your reg
: ular baptizing day, set on the Goth O
e the month, M week later, You insisted
on baptizing him immediately. HOY
/ do you explain that?"
n "Jedge, | jest dubbed dat man Sc
hard dat L couldn't wait, an | lowed tx
J. some O dc brudders dat I mus make e
- special 'casion fur him."
All, hah" grunted the Judge, strok.
ing his long beard. "Well, Nj. Bull
beck, was Your wife at the %baptizing?'
a NO, sab, me an dat lady dun voiced
Jest couldn' lib wild her, sab. Sh'
$ didn't like nothin' dat 1 liked, an
II didn't like nothin' dat she liked. an w,
II les' couldn't hardly eat at the same ia
h Die; an den ergin she leaned powerful
l. TOWARD de steierdis church. an ola
{ cant hit HE AIN IL, I got er vorc,
d i.um her"
Is "How long upo?"
ye "Erhout two NUTS"
All, hah. BY the way, how lone
nave you known Mrs. Hightower?"
Who, Sister Hightower, Brudde
y Hlghtower's wife?'
Yes"
Bout three munts."
"a We'll, You got along with vour wifi
much better before you became ar
6 qualnted with Sister Hightower. didn'
le you?"
is is Look yere, jedge, whut Won wante
49, 49, HEt " NS4AS ~