Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-10-03
UNCLE TOM BARKER.

Uncle Tom Barker was muck Of man.
lie had been Wild and reckless and feared
not God nor regarded man, but one day
at camp meeting, while Bishop CASTOR
was shaking up the sinners and scorching
them over the nferl al pit, Tom got
alarmed, and before the meeting was over
he protested religion and became Jealous,
outspoken convert, and declared his in
tentlon OF going forth into the world and
preaching the Gospel. He WITS terrible In
earnest, for be said he had lost power of
time of tine and must make it up. Tom
was 2 rough taiker, but he was a good
one, and knew right smart of "Scripter, +"
and good many of the old fashioned
hymns by heart. The conference thought
he was a pretty good fellow to send out
into the border country among the set
tiers, and so Tom straddled his old flea
bitten gray, and III due time was circuit
riding In north Mississippi.
! course Of time Tom acquired notoriety,
and from his strong language and stronger
gestures and his muscar eloQuence they
called him old Sedge Hammer, and
after while "Old Sedge' for short,
Away down in one corner Of his territory
there was blacksmith shop and wagon
shop and a whiskey shop and postohice
at Bill Jones crossroads, and Bill kept all
of them, and was known far and wide as
Devil Bill Jones'" so as to distinguish
him from squire Bill, the magistrate.
Devil Bill had sworn that no preacher
should ever toot a horn or sing hymn in
tho settlement, and if any Of the cussed
hypocrites ever dared TO stop at the cross.
roads he'd make him dance hornpipe
and sing hymn, and whip him besides.
And Bill Jones meant Just what he said.
for he had a mortal hate for the mel of
God. 1t was reasonably supposed that
Bill could and would do " hat he said, for
his trade at the anvil had made him strong
and everybody knew that he had as much
brute courage as was necessary. And so
Uncle Tom was advised TO take roundance
and never tackle the crossroads. He ac-
cepted this for a time, and left the people
to the bad influence of Devil Bill; but it
seemed to him that he was not doing the
Lord will, and whenever be thought Of
the women and children living In darkness
and growing up in in6delity he would
groan.
One night he prayed over it with great
earnestness, and vowed to do the Lord 3
will If the Lord would give him light, and
it seemed to him as he rose from his knees
that there was no longer any doubt-he
must 20. Uncle Tom never dallied about
anything when his mind was made up. He
went right at it like killing snakes; and so
next morning as 'nabor" passed on his
way to Bills shop, Uncle Tom said;
My friynd, will you please carry mes
sage to Bill Jones for me? Do you tell
him that if the Lord is willin | will be at
the crossroads to preach next Sunday at II
o clock, and am shofe the Lord is willin.
Tell him to please 'norate' 1t in the settle
ment about, and AK the women and child
rem to come Tell Bill Jones | will stay at
his his house. God wilin and I'm shore
he's willin, and ! ~ preach Sunday, too, if
things git along harmonious.
When Bill Jones Lot the message he was
amazed astounded, and his indignation
knew no bounds. lie raved and cursed at
the consult, as he called 1.-THE consult
ing message Of Old Sledge" -aud he swore
that be would hnut him up ana whip him,
for he knowed that he wouldn't dare to
come to the crossroads
Bnt the "nabors" whispered it around
that Old Sledge would come, for he was
never known to make an appointment and
break it; an( there was an old horse thief
who used to run with Murrell's gang, who
said he used to know Tom Barker when he
was a sinner and had seen him fight, and
he was much Of a man.
So it spread like widfre that Old
Sledge was coming, and Devil Bill vas
'gwine' to whip him and make m
dance and sing thine, and treat a
gallon OF peach brandy besides.
Devil Bail had his enemies OF course, for
lie was a hard man, and one way or an
other had gobbled no all the surplus of
the "naborhood' and had given nothing
in exchange but whiskey, and these
enemies hoped for somebody to come and
turn him down They, too, circulated the
news, and, without commit
ing Themselves to either party, said that
hi gould break loose on Saturday al
and that Old Sledge or the
devil would have TO 20 under.
On Friday the settlers began 10 drop
into the crossroads under pretense of bust
ness, but really to get the bottom facts Of
the rumors that were aAoat.
Devil Bill knew full well what they
came for, and he talked and cur ed more
furlousy than usual, and swore that any
body who would come expecting 10 see
Old Sledge tomorrow was an internal fool,
for he WASH a-coming. He laid bare his
strong arms and shock his long hair and
said ne wished the lying dfceiyin hypJ-
critic would come, for it had been nigh
onto fourteen years since he had made a
preacher dance
Saturday morning BY 9 O'Clock the set.
tiers began to gather. Tn y came on foot
and on horsebacg, and in cart.--men,
women and children-and before / o'cl0ck
there were more people At the crossroads
than had ever been there before.
Bill Jones vas mad at their crsdulity,
but he bad an eve to business, and kept
behind his counter ard sold mose whiskey
in an hour than DO had sold in a month.
AL the appointed haur drew near the sett-
lers began T. look down the long straight
road that Old Sledge would come. if he
came at all. and every man whose bead