The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-02-24

ct for it was Charleston and verv few Of thos
who produced it were In a condition to con
vey IL thther. Wagons. and even carts. Wer'
owned only by few persons in the country
Prior 10 the Revolutionary war there was, II
the upper part Of South Carolina scarcely
settlement in which there was wagon o.
= any other wheeled vehicle. The first ,wagor
in the community in which John Leslie set
tied was owned by himself By many at tht
time IL was regarded as great q wonder as ;
ra II road train is at present
The possession of wagon ana team
horses and four hundred and fifty dollars en-
abled John Leslie to take advantage OF tht
circumstances by which he was surrounded
He bought up wha-evcr indigo his nelghbor'
had TO sell, together with the skins of various
fur bearing ai.imals and hauled them tt
Charles ton. On these articles he was sure IL
realize one hundred per cent. ana often tnret
hundred. The sum realized by the sale or t,e
indigo and peltry was invested largely In
salt. coffee, sugar, treacle and occasionally, IN
the spring, barrel of salt fish. These were
bartered tor indigo and other productions o
the country salnble in Charleston. John Les
lie was now on the highway To wealth.
During one Of his trips to Charleston, an
event occurred which was so tragical that II
is not yet, after the lapse (of near country
forgotten About the first Of December: I795
he sci out for Charleston with q load OF such
country produce as lie thought would com
mand good price in the city before the
/ Christmas holidays. 1t usually required
~ bout fl We weeks to make the trip hence he eX.
i7Ss " ~
The tenth of January came and passed but
he did not arrive. He had taken his Oldest
son, now twelve years old. with him. His
wife with the other two children were alone.
| AS might be expected she became slightly un-
easy when her husband and son did not
arrive at the time expected, but She hoped
that they would come on The eleventh. but
| the eleventh of January came and passed ana
| they did not come. Still she hoped that they
would be home on the twelfth. But the
| twelvth the thirteenth and the fourteenth
passed away AMI John Lesslie and his son
had not arrived. The wife and mother be.
came nervous. She walked down the road
| for more than a mile hoping that she might
catch glimpse of her husband and son. She
| returned to the house, but not able TO remain
she walked down the road again. The after
| noon of the l4th OF January. 11gS, was one or
those dark, clammy afternoons which IL often
experienced in southern climate IL was for
the season warm. and while II was not raining
the trees we're dripping and every thing pre-,
Sented foggy appearance which produced
Il depressing sensation. Dark began 10 come
before the sun was down. Mrs. Leslie began
to arrange her domestic affairs Tor the night.
She had Just finished preparing supper Tor
her two little ones, when an individual, VINO
resided in the settlement but four or five
miles distant, walked in and after the usual
salufations inquired If Mr. Leslie had re-
turned from Charleston: This man whose
name was Hugh Sly was the only person MIS-
Leslie had seen for week and although she
had scarcely any acquaintance with MN,
might reveal the distressing anxiety Of mind
In which she was on account or the long
absence Of her husband. Such being the case
she made known TO Sly her fears that her
husband and son were murdered, adding that
she was apprehensiye that the murderers
would come and kill her and her other chill
dren. The reason she had for coming TO this
last conclusion was that the murderers oi
her husband would force him to reveal
whether or not he had any money exceptthat
on MS person. In II stale OF partial insanity
she declared that she knew her husband had
been forced to tell that he had in his house
near q thousand dollars. For several days
she had eat nothing, and for several nights
she had slept rome.
She was afraid to leave home with her chill.
dren, and yet she felt vinced that she and
children would he murdered before morning
If they remained IN the house. 1t was the
money that the outlaws wanted, she said. but
TO conceal the fact OF their taking II they
would Kill her.
Hugh Sly made nm effort, apparently in
good fmith, to Danish her fears, by giving
number OF causes which might have detained
as To the cause Of her husbands detention
sly proposed that he would place his dog In
the room In which the money was. declaring
that no man could enter the room so long AZ
the dog was in II. Tue dog WAS q huge Great
ure Of the maStf family and said by SLY, his
master. to be perfectly J" obedient to any COM
mand given him. The proposition was ac-
cepted and the dog brought inlo The room,
fed, and bed provided for him just beneath
the window in the end OF the room. This
done Sly with degree offormality instructed
the dog, whose maine WAS bull to obey every
Leslie. This done Sly bid Mrs Leslie good
evening and left with the promise to come
back in the morning for his dog.
So soon as Sly departed Mrs; Leslie bar
red the doors and put her children To he'd.
They were Soon.unconsciouS In sleep. Not SO
with the mother. She began TO think over
the strange providence which brought Sly
act OF shutting Sly's dog up in the room. She
began to think OF Sly himself. All that she
knew OF Hugh Sly was that some two years
ago he had come to the neighborhoOd from,
he said, Virginia. He was gentlemanly in
his mani ners, wore good clothes, boarded with
Henry Foot, was frequently out Of the COM
munlfy for Il month at u time, no one knew
where or for what. These facts together with
two others that he had no visible employ
ment and was always accompanied by his
dog. Bull, was all Mrs Leslie knew about
Hugh SLY.
Mrs Leslie sat by the fire until after mid
night when she lay down In the bed with
her children. but not 10 sleep. After she had
been in bed less than an hour she thought she
heard Il noise nj the window OF the room In
which was the dog. The winh was blowing
and she concluded that the noise she heard
was limb of tree striking, against the
house. Again. however, she heard the same
noise but louder and certainly at the window
shutter. Alter a few moments there was
loud crash, followed by shot-she thought was
the falling to the ground of the shutter. She
was sure the window had been opened. but
she WAS afraid TO speak, she was afraid TO
move. 1t was but few moments until she
beard some one climbing into the window.
She began to think will the dog suffer any
one TO enter?" Soon she heard the foot OF
some one touch the floor, the dog now began
to grow, and some one in a subdued and
soothing voice began 10 call him BY his name
but the dog continued to gr0wl. IL was not
long until she heard The other foot of the In
4, gbpIn IN iI.kt
startled the sleeping children Mrs. Leslie
screamed. take him Bull" All she after
ward heard was one fierce bark Of the dog,
a desperate struggle, dying groun and all
was quiet.
Morning came and Mrs. Leslie was called
to the door by some one hailooing at the
gate. II was Jamas White who had come
TO inquire of Mrs. Leslie II she knew any
was charged with connterfeiting with proUf
to convict, and that Hugh Sly was his agent
for putting the money into circulation. MI
White stated further that Foot and Sly were
evidently making preparations ior leaving
the country and that some time during the
early pait of the night one of his brothers
horses had been taken out of the stable and
that H. had been tracked 10 within Il short
distance OF Mr.. LessleS field.
Mrs. IICSSlle now narrate ted what had occurred
on the previous afternoon and what had 0c-
cured during the night and asked Mr.. White
to come in ANA he present when she opencd
the cuor in which Sly'S dog had been placed.
Just at this moment the wagon of John
Lesse drove in sight and the half crazy wife
| rushed down the road 10 meet her anXiouSiy
expected husband and soon, rs The dwelling
Of John Leslie was on the main Charleston
road. soon number orpersons from diflrren
sections OF The country arrived, all In starcn
of Fopt the counterfeiter and the supposed
thief who had stolen Whites horse.
| The h story OF putting the dog in the room
by Sly. and what occurred during the night in
| the room produced an intense desire on the