The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1892-07-22
Charlie and the 'Possum

Charlie and the 'Possum.
Harry Stillwell Edwards in Century.
1t was day Of great excitement
in the courtroom Of the 2O5Nh
District, G. NJ. Charlie Brood had
been arrested for larceny, the par
tlcular charge being that he had
stolen a possum and a steel trap,
the roperty of Peter Thompson
Charlie having demanded that he
be llird by jury Of his peers, the
justice, with that accommodating
spir' peculiar to some backwoodS
officers. had called in six colored
gentlemen as a jury. arraigned the
prisoner, and put the prosecutor
under oath to tell The truth, the
whols truth, and nothing but the
truth. A. Peter Thompson lald
his aged lips upon the well.worn
Bible, lie rolled The white of hls
eyes INTO prominence and let fall
an ominous glance upon The pris-
oner at the bar, who had sank
down into his char until the top of
hs shoulders was about level with
his ears.
"Jedee, | tell You how hit is,'lhe
witness began. Il drives er dray
fer MarSe Mansfel' up Ell Macon,
am works hard. | aim got no
lime ter hunt up deir; | got er
wife an family ter TEX cyah OF.
So when | come down hyah ter
my aunl's fun'al, | fetch erlong er
trap ter sol out, cause niger
'bleege Ter hab rossum some time.
An | sol bit out Ell de fur corner
Of er corn tiel' Ell DIR edge er de
swamp, by er black gum tree, ter
koich er possnm. | ain got but
fo' days down hyah, Jecg", am |
go ter dat trap ev'y mornln' bout
day, 'spectin' ter fin er possum
deir ter take home Ter my wife am
family. Las, one morrln' | 90
DER an | See po.sum signs all ober
der place. | say, Peter, bless
goodness dat sho' big bo' possum.
Den say gin, 'nuh, dat strong
possum F.! Done tote trap off, But
knowed e ain tote hit iur, an |
gin ter look erbnut. | look, an
look, an look. AM see no pos
sum nowhar! Den bimeby | See
nigger track, an bout dat time
know wha' de matter. | was she
mad. !es TEX dat trail like el
houn' dog. Jedge, eff had er
coich dat niger den would n'el
ben hyah now, am he wouldn
nulher. I'd er kill i'm right DER
"Well. sab. | run Trough dem
fieI's like er mans tracks; las
struck de railroad. | look dis way
an | look dat way, and den saw
dis hyah niger wild er bag on es
shoulder way down de railroad
Fns news he know, | was der!
say, says |, 'Mornin' Charlie, de-
SO. An he say:
"Mornln'."
{" How you dog says |.
"'l'm toler'ble,' says e. How
, you do9
SAM Iup an say, Pm toler'ble
He doan'l say no more,'an' bimeb.
| up an' come erg'ln:
"What you got ell dat bag
, Charlie 2 Den e say
"'Unc' Peter, ! so tired. Be-
way down ter de station ter q
/, my wife some Eaters. She might.
: sick, an hank'lin alter 'ta'ers, an
: our Eaters all got de dry rot Ii
e ain answer de question, Jedge, al
| gi' hit ter I'm ers'ln. Says l:
" what you got en- dat bag
q CharlieD
= Den e say, "IIil's er long wa,
Ter de station, an e( my vile ha
+ NJ ben sick she'd halter don
'thont 'laters.'
t "Jedge, o ain say 'taters en- d
: bag; des keep on talk'n rount
bout 'es sick wife an bein' tirec
Den | wan ter see how big er liza
: lie niger kin be, an l AK de ques
. ton erg'in. Bout dat ,ime, Will
g he was studyin' up er new lie, | Sc
# lie po.sum twist EN- de bag, al
Is right DER | re'ch out my ham al
J. grab dc bag from i'm, an sheck h
,e cause l was iermln' Ter see whi
en- dat bag. He ain Try ter hendt
me, an he better not, cause ef
!, had, deir d er ben er rookus rigl
- deir. Well, Jedge, shuck, an
- ~ shuk, aa' shnk, but nuthin' dra
I |, An den I say:
N "Charlie, look like dem late
"a = mus hab tools an toe.nails ter he
y ON wid.' AN shuk ere'ln.
4. Charlie" says |, des so, mel
be dem 'tatcrs got de tail wra