The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-12-03

Jcp Jones Tells IL Queer Tale About Some
Sinners by tho Sca-Tim Smiths Dory
and It's Very Remarkable History-A
Tramp Solves n Mystery.
Thar wasn't any more lyin, stealth
and bacihtin goin OH than usual in
SGuan Creek when the preacher stood
up one Sunday lnornin and said he was
gOin to hold revival meetin's in homes TO
better the town. 1t WASH t long before
he begun. but nobody cXceptin Aunt
Sally Davis attended the first five or six
mcetin's. She had bin member of the
church fur 30 vars, but to oblecee the
pastor and start things off she went
ford ON the anxious seat and told how
wicked she had bin and got converted
over ag in. She did this four nights run.
min, and then she told Jim Crucso, her
hired man, that if he didn't help things
along she'd discharge him Jim got
converted TO keep her company. and
then two or three more dropped in, and
finally the mectin 5 got good start BY
and by the pastor came down to the
wharf and begun to talk to MS, and
arlcr he had gone Joe Taylor speaks up
and says:
Eve a!lus bin as inncrcent us wear
lin baby, but I'm willin to go to the
mcctin's ana help save the rest of We. &"
JoscphuS Harmon scratched his head
for awhile and looked off over the
marsh, and then he said:
IF L was to die tonight, I'd go
straight to paradise and hcv golden
wings but thar's nuthin mean about me.
I'm willin to attend the meetin's and
see that the rest of We git far show I"
Half dozen other old shellbacks
spoke Ill the same way. and that might
about 20 of us showed upa the meetin.
Mono OF tho crowd got hit very hard
that night or the ext, but on tho
fourth night Joe Taylor begun to hitch
around OH the seat and look pale, and
purity soon he stood up and begun TO
talk. Everybody l:nowed he was an old
liar and rs stingy as grease but no one
had suspected that he was ANYTHING
wuss. 1t jest took us all by surprise
when he got up and confessed to stealth
II bushels of oysters from Solomon
Tompkins' bed and of chopin up Tim
Smiths dory and of kiln the Widder
Harpcr's big dog-owncd right to all
Of it and more, too and said he was
willin to pay all damages. That started
the gang. When Joe Taylor sot down
Jim Renfew got up and wept and said:
Pm fcclin that Pm the meanest rep
tile on the face of this airth Two pur-
tended all along to be decent man
and abide by the law, but 1 IN "a scoun-
drcl of the deepest dye. 1t was me that
burned Henry SCOTS boathouse two
Vars ago, and it was me that robbed
the postollice last var. are also the
miserable heather who chopped up Tim
Smiths dory, and I'm willing to go to
prison fur my crimes.
When Jim Renfcw sot down, Tom
Doty got up and shed tears and wabbled
his chin and said:
"Of all the low down villains in this
world of ours, I'm the wust, and
want to be tooken right from here and
sent to prison fur the remainder of nv
days. 1t was inc that hamstrung Uncle
Tarbell's mowl, it was me that stole
Joe Barber's 90 hens, it was me that
begun all the lyin i'll Squan Creek, and
| also want to own up that it was me
that chopped up Tim Smiths dory, and
I'm ready to git down on my knees and
beg his pardon and pay damages +"
That was three different men who
had confessed to chopin up that dory,
and the pastor pcared to be sorter puz.
zlcd over it. He didn't say nuthin,
however, and when Tom Doty sot down
Jason Jackson got up and humbly said
It's wonder | heven't bin struck