The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-27
THE YANKING OF JOE VAIL.
Maybe the Victim of a Deer, Maybe
Only a PrevarfcntOr.
From the New York Sun.


"It is puzzling me like everything"
said John Gilbert, the travelling grocery
man, trying to think 1t our whether my
old friend Joe Vail is lying or whether
ne is simply the innocent victim of pecu-
liar circumstances I've been trying for
two weeks now to make up my mind, and
/ can't and it worries me like fury.
"Once a year 1 go up to spend a few
days with Joe during the season of pick
erel fishing through the ice, and this win
ter didn't get up there until late. 1 had
sent word to Joe that 1 would be there on
a certain day 1t is a siX-mile drive from
the railroad station in to Joe's place, and
Joe always meets me at the train to drive
me in. This time, though, Joe wasn't
there, but a man that works for him was
in his place After we had got started a
ways I said to Joe's man:
g Where's Joe? Why didn't he come in?
"'Why said the man, didn't you hear
about IT.
Hear about itT No. Hear about
what?
About Joe' said the man, looking at
me as If he was surprised that 1 hadn't
heard about it.
mo said L. What about Joe?'
" He's yanked' said the man.
'Yanked?' said 1. What do you mean?
d" Il mean he's yankedr replied the man,
somewhat positively. "A deer bit him. or
hooked him, or kicked him, os sumpin' or
other like that, and Joe killed it. It might
a been in the season for deer to bite or
hook or kick Joe, but 1t don't seem to been
in the season for Joe to kill the deer for
dom of it. and so they yanlSed him. That's
what l mean.
Arrested himT I asked, puzzled and
worried.
Yes replied the man. Took him up.
Yanked him. And it looks to me as if
they was gon' to sock it to him. too. Z
Isn't in Jail, is hep 1 asked.
NO said the man. Leastways not yit
But il looks to me as if they was goin' to
sock it to him, and if they sock it to him
1 don't see but what he's jist as good as in
jail
This wasn't very pleasant news to a
man who had come out for a couple OF
days sport but 1 thought l wouldn't coax
any more information from Joe's pessimis-
tic factotum. l would wait until l heard
Joe's story That might put an entirely
different face on the matter, thought.
"When we arrived at Joe's place Joe
came out to meet me. 1 saw at once that
he was respondent. After greetings, he
said
Well, spose you heerd I was yank-
ed?'
Il told Joe had neard so.
What be we comm to- said he, when
a deer kin come and chaw you and rip
YOU an jump on you, and do anything else
he durn pleases to you to make your wife
a wilder, and. If the moon or the season
don't happen to be jest right, you got to
lay there and take it without raisin' your
hand agin the deer, unless you want to
git yanked and be held for the grand jury
What be we comm top
Il tod Joe l didn't know; and asked for
particulars Of this difficulty he seemed to
have got into.
How did it happen, Joe?" I asked.
1t happened the aggravatinest kind!
said Joe. You know Bushmiler's Pond,
don't you? Well, went over there yster-
day to git some pickerel Say, joint l
never see EN- bite sol / had only had
ten lines in and them pickerel bit so fast
/ had to pull out five o. them line cause
I couldn't git around to any more quick
enough to haul out the fish. Tip-ups in
the air all the time, and keepin me on
the run for more'n an hour
The way it was goin' 1 see that If