The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-13
HOW LITTLE BILL GOT OUT.
A Mountain Girl Who Said Little But
Did Some Thinking.
Frnnn the tNew York Nina

From the New York Times.
They were discussing the case of Mrs.
Straight, who carried saws with which
her husband cut the bars of the Jersey
City Jail.
Human nature is about the same in
New Jersey and South Carolina. reckon"
said a man from the South, land it's
odds on that Mrs. Straight will come out
the same way Mary Howard did,"
He was asked about Mary Howard.
MARY Howard" replied the man from
the South. was. and probably is yet, the
wife of Little Bill Howard, and Little
Bill was, apd probably is yet. a moon
sinner up in the mountains of Western
South Carolina, along the North Carolina
line.
1.-The Towards are a big clan In that
country. and probably the purest Saxon
stock there is Nobody knows their fam
lily history. They were in the mountains
on the heels of the Cherokees, and have
staid right there. They began TO make
corn whisky when they began to grow
corn, and the fact that the government
says they shan't make 1t cuts no ice with
them. They are good, lean-booded
clear-skinned people, with blue eyes, and
light hair, fine white teeth, stockily built
fuIl-chested, stolid, and afraid of nobody
Some of them can read and write and
some can't, but they are mostly religious
in their way. They are all Baptists but
they don't think 1t any sin to make or
drink whisky, and about once or twice
year they usually break loose, and go
on a general howl through the mountains.
I've thought maybe that is a trait inherl-
ted from their remote ancestors, who
used to go on mad sprees at about the
same intervals.
Little Bill Is what we call in that coun-
try runt, and got his name to distinguish
him from his first cousin, Big Bill. He Is
sturdy little fellow, and not particularly
pretty to look at. but he could hold his
own In a stillhouse fight, and do his part
at whatever was going. He was like the
rest of them-farmed some, hunted come
made whisky and hauled IL some, and he
got along as everybody else does in that
country where nobody ever has to go hum
CRY or thirsty, and there's always a cabin
TO live in and plenty of wood to burn.
"A man named Idom, who lived few
miles below the Howard settlement was
suspected Of having led revenue officers
up among the Howard stills along noun
tain streams and deep gorges In the woods
where no stranger could ever find any
thing. There was evidence that "A lot of
the Towards got together one night and
sat In conclave on Idorn's case. He was
found guilty and then the only question
was, Who was TO kill him, and how?'
I'm not saying anything now about de-
tails-may have to go back there some day.
Anyhow, one night somebody poked a gun
through crack In the wall of looms ca
bin as he sat IN front Of pine fire playing
with his baby. The baby wasn't hurt; for
that matter Idom wasn't either; at least
he didn't know he was hurt, for he was
killed so dead and so quick that he didn't
have time to be interested IN his own case
When a trial justice had held an inquest
he issued a warrant for Little Bllrs arrest
on the charge Of murder, and the sheriff
of Greenvlle county. who could go any
where, went up in the mountains and rabbi
ed his man and shut him up IN Greenville
jail.
1--WE told you Little BIZ was a runt lie
wasn't more than twenty-five years old
and had no beard 10 speak of, and what he
! had was pretty white. You remember those
| facts and you'll see where they come into
this story. Bill had been married about a
| year. His wife was a Howard, too, be-
| iieve. Anyhow, she was of one Of the allied
| tribes She wasn't more than eighteen
years old--one Of those round-faced noun
tain girls with big. steady, staring blue
| eyes, and her mouth half open oil the
| time. looking as If she didn't have an idea
| on earth except to get dinner and have
| children. A man IN that country who ien't
at the head Of family at rs is counted an
| old bachelor.
From the day Little Bill was looked up
| that girl came twenty-seven miles to
| Greenvllle every Saturday night and went
| twenty-seven miles home every Monday
morning Juggling her baby In her arms,
! She did Little Bill's work on his farm all
| the week and tramped down and back to
| spend two nights and a day with him. Most
| of the time she walked. Sometimes she