The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1895-06-20

bad enough, God knows, and / rather
lost sight of Baynham. OF course l
knew he studied law, and after
while was elected Governor, but l
didn't know much else until the other
day when | met Uncle Ike, his old
body servant, as | was telling YOU
1T seems that Of the slaves and
possessions that had once been Bayn-
hams, all were gone; he had alb
solutely nothing with which to start
his unequal fight against fate, except
his iron will and determination to
succeed. He stayed for Il few days
in the old home, gathering himself
together after the blow Diana had
given him, and then one morning he
called Uncle Ike and his wife into
the house and explained to them his
plan. He was going into the county
town to study law. The old man
protested against It, saying he would
starve, and indeed the chances looked
very hattering for it. But Judy
his wife-who had carried Billy on
her tender black breast when he was
baby, encouraged him in it. So he
went. And, by Jove!" said the
colonel, with his face alight with en-
thusiasm, that old colored man told
me the story as simply, and with no
more idea of the fine part he and his
wife played in it than a child. He
said Baynham went to the county
town and hired Q couple of poor
rooms, and put every cent he had in
books, and foraged for himself -
cooking miserable messes on rusty
CRATE.
:" He went hongry many time,
said the old man; an he would a
been hongrier oftener still ef it hadn't
been for Judy. You know she pro-
missed ole Miss she gwine to take kier
Marse Billy when he's a baby, an
she says she gwine to do it; so she
TUX an hire herself out an ev'ry
week she go in de town an take
Marse Billy basket full of snack.
You know she jess fairly scrimp her
self an me to feed him The old
fellow chuckled to himself, and then
he added: Maybe you tink Marse
Billy's done fergot dat time! May
be you tink Judy amt got silk
dress lax IL lady, an money in her
puss-but you know the Baynhams.'
"Well, of course it was foregone
conclusion that Billy would succeed.
Law clients came to him; then he
went into politics and was elected
Governor. When he received the
nomination for reelection, promi-
nent among those who opposed him
was the man who had married Diana
Worthington Appleby. He even
went so far as to take the stump
against him, and at one place, when
Tom Mason, one of Billy's ardent
friends, and he were pitted against
each other they INDUCED in some
personalities, and Appleby so far
lost his temper as to make some
| threats against Mason. | suppose
it didn't amount to anything, though
Appleby was bitterly disliked by his
neighbors; but toward morning
Toms horse strayed into the town
rderless and covered with blood, and
they found Tom in lonely part of
sequestered road-murdered-shot
in the back. Appleby had been seen
to enter that road soon after Tom
Some colored men had heard shot
fired as they went home from work.
A dozen witnesses testified to his
threat-you know how the links in a
chain of crcumstantial evidence
tighten and tighten about the vic
TINS neck; and the result was,
Appleby was tried and convicted of
the murder of Tom Mason, and SEN
fenced to be hanged.
"Appleby was cordially disliked by
his neighbors, but after the sentence
was passed and the day of execution
drawing near there was sort of re-
action in public feeling; that maud
lin sentiment" interposed the colo
mel, testify, that prompts us to try
to save the sinner from the conse-
quences OF his sin. You don't like to
have your acquaintances in the
stripes even if you don't fancy them,
and people were sorry for his wife
and children, and tho result was a
petition was gotten up, asking for
executive clemency, and Diana took
it herself to Billy. They say he read
it through, as she stood covering be-
fore him. and then looked at her
with those stern, accusing eyes OF
his. The murdered man was my
friend, he said and his blood cries
to me for vengeance. If the slayer
were my brother would give him up
to Justice Go; this is not the first
man your husband has killed. Years
ago you two murdered all that was
good in me- So he turned her from
his door.
mo other effort was made to save
him. People who knew Billy's inn
partial Justice knew how futile all
further endeavor would be, and so
the days rolled on until the execution
was only u couple of days off. Then,
suddenly, one night, one of the men
who had testified to hearing the shot
fired, and to having seen the two men
enter the woods, sent for Uncle Ike
and confessed he had had an old
|, Il