The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-26
MR.. WILKINS OF TENNESSEE.
The Reason Why He Didn't Care to Gc
over to Fugit's Grocery.

The Reason Why He Didn't Care to Go
over to Fugit's Grocery.
From the Nep York sun
A correspondent on his way to see some
curious people in the heart of the Tennessee
mountains, came at nightfall to mountain
village twenty miles away from the place
TO " hich he wished to go. He had a letter
of introduction to the chief man of this viii
lage, a person who was well acquainted
with the curious people aforesaid, and was
in possession of much information about
them.
This man, whose name was wilkins,
proved to be tall, lean person, with legs
much longer than his body, and with long
| aud sallow face. His upper lip was draped
| with struggling black mustache, and he
talked in a slow way, such as one would ex-
| poet from 30 solemn an expression. He read
the letter through carefully, and then an
nounced that he was glad to see the bearer
| of it,
Come down 20 write 'em up, hev yeg'
"Yes," said the correspondent "fhey
| are something out Of the usual" I'M
Tibet is pintedly So" said Mr.. Wilkins
Then, after pause and several thoughtful
rumi nations OF the tobacco in his mouth:
| Last summer one of you uns came up
this way. He was from Chicago, an he
went over with my brother Jim. 'Ye want
| to be keerful how We talk, says Jim. That's
all right says he. I've been among Injlns
an all sorts. / kin git along He was
from Chicago, representin' paper up that
way. So him an Jim spent a couple Of
days there The second day they went into
| Fugits grocery. The young man asked
for cigars an cigars was laid out. They
sell six for nickel up that way.
"Says a Chicago man: is these the best?
"'Yes, says Fugit, AN ptntedly good
they be-
""Pintedly rotton,' says the Chicago man.
Like all this damn country down this way,
an he fell to cursin' an DAMN of every>
thing and everybody in East Tennessee.
All this time there was man sittln' on a
box behind the stove, nursin' a gun across
his knees. He was one of them old timers
of that way, scraggly whiskers an handy
with a gun. He listened to what the Chi
cago man was dom. Then he up with his
gun an sighted.
look outr says Jim, an the Chicago
man jumped without knowin' what he was
jumpin' for. 1t was powerful good for him
that he did, for bullet came buZzin' by
and opened a tomatoe can on a shelf. The
Chicago man tux to his heels an ran down
the road about half a mile afore Jim
ketched him.
al believe that fellow would a shot me,
says he.
"'Wal,' says Jim, Il think yer pintedly
right An they come back here.
But they're all right if ye let 'em alone.
They're friendly to strangers. and amt got
no quarrel whatever with 'em unless some
one is lookin' for trouble. Them will git {
power Of it. / don't know about goin' over
there though Mr. Wilkins added. Il AIM
as popular as l was onct over that way"
The correspondent asked him how tina
was, and Mr.. Wilkins explained. But, a
the correspondent afterward found out, MIR
Wilkins was far TOO modest about his own
share in the trouble. So the story can be tolC
better without his assistance. IL seems tina
he and his brother jim were looked upon a
ABOUT the best men 10 that curious, out-of
the-way mountain settlement. They haC
been born and bred the. g, and one of then
had gone to the legislature while the othe
had Uecome deputy sheriff.
IL slch a region as that the post OF deput,
sheriff is delicate aud dangerous. When
murder is done the officers are divided be
tween the plain duty OF arresting and lock
ing up the murderer and the fear that al
attempt to do this will lead to the killing o
somebody and thence to feud. Wilkins
having been appointed to this post, set abou
executing the law as his duty required. III