The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-11
The Story Of His Life IL a. big
Swamp of Bladeu.
HOW HE MET a sTR4 GER
A PARTY of Squirrel Hunters
Surprised by Hin
HE LISTENED TO EVERY -AF
One of the Squirrel Hunters T-s of
the Meeting, and of the Gfe.8
Smile Behind Stern arG
Hunted ErOMn.
Hunted Frown.
Willardwlle, N. c., Oct. 6, 1896.

Willardwlle, n c., Oct. 6, 1896.
The. account of the death of Barnum
Jones, the noted blockader of Bladen
and Columbus counties, which was
given in Sundays issue Of the News
and Observer, reminds me of a little
Incident that happened sevcra. years
ago, and as it may throw some light
on the character of this strange man,
I will relate it, hoping it may be of in
terest to some of your readers.
1t was the writer's fortune % ue in
Bladen county during The winter Of 'q2
and before / had been there long I
heard a great deal of Barnum jones,
and had a great desire to meet him
for such characters are always instruc-
| tive and interesting,
Wen, soon the meeting came, buc IN
way / was unprepared for and such
an introduction / do not care for
again.
With party of young men We were
after the squirrels in the Big swamp
living between Robeson and Bladen
counties, and towards evening were re-
turning home after a good days sport.
1t was growing dark, the path was
narrow and the boughs interlaced Just
above the heada dreary place and
dreary time.
With my companions some little dis
lance behind, / was walking briskly
along, thinking of nothing unless it
be of squirrel stew of the next morning
when suddenly there doomed up be-
fore me, not ten steps away giant
form, and / found myself gazing down
the barrel of a Winchester at ready
and listening ito the deep, mellow voice
of mana voice without anger or
passion, without a tremOr or break
a voice in ordinary conversation:
Drop that gun!'' The change from
The thoughts of the squirrel hash OF
the morrow to that of mine at the mo-
ment was instantaneous --
of feeling famed over me and to that
revulSion alone / ascribe a momentaTy
weakness about the knees, creeping
sensation along the back and general
uprising of the hair.
Whenever one asks reasonable
favor of another in a pleasant manner,
it would be foolish to refuse. At any
rate, with some slight show of haste,
perhaps, my gun was grounded. Now
get!" Another reasonable request,
and l am afraid / was beginning to-
grant it when up came my companions
and at the first glance they took in THE
situation. One of them called out:
Drop your gun, Uncle BaInum, faint
nobody burt the school teacher" and
then the gun went down and IN the
place of THE stern, determined
creature Of moment before facing
me, / saw a handsome, LAUGHING,
pleasant-mannered man.
Stretching out his enormous hand
he took mine cordially and asking
thousand pardons for the mistake, end
ed by saying, 81 mistook you for one
of the boys after me and if yoa had
not done exactly as / told YOU well,
you would not be talking to me now"
We remained talking with him for
nearly an hour, until long after dark
| and / do not know that I have ever en-
| loved an hours talk with a perfect
! stranger so much. 7 found him we'll
educated, with a good knowledge of
| society, knowing and capable
of discussing sensibly the
questions of the day and although
! spending the greater part of his time
hiding in the swamps, instead of being
| sullsn and morOSe, his nature was di-
rectly the opposite During our con-
versation he told me many incidents of
| his life-of how he escaped from the
train carrying him to Wilmington,
then of his running to Negroes house
and being padded by him several miles
down stream and finally of the filing of
the handouts on him, which made
| him a free man-yet an outlaw. II
am very moderate in my drinking
now-a temperate man in fact-I have
no especial taste for whiskey and
! do not drink it except when / need it,"
! And yet, he told me he never or SER
dom slept in a bed. In all his talk /
/ found a quiet, sensible man, reason
able upon all subjects save one. ''Mr.
/ A. he said to me, they hound
| ing me down; several times 1 could
/ have killed the boys that were after
me, but / won't do it, If | can ever
avoid or escape them [ will do it, for
/ don't want any mans blood upon
me, but if they ever close in on me,
| then I will kill the last one-at least
[ will not be captured alive" These
were his exact words. / remember
! them as if they had been spoken yes
terday. This was his only weak point
-hand-cuffs should never be put on
his wrists again. Upon parting he
shook my hand warmly and again Of
fered amends for his error at our in
PRODUCTION and as kind of peace offer
| ing, finding that I had eaten nothing
since early breakfast, took some cold
| potatoes from his pocket and forced
me to accept them. I could not do
otherwise, although I knew he would
in all probability, have to fast until
the next day himself. All the while