Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-07-21
He Used His Wife Bad, but Could
Shoot Pretty Well.

Don't know hiram, 90 ye g!
No, sir, have never seen him."
"Uh, hub. Reckon you an him
is Of different breed, though you ia
vor right smart. Guess yer would
MT keer about claimin' kin with
Hiram, nohow, if yer knowed him."
Why so?"
"He's so pizen mean"
els he 2"
6 Bet yer pelt."
:" In what way is he mean ~
jest about eyer way, | low"
"Is he dishonest"
Wal, I dunno how you mout
look at it, but last year he had NUT
ton every day, and he sold a wagon
load O. sheep-skins, an yit he never
owned sheep in his lille. We low
ed that looked sorter suspicious"
Rather"
Wouldn't yer think it kinder
shabby in er fellow to turn his cows
in er neighbours corn field, an then
turn around and sue the neighbor
for damages on account of his COWS
gitten' foundered?'
81 think I would"
"Pears like that wouldn't be right
strictly honest, don't it,"
cit does, certainly"
Wal, old Hiram done that very
trick. But say, whar his worst mean
ness comes in is with his wife,"
Indeed ?"
Bet yer skin. You see, every
blamed bit O. land, an stock an ev-
erything else he's got, belonged to
his wife sfore he married her, an
now he won't let her have cent of
IT,"
" Pshaw."
"No, sir, an thot amt the wust
He makes her do all the work a'ifsGst
an then she has TO take in washing
o. nights to raise money to pay her
board"
"Tut, tut"
"Thet's the truth stranger. Thet 8
jest what Hiram does. 1t seems
like he carries the thing a little too
fer, don't it 2"
=" should say he does
"'Pears like if his wife tends to
the house, hoes the garden, gifts the
wood, an plows the crap she ought
to newer board free, don't it?"
Undoubtedly she should"
"Thet's the way we figgered it
out up yere, an we flowed Hiram
want doin' jest right
"He must be beastly."
Wal, I dunno bout that. But
look yere, what 'ud you think of a
Teller what whipped his wife fer
ketchin' the measles 2"
"Think he was downright brutal"
"Wal, old Hiram done that. An
then when she tuck the ager, blamed
if he didn't tie her in the crick for
two solid hours. Now it seems like
thar weren't no call for that, don't
it!n
Certainly it does"
" But tibet weren't as bad as tyin'
her out to a tree one cold winter
day TO freeze the pneumony fever
out of 'er, was it I"
Did be do that ~
Yes, stree, he did. He kept her
tied up thar fer three long hours. an
whipped her because she didn't git
well o. the fever. Pears like that
wuz carryin' things right smart
too fer, don't you think ~
Why, such treatment is awful"
"That's jest what thought, stran-
ger. A Teller what treats his wife in
SIGH manner is purity doggoned low
down mean, amt he 2"
Hes brute, and ought to be
severely punished"
sJest what we've been a sayin'
fer more'n ten years"
Then why don't you people do
something with him 2"
Wal, we've fggered on it sever
al times, but we've always put it of.
We lowed to 60 down some
night an take him out an near
~ whup the hide often him,
but we amt never done it yit. Yer
see Their tarned old cuss is so blamed
mean bout shootin' that we air a
leetle grain skeery of i'm. He's piz-
en- mean, stranger, shore, an I reck-
on he'd pop a Teller full o. lead jest
as quick as a wink if he fooled with
| him.