The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-11-04
A TRYING SHAVE.
Harassing Experience OF Drummer Who
Had Helped Lynch q Negro.

Harassing> Experience of Drummer Who
Had Helped Lynch Negro.
Here is the story the travelling
man told Conductor Quiggle on the
cars while travelling between Har-
risburg and Williamsport Said the
travelling man: Il was down south
en- business trip some months ago
and did pretty fair business for
that section. One evening I got
into town where / expected to do
some trading, and after having sup
per I sat on the hotel veranda smok-
ing when I noticed a crowd coming
down the street and there was con-
siderable excitement apparent. AS
the crowd drew near saw it was a
lynching party. About 100 men had
a rope and they were hurrying along
colored man who had been caught
red handed in some crime for which
lynching is the penalty in that sec
ton. It was wild, crazy mob that
had the man, and I'll never tell you
what impelled me, but I Jumped up
and went along, catching hold Of
the rope as ran. A mile below the
town the end of the rope was thrown
over the limb of tree and the col
ored man was strung up and the end
of the rope fastened. Then those
who had revolvers took turns at fir
ing shots into the dangling corpse.
1.-THE next morning after had
breakfast went out for walk and
passed barber shop. I needed
shave and I went in and took q seat
in the char. The barber was col
ored man, and I recall now that he
lookedlat me in a peculiar way as I
entered the shop, but it did not i'm
press me at the time. He lathered
me In a slow, deliberate way and
then he got out his razors, stropped
one Of them carefully and prepared
to shave me. AS he drew the razor
down over my right cheek he re-
marked, You is stranger in dish
yere town, isn't you, suh9' Yes,
I said, I came last night I saw
you last night he remarked.
Where was IT. I asked. You had
hold of the rope when you passed
dish place.
my heart sank down to my shoes
and Igave myself upto silent prayer.
This man had me at his mercy.
He could have cut my throat with
one swish of his razor, and he knew
it and ! kneY it. 7 saw you again,
ae said. 'W-w-where2' I asked.
Down at de hangin. You had hold
of de rope down dere too. Yves,
I gasped. I thought sure my time
had come, and that he was just
playing with me as cat plays with
a mouse, and that he was secretly
enjoying my terror previous to CIV
ing me final stroke. But he calmly
went on shaving me, and as he
rounded up the stubble on the chin
he remarked; You is from de moth,
sub, where dc colo'ed man has his
rights, sub. You ought to know
bettah dan to hang pore colo'ed
man down in dish yere part of the
country where he don git no trial.
land that ended the conversation.
I never wanted to run SO badly in
my life, but I was powerless, and !
was weak as baby until he got
through. When he had used his
whisk on me, I gave him quarter
and told him to keep the change and
left the shop. Say, if you ever hear
Of me mixing into a lynching bee
again you want to have me placed in
an asylum. That taught me les
son. How did I know that the man
shaving me was not a relative of the
man that was lynched? It might
have been his brother and he would
not have dared to open his mouth.
That time I hunted trouble and
found barrels of it. "-Harrisburg
Telegram.