The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-16
Three Good stories by a Missouri
Author

Author-
Judge Seymour D. Thompson. the au-
thor OF those erudite legal works. "Corpor-
alton" and Negligence is a prime story
teller. says the ST. Louis Republic. He con-
veyed party Of friends iut0 Inatchers
restaurant last evening. ana. as he noticed
the multiplied reflections OF their faces ia
the mlrr0r-llued walls. he said
How much yOu look Ike your brothers
gentlemen" Then he went on- That re-
minded me Of good old Judge Amasa Red
field OF the Vermont supreme court lie
and his brother Isaac VINO was also az
terWard on the supreme bench or YER
mont, Were as like as Two peas. People
frequently mlst0Ok one for the other, but
they managed 10 preserve their identity
with each other until Judge Arnasa was
passing out Of the dining room OF a Bur
lingtOn hotel one evening when he saw MS
brother approaching him.
Why. Isaac. ! didn't expect TO see You
here. How did this nappen2 Then the judi
cial light found out. for his head had come
into violent collision with "a mirror. Isaac
had disappeared. and in his place was
Amasa, very much ahashed. He never
could keep "A joke on himself. however, and
dry way"
''Tell us about Handsome Davis Judge.
said one OF his companions. Judge Thomp-
son protested. Il have told that story at
Never mind. Let US have it again" And
Ike the courteous gentleman he is, he
yielded.
When I was in san Francisco" he
began, "a tall good-looking old man used
10 come 10 the Office to see one of the ste
nographers in my employ. ] learned that
he was her uncle, and that he was one
of the California pioneers. He told me
one day of his experience with Judge
Lynch. I've had a grudge against my
name Davis ever since ii came near
hanging me- he began. You see, / wasn't
so Tough n looking customer in those days
a
fairies christened me Handsome Davis. -
to distinguish me from the numerous
other Dayises thereabouts, the name
stuck Wen, one day was out prospect
ing north of the city and l suddenly found
myself surrounded by twenty armed min
ers. w hats Yer nameY said the one
who seemed to be the leader. Davis"
answered They exchanged glances,
and the spokesman said: well. Davis,
Elt ready, we re going to string YOU up Tor
KILN Jack Flynn. That was a cowardly.
sneaking trick, and you've got to pay
for it, He led the way toward the near
est tree. and I followed between two of
the biggest miners. you've made mis-
take, men," l said. My names Davis.
but You have the wrong Davis. I never
heard of Jack Flynn" l protested. Maybe
not, but you shot the daylights out
OF him just the same. Come along"
They threw the rope over a limb and told
me / had two minutes in which to say
my prayers. Instead of praying. / expos
tulated. Il am from San Francisco /
said. "Oh. yes; maybe you are, and you
are wanted there bad, too. but you can't
go You've got to take the train to king
dom come Hurry up and say your pray
ers.' Just then man mounted on mule
rode up the knoll. He was tall and slim
and had a pointed hat and beard cit
was a Yankee Doodle beard" parenthet-
| ically explained the judge. Just like
that beard of Tom Carriers"
" Mr.. Yankee Doodle rode up to us, and
transferring a mOnstrOuS quid of tobacco
from one cheek to another, said mildly:
What are you goin' to do, boys?" you
just wait a minute and you'll Sc what
we're gOin' to do. This man put buck
shot into Jack Flynn, and were goin' to
swing him for it,"
Yankee Doodle looked at me reflect
| lively then remniscently. You've got
! the wrong man, fellers,' he drawled The
| Teller what plugged FLYNN is sam Davis.
and this here ones Handsome Davis
| He's from San Francisco. Eye seen him
/ there" Yankee was evidedtly an author
/ ity among the fellers. They held a little
! conference and concluded to let me off.
| Wen let you off If you treat the crowd -
was the announcement. agreed.
! Before dinner was over the Judge was
| prevailed upon to tell the story of another
! hair-breadth escape. This was in Can
| ada" he said. "and the hero, a brawny
Scotchman named McNab. who was a
| fellow-colporteur of my father, the Rev.
! Seymour Thompson, before he entered
! the ministry. The two became separated
| for some reason on the night of McNab's
/
| through a forest unarmed. He had a
| package of Bibles on one side of his sad
! die, and on the other "A string of frozen
! sausages. which were to be thawed and
| cooked for his breakfast. A highwayman
| stopped McNab's pious reflections and his
| progress at the same time. The Scotch
| man was frightened. He never denied
| that. He had a little money In his boot,
| and he leaned over to remove the boot
| and satisfy the demand of the robber. His
| hand struck against the frozen sausages.
| He bethought of these and hoped they
might propitate the gloomy neighbor and
save his money. He broke one of the
| sausages in two. and was about TO Of
| fer half to the highwaymen, when he
| found himself alone and heard the clatter
| of a horses rapidly retreating hoofs.
| Badly frightened as he was, McNab
| laughed. The robber had mistaken the
| cracking of the sausage for the cooking
| of a pistol and fed.
| 1t is too late for another" said the
| judge, rising from the table but some
| evening, between sips of sauterne, I viii
tell you how McNab killed a witch with
| silver bullets"