Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-10-01
UNCLE TON BARK Err.

liz DdO DStu VIII dIlu T6ChI6SS d1u ltdIpu
not God nor regarded man, but one day
at camp meeting, while Bishop Castor
was shaking up the sinners and screening
them over the lnferr 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 WIS terrible In
earnest, for he said he had lost power OF
time OF tine and must make it up. Tom
was rough talker, but he was a good
ore, and knew right smart of "Scripter,
and good many of the old fashlOne
hymns by heart. The conference thought
he was pretty good fellow to send out
into the border country among the set
tiers, and 50 Tom straddled his old flea
bitten gray, and in due time was circuit
riding in north Mississippi.
/ course OF time Tom acquired notoriety,
and from his strong language and stronger
gestures and his muacar aloquence they
called him old Sledge Hammer" and
after while ''Old Sledge'' for short
Away down in one corner Of his territory
there was blacksmith shop and a wagon
shop and whiskey shop and postoffice
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 foot horn or sing hymn in
the settlement, and if any of the cussed
hypocrltes ever dared to stop at the cross
roads he'd make him dance a hornpipe
and sing hymn, and whip him besides.
And Bill Jones meant just what he said
For bp had a mortal hata foy. Tho ,,f
God. 1t was reasonably supposed that
Bill could and would do What 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. AID so
Uncle Tom was advised to take roundance
and never tackle the crossroads. He ac-
cepted this for time, and left the people
to the bad influence of Devil Bill; but it
seemed to him that he was not doing the
Lord S will, and whenever he thought of
the women and children living in darkness
and growing up In infdelity he would
gr0an.
One night he prayed over il with great
earnestness, and vowed to do the Lord s
Will ii the Lord would give him light, and
1t seemed to him as he rose from his knees
that there was no longer any doubt-he
must go. 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 saiu:
my fri md, 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 IL
o clock, and | am shore the Lord is willin.
Tell him to please 'norate' it in the settle
| mrnt about, and AK the women and child
rem to come Tell Bill Jones | will stay at
his his house, God willin, and I'm shore
he's willin, and I'll preach Sunday, too, if
| things git along harmonious.
When Bill Jones cot the message he was
| amazed, astounded, and his indignation
knew no bounds He raved and cursed at
the consult, as he called 1.-THE consult
ing message of Old Sledge"-and he swore
| that be would hnut him up and whip him.
| for he knowed that he wouldn't dare to
come to the crossroads.
Bnt The 'nabors" whispered it around
| that Old Sedge would come, for he Was
| never known TO make an appointment and
| break 1t; anC there was an old horse thief
| who used to run with MurrelIs gang. who
said he used to know Tom Barker when he
was sinner and had seen him fight. and
he was much of a man.
So it spread like wildfre that Old
oledge was coming, and Devil Bill Was
''gwlne' to whip him and make him
lance and sing a ''hime," and treat to a
gallon of peach brandy besides
Devil Bill had lis enemies OF course, for
lie was IL hard man, and one way or an
other had gobbled up all the surplus of
the ''naborhood" and had given nothing
in exchange but whiskey, and these
enemies hoped for somebody to comc aud
turn him down. They, too, circulated the
astounding news, and, without commit
ing themselves to either party. said that
h-Ii would break loose On Saturday at
| crossroads, and that Old SIedge or the
! devil would have to go under.
On Friday the settlers began to drop
into the crossroads under prptense of bust
ness, but really to get the bottom facts OF
the rumors that were ahoat.
| Devil Bill knew full we'll what they
came for, and he talked and cur ed more
furiously than usual, and swore that any.
body who would come expecting to SET
Old Sledge tomorrow was an internal fool
for he wasn't a-coming He laid bare hi;
strong arms and shock his long hair anC
said ne wished the lying, deceivin hypo
critic would come, for it had been nigt
onto fourteen years since he had made !
preacher dance.
Saturday morning by9 o'clock the set
tiers began to gather. Thy came on foo
and on horseback, and In carts-men
women and children-and before II O'Clock
there were more people at the crossroad
than had ever been there before
Bill Jones was mad at their credulity
but he had an eye to bus mess, and KEEP
behind his counter ard sold more whiskp,
in an hour than he had sold in month
AS the appointed hour drew near the sett
lers began to look down the long stralgh
road that Old Siedge would come, if II
came at all, and every man whose heat
came In sight inst over the rise of the dis
tant hill was clOsey scrutlnized.
More than once they said, "Yon6er b
comes-that's him, shore" But no,
wasn't him.
Some half dozen had old bullseye silvp
watches, and they compared time, an
just at l0:t5 O'Clock the old horse THE
exclaimed;
Il see Tom Barker risin of the bill
hain't seed him for eleven years, but
gintlemen, that ar him. or I'm liar"
And it was him.
As he got nearer and nearer, a vote
seemed TO be coming with him. and som
said, Hes talkin to himself, anothe
said, Hes talkin to God Almighty.
and another said, I'm be burned if h