Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-11-18

| Mrs. Samuels turned to her ols
husband, Who, feeble in mihd aus
body, was nodding in the shade o.
rose bush, and asked
"Do you think ron could fint
the stump Of that tree, doctor ?"
"Yes. lt was mulberry tree, =
he said.
'The doctor has not been rieh,
in his aind since that very day, -
continued Mrs. Samuels. :
Jesse, at u, Joins ouantrsii.
"But the cowardIy hounds dad
not stop .at hanging =she doctor,
They caught my little Jesse--he was
only IA years old then, and sickly-
and ran him up and down the corn
rows, prodding him with their bay.
onets and threatening to kill him
il he didn't tell where his brother
Frank was."
The old woman's eyes snapped
and her mouth was drawn till the
lips were tense and bloodless, and
her great anger sounded in her
trembling voice as she recslled
this persecution of her favorite
boy.
"There wasn't q drop of cow
ards blood in the veins of my Jes-
se." she said. "How many boys
OF IA do You think would have
brased chat gang of armed towards
a. he did that day? They prod.
ded him with their sharp bayonets
till the blood ran and then they
beat his poor back till for weeks
afterward he could scarcely wear a
shirt. 1t was then that the hatred
OF Federal soldiers was put into his
heart and it never left him.
"A day or two after that Jesse
said to me: Ma, I'm going away.
"Why, where to, my son."
asked.
81 am going to join Quantrell
aud take hand in this fight"
"Jesse was small of his age and
very sickly and thin and / was
afraid to have him 90 of into the
bush with Qaantreli. i told him
he was too young and small for
that kind of rough work and be-
sides he had no money.
"Ma," he said, "strength and
money will both come with time. "
fitted him out with clothes. gave
him some money and one Of our
horses and he rode away to join
Quanirell. ! didn't hear q word
from him till about three months
af:er that, when tall young man
rode up and hitched his horse al
the gate and knocked at the door.
] didn't know him till he laughed
and then ] saw it was my Jesse and
| guess il wasn't q second till I had
him in my arms. The wild life in
the bush had agreed with him and
he was rosy checked and stout
That was the beginning of my boy'i
rowing, and from that time till thii
more than 80 years have nevel
had full nights rest"
Doubts Of eed's Geednsss.
The worn and wrinkied finger
OF her only hand went MP TO hel
throat and tremblingly fondled tn,
gold-rimmed brooch tina. she wear
always. This brooch has on on,
side an old-fashioned daguerreotyp Up,
picture Of Jesse James as he looked
when be was 22 years old, and or
the reverse q picture of Frank.
"Not one whole nights rest il
30 years, repeated Mrs Ssmuels
81 often wonder IL any other wo
man on earth has had as much sor
row and trouble as | have. Like
said to Brother Hunt the othe
day-you know he 10 the ministel
of our Baptist Church. He wa
here talking to me, and ! said
"Brother Hunt, / sometime
think there cant be q just God
/ oh! Oh = he said. you mus
not talk that way, Sister Samuels
you must not doubt the goodnes
of Cod
"'But think Of what He has al
lowed one poor woman to suffer-
said. "They hanged my man an,
ruined his mind. and DIR. Samuel
was q smart man, / can tell you
they drove my boys ont, and whel
the war was over wouldn't let then
come home like other men; the
made them outlaws. put q price ol
their heads and then hunted then
like Wild beasts; they murdered on