The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-07-12
A CONFESSION,


much OF il as refers 60 such reason, and
TO certain relations between the unfortu'
nate man and me- has been eliminated,
and il can be readily seen that what Is
given here is but "A portion; portion
sufficient. however. TO tell the story of a
most remarkable crime. No one could
have been more astonished over this
thing than myself. 4 had known the
man who confessed to me for many
years. Nothing but such confession.
nationally made by himself, could have
made me believe him capable of such a
crime. With the exceptions referred 20,
here Is what he wrote me: Now, having
gone over all these matters ano given you
such directions rs are necessary, L VIII
tell you the straight truth about the
whole affair.
Eighteen months ago I came to the
piney woods To oversee the cutting anu
shipping of several million feet OF logs
from land purchased by my employer near
tho Tombigbee river. There was mar
row gauge railroad from the river TO the
timber, which passed through an almost
abandoned town called Foulcross AT this
town l located. Here was an immense
idle saw mill. The mill. town and rail-
road had been the plant of corporation.
bankrupt when / came there, and in the
hands Of n receiver From this receiver
my employer obtained the use Of the rail
road To transport his logs. There were in
Foulcross few white families, wreck
age left over from the company's disaster,
W no occupied the best houses and lived.
God only knows how, many negroes and
half breed "Cajuns" I" who wof ked for the
receiver or az hands in logging. The
agent for the receiver was man named
Hoggen, who had stock of goods in the
former company's store, and who was
nf IN
vengeance has been 'wreaked l feel.my hot
anger rise as / write of him. i do not
think God ever made meaner scoundreL
The account which i give you here OF my
surroundings, Hoggen's character and n
few incidents that urged me on is neces.
sary that you may more fully understand
the influences that impelled me, for with
the end of my life so near ut hand like
to think of more pleasant things.
1.-The man Hoggen had been timekeeper
in one of the departments For the, old COM
pany, and in those days used to do quite
"A business in discounting the wages OF the
negro hands. You know what children
these negroes ars. For VI in cash on Mon
day morning one Of them will readily sell
his claim for IS due the next Saturday.
With the smash came larger opportunities.
While the lumber business could not be
run ut a profit there were certain depart
ments the receivers still continued and
pentine distillery. These were turned over
to Hoggen as local manager. He fixed
up his store and began TO thrive. He was
from the North, and the kind OF man
that the South or any other country can
well do without. l am not influenced, rs
you know. 10y any sectional prejudices; it
was tho man in this case, not the country
be hailed from. As n cloak to his true
character, he had certain polish.
ilueut persuasive tongue and dressed bet
ter than any one in the country. Through
the railroad employees, the people who had
turpentine to distill and Others, he con-
trolled quite trade and much grist
TO Fouloross found this spider there
His supercilious contempt for the whole
country, for all the South. was Mt once
clear to me, while not apparent TO the
somewhat dense but wholesome souled and
bospitable people about Foulcross. He
was arrogant to those over whom he had
control, "a coward when any one faced
him, yet, wthal, strangely influential.
and to degree popular. l took dislike
to him from the start Little incidents of
daily happenings intensified this feeling
until the total BECAME o monstrous and
unreasoning hatred. tt
I'VE soon clashed. He attempted to as
sumo authority over some men working
for ne. which resented at once, and spoke
contempt for the country and people i
loved continually thrust itself upon ard
irritated me, yet was expressed in such
manner that its telling conveys no deal
of its sting. Once at the table OF the lit
tie hotel where we both ate he gave more
voice TO his sentiments than was usual
with him, and besought him to consider
himself type Of the section whence he
came, and myself as type of whore be
was. i then asked him wherein he was
my better, mentally, morally, physically
or socially. He easily evadec the compari-
son in cool, suave and apologetic man
ner, while l, insisting became angw ana
abusive. and the result WAS that the
sympathy OF oil who heard was with him.
A succession OF such incidents caused me
TO form a purpose OF publicly thrashing
him or killing him should the exigonces
of the situation require It, l boarded him
in his own store, called him liar, thief
and scoundrei, aching all the white that
he might say or do something that would
Afford some excuse for carrying this pur-
pose into effect ! might as well have
tried to have trouble with craven
image. He cooily answered my TRADE by
stating that he and / looked at matters
from such different standpoints that har-
monious views were impossible; that even
though l regarded him as being what l
had termed him. still he would endeavor
to stand IT, and If tho expression gave mo
any satisfaction was welcome to il.
Tbon in addition TO this hatred. for
which there was constant daily fuel thero
arose another feeling jealousy, l am
ashamed To say IL was. When these two
passions were aroused / determined TO
have his life, como what might
lin n radius Of few miles about Foul.
cross arc some good old Southern families.
There are no better people than these
anywhere. The women in particular de-
serve To the full all the courtly Difference
and the reverence which every Southern
gentleman pays to them. l was made
welcome among these hut found 20 my
disgust the creature Hogeen welcomed
also. To me, who knew what Hoggcn
thought ot his entertainers, what he con-
sidered the young ladies we visited 60 he.
and what his intentions meant, tho whole
thing became unbonrablc. / frequently
lost control Of myself when his name was
mentioned, and my seeming unreasoning
hatred was noted and occnsioned remark
Through all ho adopted norct alnut.
indifferent manner, and NO all tic country
houses he was the lifc OF the social gather
ings, the catch for tho girls, while | was
the shadow, morosc, sullen and full OF
fantastic follies. In short / became ical-
Gus because he was preferred. Then
discovered that he was Intriguing 90 have