The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-06-28
Scattered the Crowd.

Scattered the CT0M0s
For pure cussedness and deviltry, I
think the young Texan, born raised and
living in some frontier town, takes the
cake. What he doesn't know and do in
devilment is not his fault; it is born and
bred in him, and will be there until he
dies. Last winter I happened to be in
the little town of B., out in West Texas,
and had done good days business in
my line. l Was not quite through with
one merchant when night came, and told
him I would call around after supper
and finish. He remarked that he might
not be back, but that could arrange it
with his clerk. After supper I went to
the store and found that the old man had
not returned, 30 I settled the balance of
the business with the clerk. The store
was built in the style Of those in the lit.
tie towns, having front door, half glass
and half wood, and fixed up in the cen
ter of the building was the usual stove,
wood being the fuel. 1t was extremely
cold weather, and there was q good fire
burning in the stove, aud the clerk and
I sat by it, talking. A little later on
there dropped in a couple Of brother
travellers, who happened in B.; also two
or three young men, clerks in some OF
the stores. We were all sitting around
the stove, having a good time: smoking
and talking, when there came into the
store and joined US young man, the son
Of the minister living in the town. Like
many preachers sons, while not really
bad and vicious, he was wild and reck-
less, and drank to considerable extent,
and once in a while got on a spree.
Well, he came up to the stove, stood
there, saying but little. At last'one OF
the boys looked up and said:.
"Oharley, what is the matter with you Z
Are you sick'"
I looked at him closely and saw that
he had been drinking, but was not drunk
then. I also noticed that he had q
rather large bag of something under his
arm.
"No," he said, '1'm not sick, but I.
feel very badly, every way. have been
on another spree, and am just getting
over it. It seems like-I can't quit it. I
know it is worrying my father and moth
er very much, and I feel as if it wouldbe
better for us all if I were dead"
Some of the boys tried to cheer him
up, but he was evidently in a despondent
state of mind, and we all felt sorry for
him. While we were talking he would
occasionally put bis fingers into the
mouth of the bag he had under his arm,
and taking pinch of something, drop it
on the stove, when instantly it would
fare up as gun-powder will do. Motto
ing this, one of the boys aaked him what
be had in the bag. "Guupowder," he
replied, aud holding the mouth of the
bag, which was open, towards US, We
could see the black, shining grains. At
once several of us spoke, and told him it
was very dangerous to have that amount
of powder so near the stove. By this
time he had walked around to the front
of the stove, the door of which was open,
and said in reply:
"It don't make any difference if I kill
myself; I will be better off; I feel des.
perate enough to do anything"
We all became little alarmed at this,
when he continued:
"Boys, I am curse to my family and
myself, and now is as good a time as any
to go," and with that, before any of us
could prevent him, be stopped down and
threw the bag into the stove.
Good Lord how frightened We we're.
Instantly there was scatteration. Some
fell backwards ever their chairs. One
poor fellow tainted. The remainder of
US broke for the front door. One poor
fellow who had a wooden leg, with a
knob on the end of it, got the knob fas'
tened in q crack in the floor. he had
no time to wait, but left the leg there,
jerking loose the fastenings from the
knee, aud hobbled desperately after US.
When ye reached the door, it was locked,
and no key in it. We had no time to
waste. Out We went, through the glass
into the street, and kept running. In
about couple of hundred yards we
pulled up. From some cause, no explo.
sion had occurred 80 far, which we, of
course, had expected any moment. FL
nally we all went back to the store, and
cautiously went in. There sat the
would be suicide, quietly smoking.
"Oharley, how came it that you, stove
and all did not blow up ?"
"Oh," he replied, grinning, "there vas
no chance for the stove or anything else
to blow up. That was only bag of
black sand, except very small quantity
of powder on top. You boys seems to
have left very suddenly"
Well, We we're angry enough to kill
him for the glass cuts and fright that he
had caused as, but had to let it go.-Z.
l.. ", in Detroit Free Press.
On the side of Kennesaw mountain,
I-..kr n;oa yaoro oon tho oforu