The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-04-26
THE EkILN CLUB.
Sad Death of Brother who was
LOOKING for Light.

| SAID: My lGeHS' iiOf " 800
from a pusson in Kentucky who axes
what thinks of the Guild man who
owns thirteen dawgs an keeps
'em in luxury and lets his wife go
widout shoes de var round. At de
fust send off a pusson might call it
brutal exhibition of de sentiment
which prevailed in de dark aiges, but
de mo yo links of it the less yo' feel
like pitchin into dat niger. Oar am
many things too be token into consld-
erashun. Mebbe dat man raises dawgs
TO sell. an as de dawg market is purity
fat list at present he am holdin on
fur raise. Dat would be only biz
ness. Mebbe dar am thieves an rob-
bers around dar, an he finds it neces-
sary to keep thirteen dawgs to protect
his family.
..Dis letter doan' say dat de wife
has made any complaints. Even II
She had we all know dat wimen are
mighty onsartin. I'ze met up wild
some of 'em who'd chop out cotton
in white kid shoes, an agin l'ze
found cases whar dey insisted on
gwine barefoot in Jinuary. Things
like this we're must be left to fam
ily. If family prefers thirteen
dawgs to sealskin sacks, diamond
earrin's an silk dresses, OATS DER
bizness. | has visited at de cabin
of a GUILD man whar dey had three
dowgs under cherry bed in de house,
and TO cats howlin' at de back doah,
an | has visited at Il cabin whar not
a cat or dowg could be found. Hap
piness 'peared to reign in one place
as much as de odder. Dis Kentucky
woman may inioy gwine barfut. 1t
may be dat she got six pa'rs of French
heel shoes in de house, but doan'
keer fur style. Until all de facts in
de case am befo' me | should not
like to Glib decided answer.
1T am also my painful dooty at
dis time to announce de death OF
Brother Rainbow Johnson on de Stait
of Tennessee. Brudder johnson
war 'lected member of dis club ober
five vars ago, an has orften met wild
us. an ailus took a vivid interest in
our proceedin's. Many of yo' will
remember him as de inventor of de
Johnson kerosene method as he
called it, an it was dat very method
which finally brung about his death.
His method, as he explained it to me
arter | had lent him fifty cents an
won his confidence, was to rise from
his bed at midnight, take his trusty
kerosene can under his arm, an I'M
L.. e ,lor n
very high an softly, purceed to de
highest grocery. In many small
towns, as yo' perhaps know, de
grocer leaves his bari of kerosene
outdoahs. When Brudder johnson
reached the bari, he was purvided
wild "A gimlet an funnel. If de
bari had been tapped, it was all
right; if it hadn't been, he used de
gimlet, and in de co Sc of a few min
its transferred two gallons of lie from
de bar'l to de can. Den he plugged
ND de hole an walked softly home
an made all de dark corners of his
ole cabin as light as day. De nay
burs used to wonder at his extrav-
agance. an de grocers used to do
some terrible kickin' agin short
measure to de merchants of Cincin-
natl.
"A few nights ago Brudder John
son riz up from his bed at de usual
hour. His kerosene can was empty
and must be filled. He left his wife
and children sound asleep an kissed
'em goodby. AS he skated sol,..J
frew the darkness he invented two
other methods-one to get his vine
gar and de odder to git his 'lasses in
de same way as he did his kerosene.
He knowed' zactly whar he was gwine
to, an in due time he got dar wild
boat feet to once. A fresh bar'l of
kerosene sot by the back doah of
Misser Stebbins' grocery, an as de
bells struck de solemn hour o. mid
night Brudder Johnson might hev bin
seen fussin wild dat bari. In fact he
was seen. Misser Stebbins had got
on to his method in some way, and
hid hisself in a nearby shed. Misser
Stcbbins had a shotgun wild him and
was wide awake. Bout the time
Brudder Johnson began to bore wild
his gimlet Misser Stebbins began
to shoot wild his shotgun, an it am
needless fur me to add dat de places
which once knowed our fellow MEM
Der now knowed him no mo-. He
was shot with a handful o birdshot,
and when Misser Stebbns got to him
his soul had winged its fight to odder
lands.
MY fren's, in de midst of life
we am in death. The torpedo
chicken an de shotgun warn us dat
we know not what Il night may bring
forth. We will set aside page in
memory of de deceased, but we won t
pass any perticklar resolushuns on
de subject. De widow OBJ our late
brudder has written to ask us fur de
sum of $25 with which to buy a
gravestun While we sympathize
with her in her great bereavement
we can't forward the money. It's
agin our constitushun. De secretary
will advise her to erect a headbo'd