Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-15
THEY DON'T HANG GENTLEMEN.
Indignation of Colonel Carter, of Car
tersville."

tersvilIe."
ITO give you an idea, suh," the Colonel
continued, "of what we Southern people
suited Immediately after the fall of the
Confederacy, late me state case that
Colonel Temple Talcott, of Fokeer
county, Virginia, came into Taleottville
one mornin, suh-a town settled by his
ancestors-ridin' upon his horse-or rather
mule, sub, belonging to his overseer.
Colonel Talcott sub, belonged to one of
the vehy fust families in Virginia. He
was a son of Jedge Thaxton Talcott, sub,
and grandson of General Snowden Stafford
Talcott of the Revolutionary War. Now,
sub, let me tell you right here that the
Ta!cott blood is as blue as the sky, and
every gentleman bearin' the name is
known all over the county, sub, as man
whose honor is dearer to him than his
life, and whose word is as good as his
bond. Well, sub, on this mornin' Colonel
Talcott left his plantation in charge of his
overseer-he was workin' it on shares
and rode through his estates to his ances-
trail town, some FIVE miles distant 1t is
true, sub, these estates were no longer in
HIS uGIllE. Dul llldl lldu ~ OCdl III Oh tnC
events that followed; he ought TO have
owned them, and would have done so but
for some vehy ungentlemanly fo'closure
proceedin's which occurred Immediately
after the war.
"On arriving at Talcottville the Colonel
dismounted, handed the reins to his SER
yant-or, perhaps, sub, one of the niggers
around the do'-and entered the postoffice.
Now, sub, let me tell you that one month
befo' the Government, contrary to the ex
press wishes of great many of our leadin'
citizens, had sent a Yankee postmaster, to
Talcottville to administer the postal af
fairs of that town. No sooner had this
man taken possession than he began to be
exclusive, sub, and to put on airs. The
vehy flst air he put on was to build
fence in his office and compel our people to
transact their business through a hole.
This sub. in itself was vehy CALM, for up
to that time the mail had always been
dumped out on the table in the stage Office
and every gentleman had Helped himself.
The next thing was the closin' Of his mail
bags at a hour fixed by himself. This be-
came great inconvenience to our citizens,
who were often late in finishin' their cor
respondence, and who had always found
our former postmaster willin' either to
hold the bag over until the next day or
send it across to Drummondtown by boy
to catch later train.
Colonel Talcott's mission to the post
office, sub, was to mail letter to his factor
in Richmond, Virginia, on business of the
utmost importance to himself, sub, namely,
the raisin' of small loan upon his share
of the crop. Not the crop that was
planted, sub, but the crop that he expected
to plant.
"Colonel Talcott approached the hole,
and with that Chesterieldian manner
which has distinguished the Talcotts for
mo- than two centuries, asked the Post
master for the loan of three-cent postage
stamp.
ITO his establishment, sub, he was re-
fused.
"Think of a Talcott, sub, in his own
county town bein' refused three-cent
postage stamp by low-lived Yankee, who
had never known gentleman in his life,
sub. The ColonePs fust impulse, sub, was
to haul the scoundrel through the hole
and kearve him; but he remembered, sub,
that he was Talcott and could not de-
mean himself, and DRAWN himself up
again with that manner which was grace
itself, he requested the loan of a three
cent postage stamp until he should COM
municate with his factor in Richmond,
Virginia; and again, sub, he was refused.
Well, sub, what was there left for a high
toned Southern gentleman to do? Colonel
Talcott drew his revolver from the leg of
his boot and shot that Yankee scoundrel
through the heart and killed him on the
spot.
"And now, sub, comes the most remark
able part of this story. If it had not been
for Major Tom Yancey, Jedge Kerfoot
and myself there would have been a law
suit"
Fitz lay back in his chair and roared
''And they did not hang the Colonel ?"
"Hang a Talcott! No, sub; we don't
hang gentlemen down our way. ledge
Kerfoot vehy properly charged the Coro-
ner's jury that it was a matter of self-de-
Tense, and Colonel Talcott was not de-
tained sub, mo- than half an hour."-Cen-
tGry Magazine.