Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-05-06
VI.

With the going down of that even
ing's sun Lieut.. Newton Lambert had
finished his first day of company duty
in the sunny south, and found himself
commanding the temporary post of
Tugaloo. The responsibility now de-
volving upon him was the only thing
that enabled him to resist an almost
oyerwhellnirg = sensation of depression
and disgust. Marching at route step
back to camp, he had held brief and
llow-toned conference with Sergt. Burns
and learned something of the circum-
stances that led up to the events of the
day. "Old man Potts" said the SER
geant. was a character. He owned
place halfway over towards Quitman
and so near the county line that nobody
knew whether he rightfully belonged
to Quitman or to Chittomingo. When
he was wanted" in one he lodged to
the other. Two of his sons had been
killed during the war, and the two
younger were prominent both as citi-
zens and 'skylarkers," for there was
no mischief or frolic going on they
weren't mixed up in" Sergt. Burns
didn't believe in kukluk thereabouts,
but the colored folks and the deputy
marshals did, and so the soldiers were
kept ION the jump" Old man Potts
had "cussed" Parmelee off his place two
weeks previous, but had ridden in to
Quitman and reported himself TO
Brevet Lieut.. Col. Sweet, commanding
the two-company garrison there, and
said any. time he or his boys were
wanted" just to say so and he would
come in and account for himself dnd
them to an officer and a gentleman, but
he'd be damned if he'd allow that sneak
Parmelee on his premises. Then he
had had high words with the marshal
of the district himself. His boys had
harmed no one, he said. They were full
of fun, and perhaps of ffght-he
wouldn't own 'em If they weren't; but
they did not belong to the bul>lux-if
there were anything of he sort around
there at all-and they only fought
when interefered with. They might
have expressed contempt for Parmelee,
but that wasn't law-brcaking. The
marshal told him that very serious al
legations had been laid both AGAINST
him and his boys, as we'll as against
friends with whom they forgathcred,
and warned Kim that arrest would fol-
low if more 'outrages' occurred; and
the result was that only the irterfer-
cnce of Col Sweet prevented . shoot
ing scrape on the spot. Ever since
then Parmelee had had some one
watching the movements OF Potts and
his boys. There wes a young lady over
at Clayton's plantation to whom one
of the boys was devoted, and Parmelee's
spies reported there was to be dance
there. That's how he came to go over
TO Buccatubbee with the squad. but
they only got Harry Potts and two of
the Scroggs boys; Barton Potts wasn't
there. They were riding home to
Quitman county after the dance and
making some racket, Us young fellers
will, and Parmelee laid for en- on the
road" They were brought into the
Jail by Sergt Quinn and the squad and
there left to Parmelee and his people.
AS for the rest. the lieutenant knew as
much as the sergeant, except that ''old
man Potts" with his boy Hal suddenly
rode into camp just after Mr.. Lambert
had walked away, and the old man had
given Capt. Close a piece Of his mind,
after which he and Hal with couple
of friends rode back townwards. All
the shooting that took place was prob
ably a feu de ioie to the accompani-
ment OF triumphant yells.
1t was a fact that when old Potts
with his friends, not more than half u
dozen all told, came riding in to offer
bail for the boys, armed only with the