The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-01

Mooulit Night HOW it Grows With
the Telling.
Alice MacGowan In PitjslurE Dispatch.
recently made trip through the
widest mountain country Of Western
North Carolina. ] went alone and on
horseback My idea was TO be among
These mountain people in their remote
and little visited homes. to feel the very
mise of their obscure lives, to see them as
they are and not as they ought to be, to
make nice magazine sketches. have
read many humorous stories with the
LONG. awkward mountaineer for hero
hut i'm the months of my intimate and
friendly stay among them I must confess
I found very little ''funny material.
Gentle courtesy, quick, warm, unstinted
hospitality and n chivalry like that of the
Knights of old they have; sometimes, too,
grim sense of humor; but the life is, of
itself. mOurnful-and fierce. It is somber
as any pent and Gagged and barricaded ex-
isteuce must of necessity be. If there be
any humor, it is archaic, grim, savage. If
heard an alleged funny story it was a
taleOf bloody teeth and broken heads, a
picture of the gambols of amiable saw
ages
1t was always my custom-unlike most
writer's and seekers after literary
material, that have lnown-tO tell, when
was once upon friendly footing, the
object of my search, and to ask for help and
enlightenment. was never met with dis
trust or taciturnity; but, upon the con-
trary, every effort was made to assist me.
was taken to see strange caves and hear
their wild stories of cOunterfeiters or other
los .4a1o 1e, 4
ditions were told me, nearly all of the
same wild and gloomy cast and l found
my note book filling with tragedy
upon tragedy.
AN OFT-ToLD TALE OF TRAGEDY.
There was one story that [ met in al
most every settlement and at numberless
distant mountain cabins. When l asked
for a story the first question would be-
Have YOU ever heard of the frankie Sill
vers murder}" This has happened to me,
I really think, hundreds of times; and |
have heard the story again and again; in
the moonlight, in front of some cabin door,
looking at the black shadows OF the great
pines and the delicate lacework of the
Inns and beeches; and by many fireside,
i'm the strong and titful light of the blaz-
inc pine logs. 1t never varied materially;
it was always substantially this:
John Silvers was a finelooking, good
hearted young giant, of some 8 feet ? or 3
inches. He was mighty hunter, a skill
full Usher, a true mOuntaineer and woods
man. with an eye like a hawks, the nose
of d hound, the foot of deer or panther
for swiftness and lightness, and muscles
Of iron strength and endurance. The
only books that he could read were his
native skies and mountains. Rocks,
streams and woods, these were his com
paniOns and his home; he hadn't much
use for a house, nor for any sort of ordi-
nary work: but there was a market
however, distant and difficult to reach
for hides, venison and bear meat, and
John was always better provided with
comfort than the run of his neighbors
JOHN WAS SLOW TO WRATH.
The sentiment of the community was
that John was a good enough fellow, but
rather erratic. He had some peculiari-
ties which were hard for his associates
TO reconcile with the possession of ordi-
nary horse sense and average strength
and grit. He didn't seem to care for get
ting drunk, and he had to be fairly bud
lied or surprised into fight; though
with his strength and skill and cat-like
quickness, the Joy Of cleaning out the
whole settlement, singly or in squads,
might have been his.
Love took the young giant in his net
and led him a willing captive. He
fell hopeless victim to the charms of
If"hhle felloWs' Inc fe!ioWseS were OF
inc very worst type OF WIG ana wicked
noLhlalheels, urlhhllig, WlIe-oeatlng
IdWlSSS lou arrogant ana pfe!enIlous, Dut
WIN coplously nIoQo,Stalned record.
anu Idnhle was d ~ GNU OF hef race a
uafK' handsome oiack-DroWed piece, with
the beauty and the temper of a cata-
mount -.
John was ueSiraQle IN ever respect, be
SotS oGlng loyaDle felloW, ana FRANKIE
L'llleq nm put not before she had
treated nm 70 several outburSts OF her
VIVA murdcfous temper, winch would
nave termed a less Dnnded lover and
WHleh MADE old man SlIEers demonstrate
lonS ana earnestly WIN John upon his IN
!aJuauon' ana 10 say, when an ms entreat-
los were IN vain; she II XIII John some
Gay mat she devil. ia ez soon lay down an
steep SIDE NV hongry painteri thes' muir
u'f IN every drop NV her Dlood, en- 1t don t
take morn look TO set IL a bllln'."
A nABY CAME TO LIGHT THE HOME
Rnt Job,, ord t7rarlrio ,ro,,, r,,,,.;o1
qnd Iived IN snrt Of o>'t'a i,,,,. lTu
noaco rali-oS ~ oosiora W 10 10
Of INV, ~ 80 CO., t'A9
yrare W7bo,, 100 ~ i ut
pick up his rifle and take 10 the friendly
woods; and so things went on their du-
ulouS way There was baby girl who
was the light of Johns eyes, the JOY of his
NE and IL sometimes seemed tn him like