Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-07-15
HE'S ELOPEMENT.


"Hez hev fotch home Pegg1e, and
air alvin with her at the Fork. i
.hink he is gittin kured of his bash
fulness."
These lines, crudely written ant
with words misspelled. are the seque
TO little drama from real life which
fell under II y immediate observation,
snd with this preface / will relate IT
here.
Several months ago there was a
curious pair of moonshiners confined
in the Atlanta Jail, serving out sen
tence. In my daily visits to the jail
used to srend a great deal of time
watching them. They were not or
binary moonshiners, in actions at
least. The other moonshiners refer
red to them as "Hezekiah Sniggletree
and his pap" and that's who | found
them to be later on.
This odd couple did not mingle
With the crowd of prisoners who
were continually gossiping away the
hours. They always sat apart, talk
ing together and apparently enjoy
ing each others companionshlp
q1eatly. The elder of the two men
was a heavy fellow of about fifty
years-a typical mountaineer, with
lowing red beard and hair Of q dark
or shade The other was some thirty
years his junior, but he had the same
features and the same build The
only difference between them was
that one was younger and his face
was free from the heavy beard which
covered the face of the other.
Day by day watched this strange
ly assorted pair with interest. One
day the older one, who had noticed
me watching them, beckoned mo to
come over to where the two we're
sitting alone. Iwent over.
Don't you write fer the papersf'
he asked, with a merry twinkle in
his eye.
"A little" I replied.
Well" said he, the twinkle be-
coming more pronounced and com
municating itself to his features, II
want yer ter write up Hoz."
"What about Hezl" / asked.
He jerked his thumb over his shoul-
der in the direction of his juvenile
companion
"Do yer see that boy1" he asked.
| saw the boy. "Well, he continued,
that's the bashfulest cuss i'll crea-
shunr He brought his open palm
down on his big fat leg to give en-
phasis to the assertion.
Hez shuff1ed about uneasily, his
face was red as a beet, and he seemed
to be hunting a place to repose his
big, awkward hands. He uttered no
protest to his fathers statement.
"Hez," his father went on, speak
ing to the sadly discounted youth,
I'm agoin to tell"
The boys embarrassment in
creased.
mo, don't pap" he pleaded feebly.
II am," the senior Sniggletree con
tinued, with firmness. I'm a-gwine
ter spout the hull bizness ter this
feller, and he'll put you in ther pa
pers. And he chuckled gleefully al
the prospect of getting Hez into the
papers. Hez only groaned.
'Go ahead" / urged, land let's
have it."
Sniggletree senior, by way of an
swer, dived into his capacious pocket
and drew forth big plug of tobacco
and after biting off several ounces
and expectorating several times very
copiously, he told me his story, OF
rather the story of Hez.
To tell it in his language would
require too much space, and then
cannot do justice to his peculiar
style of expressing things. give il
in my own.
Hamp Sniggletree was a moon
sinner by profession, and from his
earliest boyhood he had trained his
only son, Hez, to lead a moonshiner's
life. Hez was an apt pupil, and, as
the senior Mr. Sniggletree expressed
it, with pride, was as spl'y as Q
cricket round the still The only
trouble with Hez was his bashful
ness. He had reputation for bash
fulness all over the section where ht
lived. He was called "Bashful Hez'
among his intimate friends. AS He1
grew into manhood this failing be
came more pronounced, but it die
not interfere with his work.
In the distillery business Mr.. Snig
gletree had n partner who shared il
the expenses, the labors and the
profits of the establishment. This
partner was Ruff Baskins, and he
with his two stalwart sons aided
Hamp and Mr.. Sniggletree in the
management of the distillery.
Their little distillery was located in
a picturesque ravine, which would
have delighted an artist. In thin
beautiful and secluded spot no rev
enue officer ever set foot, and foi
years the Sniggletrees and BaslSins
made mountain dew without ever
being discovered. They stored away
the results of their labors and smiled
In cool defiance at the internal rev,
enue laws.
Now they might have gone ON fol
a quarter of century in this way,
and their Golfers might have swelled
with richness, but for one thing that
came to pass. And but for that
thing this story would never have
been written
Peggie BaslSins was the prettiest