The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-11-02
anderson yntsltigsmefr.
Nearly Frightened to Death.

A crowd of ten had besn sitting in the
bar.room all the evening telling stories.
This stranger with tho bsoad. brimmed
hat had been admitted 10 ths circle early
In the night and had listened attentively,
but had rot talked. 1t was near mid
night when one Of the circle demanded 6
story from him.
"Really, gentlemen" said the stranger,
II am not much of story teller, but /
can tell you of an experience I had. II
was the time came nsarest.being scared
TO death. Ny friend George Wood aud
had been out in the mountains of Ten.
aeasee prospecting for coal mines all day,
and it was coming on toward dusk. >.
Eve hadn't seen living soul OF habi-
tation of any kind in the whole journey
till we came to this hut. A white: haired
old darkoy sat by the door, humming q
salvation hymn. An old woman, ev:-
dently bin wife, Vas fixing hoe cakes, and
The smell that came from her kitchen
was most delightful. We hailed the old
man, and he bade rs welcome. The old
woman came out and greeted Us as only
The old msmmies aan, and then she bus.
tied around and increased the supply of
Doe cakes.
"It Was dark whsn supper was ready.
and then there came an addition TO the
family in the ahape of tho most villain.
GUS looklug'negro that ever saw in my
lie. He looked the brute, if ever man
looked it. He was fully ak feet three
inches in height, with coarse features, @
coarse tongue and uurly manner. We
felt instinotively the moment we laid
eyes on him that he was probably the
wickedsst man in The whole mountxin
region, and 1t made US feel uncomiorts-
Bile, especially as We had arranged 70
spend the night at the cabin. The aged
couple had assured us that the next
house was ten milea away, beyond o
little mountain pass, hard to travel over
at night.
"This big brute Of a negro had a rifle,
which, as he came in, he flung down by
the hearth, making some savage exclama.
,ion as he did so. We realized that We
were in for it, as 1t was impossible for us
to reach the next house in the darkness,
strangers that We were. We were hun.
gry, but somehow we couldn't eat This
fellow at all times glared at ua out of the
corners Of his eyes. We were glad
enough when the meal was over. We
all sat around the big open fire for
while, and then the old couple went to
bed, leaving us alone with the big negro.
He had never word to say 10 us, but
every time We looked st him We could
see that he was watching our every
movement, and he had his foot on the
rifle, which lay by the hearth. George
and /, of course, had rsvolvers, and, after
a whispering oonsultation, Wa decided
that the only thing to do was TO go TO
bed with these weapons held in our
hands, ander the bed clothes, cooked
and ready for use, and We agreed that At
the first sign of an attack we would
shoot.
"It uas about 10 o'clock when we lay
down. We had hoped that this fellow
would go off to bed himself. But he still
sat by the fire, and showed no signs OF
moving. We were in no condition to
sleep, and didn't slesp. I'm net often
afraid of man, but here the continued
suspense vss fsarful. I felt chat every
Individual hair on my head was standing
straight up and was very rapidly turning
gay. I reached my hand softly over
and touched the fingers ofGeo,ge. They
were as cold as ice. He responded to
the touch with a squeeze. I knew be
was bad off az I was.
"Half an hour passed. 1t seemed an
age. I lelt that I couldn't stand tho
thing much longer. was getting weak.
My head vas partially buried in the pill
low, but With one eye half opened l
could see the figure of the savage watcher
and caught his furtive glanses toward
me. Finally / decided to draw him on.
I was certain he meant murder, but any
thing, thought, 10 get the thing over.
began breathing heavily, as a man does
in q sound sleep. Oss-tuo-'hree-
FIVE minutes passed. All the while tho
eyes of the villianous wretch we're glued
on me. wanted to jump up and mako
run for it, but dared not. Six-seven
-eight-minuteI, and then, apparently,
the fellow Was satiEdsd there MAS no
shammiug. Slowly hsreached down and
got his rife.
"'Now,' I thought, comes the end,'
and clutched my revolver so hard that
there was danger tina. it would explode.
"Rifs in hand, the fellow crept mp TO
US. The dull light of the fire threw
ghastly glare on his brutal face. Whesh-
er or not it Was my Imagination do not
know, but his eyes looked shining red.
stoop shouldsred and almost creeping as
he VAS, he seemed to me like great
wild beast crouohing for spring. I
would have given all that I possessed or
all that i ever expected to possess had I
been ont of there. I was paralyzed. I
could not have moved the hand that hold
the revolver had I trisd. 1 was posi-
lively helpless. I felt that death Uss
not minute away.
"Now ae was by the bedside, leaning
over and listening. I broke out in q
cold perspiration. a. moments inspee-
ton aud be Strengthened up and began
moving noislessly towards the door, near
which there WAS another bed.