The age-herald., 1899-08-31
IN HOTEL LOBBIES ! AND ELSEWHERE

'T have 1t on good authority" said the lobby politician" that Governor Johnston twill not take any part in the gubernatorial race which is exciting so much comment | just ad present. understand that It Is the | governors intention not to support any one man for the nomination, but to make friends as far as possible with all the can- didates. His time Is being devoted to the machine which he hopes will carry him to tq1e senate. Members of the county execu- tive committees have already begun to en- l dorse him. The governor is a shrewd poll tieian and I believe what hear about his intention to keep hands off in the guber- natorial race.''
 prominent planter from southwest, Georgia was registered at the Florence yesterday and he sat in the lobby telling a Birmingham friend sometndng of that section of the country.
 One mile out from the little town in which live" he said. "there Is a, small two-roomed negro hut, and thereby hangs a tale. The hut Is built within five feet of the big road, and the one-mile post stands exactly half way between the two rooms. This, of course, throws one room of the little shanty in the town and the other in the country, giving the owner splendid chance to avoid paying his taxes He does it, too. When the city tax collect or comes for his dues. the negro moves bis effects consisting of trunk, a chair, 0 small table and broken mirror, into the room situated outside the city limits. Then the city man goes home disappointed, and notifies the country overseer of roads that the negro has moved into the country, and Is liable to road duty.
 "The overseer immediately pays a visit to the queer little house, but the inmate sees him coming, and hurriedly transfers his personal belongings into the city room, and the overseer, like the city col lector, returns ddsgruntled. That old ne- gro has not paid cent of taxes for ten years"
 By the way, you should see Georgia negroes eat watermelons. Any one of my field hands had rather go without good. square meal than to miss his watermelon. when they are in season. I have seen some of the negro men eat as many as eight melons in day. and they didn't in- jure them in the least either. One of them was telling me tine other day of son of his who was seriously ill and had asked repeatedly for melon. The physician who was attending him peremptorily forbid anything of the kind and warned the father that if I did give him any melon he would not be responsible for the con- sequences.
 "But boss" said the old negro, 'T jes naturally coulden' her dat pore boy lay dar an beg so pIteous like. I stood it fer while an den I cut him out a 'mense slice CT a melon an gin it ter him. You sho oughter see dat sick nigger eat l us sorry gin it ter him soon as done it, but know'd 1t couldn't be helped den and I jes' waited fer de consequences an trem- bled. Well, sir, dat boy gin ter git better an better an it want CT week afore he 'us up an adoin aroun'. Since dat time ben CT givin' sick folks aroun my house melon whenever dey calls fer it.
 +This same old negro belonged to my mother in slavery time,' continued the planter "and on one occasion, when sev- oral chickens were stolen from the coop, he was suspected of the crime. There was, however, no clue as to the culprit' and, though my mother was anxious to make an example of this case, it looked as if he would go unpunisfled. Finally she hit upon what proved to be a splendid 'si- lent detective.' Knowing the inherent superstition of the race, she adopted the following means:
 Procuring common washpot, Shc caused it to be set fiat upon the ground, bottom side upwards. Under the pot was a rooster Then the negroes were assem- bled in line and the overseer of the farm gave them a talk. He said they must march past the pot one at a time, and each one must lay his hand lightly upon it. When the guilty one did this, the rooster would indicate 1t by giving a loud crow.
 ''They did as ordered and all went we'll until it came the turn of the suspected negro. He absolutely refused to budge an inch and made all manner of excuses, saying that he was faint. had a terrible headache, was badly afflicted with rheu- matism in fact, about every i'll that man is supposed to fall heir to- He finally burst out in loud, plaintive vail. No more was said. Everyone knew that the right man had been found and the next day he made a full confession"
 THE PILGRIMAGE OF wILLETT From the Springfield Republican.
 While the southern politician known fa-