Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-06-02
MADE HIM EAT.
The Novel Punishment Melted Out to
Thief.

Thief.
A stranger who was up in the Pos
sum Ridge country the other day fell in
with an old resident of the section and
engaged him in conversation. After
discoursing on variety of subjects,
from politics down to the latest neigh
borhood gossip, the old resident said:
stranger, reckon you never knowe6
old Bob Sykes?''
mo, never did," the stranger re.
piled.
You've heard tell of i'm, 'ow?"
81 do not remember that / ever
have"
''Humph! That's quare. I thought
shore most everybody had heard o old
Bob. He's a monty noted man."
Indeed! For what is he noted?"
For bein the boss sheep thief O. this
yere section"
sheep thief
"Azackly. / reckon, stranger, it 'ud
be monty hard to figger out just how
ma ny sheep old Bob has stole in his
time. He's stole 'em from ever body for
ten miles around, an he jest keeps right
on at it, year in an year out. He stole
some from me once"
''Only once?'
That's all. | broke him off right on
the start. You can't guess howe"
Threatened to have him arrested, l
suppose?'
NO. nothin' o. the kind"
Threatened to shoot him?'
Mary"
''Then what did you do?"
wal, Sir, old Bob stole my sheep one
night, an the next mornin / missed
'em. | knowed in minute that he'd
got EN-, ! determined to git even
with him an try an put stop to his
botherin' long o my property. / fig
gered out a plan in no time, an,
takin' my old pistol, went over to
Bob's house Bob was settin' in the
corner by the fireplace an Mis- Sykes
was cookin' breakfast"
Mis- Sykes says /, I've come over
to take breakfast with you, an if you've
any mutton, | want some. I'm power
full fond of it, says |, so please cook
plenty
''Wal, Mis- Sykes. she went to work
a-slicin' an a-fryin' o mutton, an told
her to keep at it till said stop, cause l
wanted a plenty. So she sliced an
fried till she got most half a sheep
cooked; then / told her she might stop
for awhile. She looked skeered, an
with her eyes stickin' out like knots she
says:
g 'Shorely you can't eat all that NUT
ton, much less wantin' more
s. L don't know says l, I'll see.'
oval, when it was all on the table
jest ready to set down to, draws out
my old pistol, an p'intin' it at Bob, says
to him:
g Bob. set up thar now an pitch into
that mutton
Bob see had him an he turned pale
an begun to shake, but one glance into
that old pistol barrel settled him. an
he done what / said. He eat an eat,
an eat till he'd eat enough for dozen
men: then he stops, lays down his knife
an fork, an looks up at me sort O pitt
full like, sayin:
Il can't eat no more
Yes, you kim says I. Anybody
that loves to steal sheep like you do
ought to eat a whole one. Eat on says
l. bringin the old pistol into line with
his face.
He let into it agin. an for good bit
cdt LIZ HI ITCH hC ICIS w LII,
an looks at me appealin' like, an says:
81 jist can't eat no more. I'm plumb
chuck full
oh, yes, you kim says I. You
amt half eat yit. You're awful fond o
mutton, know says 1, AN this is my
sheep an my treat an l mean for you
to have enough for once. Go into it
again. says l.
Wal, sir, 1 kept the old cuss a-eatin'
mutton till he couldn't git another bite
down him an as fast as he put in his
mouth it run out. I let him quit then,
an told him l wouldn't be hard on him,
because it was the first time; but if l
ever caught him stealth sheep from me
agin I'd make him eat whole mutton,
if 1 had to ram it down him with
pole"
did he ever repeat the offense?" the
stranger asked.
Hardly. He steals sheep from other
folks, but he never bothers about mine
any more. He knowed / meant what /
said, an you bet he don't want to eat
more mutton at the pint o pistol
Detroit Free Press