The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-10
JUDGE AND PRISONER.

tumble-d down building not far away.
On the bench sat an old fellow with {
red jaw and droll eye. He nodded tt
us as we entered and broke in upon the
hearing of an indictment to say: "Sit
down and make yourself comfortable
And then turning to the clerk he asked
whats this man charged With?'
The prisoner was an old negro, of 6
type now almost gone-fatherly, digni.
fed and yet gravely comical. In cane
brake he would have fought a bear, but
here, under the droll eye of the judge
he was tremulous and shrinking.
"Well," said the judge.
The clerk read the indictment. The
old man was charged with stealing a
Bible.
| whats your name?'
| "Abra ham Maffet sab"
81 mean your real name"
Oats de only name l eber had, sab,
an eff it amt real I KANT hep it,"
"All right. You are charged with
stealing Bible"
Yes, sab, OATS whut yere de gen.
erman say
Are you guilty or not guilty?"
"Who, me?'
whom [ talking tor"
"Talkin' ter me, it pear like"
"Then [ ask you If you are guilty or
not guilty?"
Den l has ter say, sab, dat / amt :"
"Please step this way" said the
judge, addressing respectable looking
citizen. The man stepped forward and
cd hat bA ynraxyp1lc inc
ae he was about to close his book store,
the defendant, who had loitered in the
place, slipped Bible under his coat
and was making off with it when he
was caught.
us this true?" the judge asked,
speaking to the prisoner.
de generman, sab, no doubt thinks
it's true"
"Are you the man arrested in his
store?"
"Da put dar hans on me an tuck me
outen dar, sah.'
Then, what do you mean by saying
that he thinks it is true?"
II mean dat he thinks I must be
thief"
But you hold a contrary opinion, al
though confessing that you are the
man
what de generman thinks will steal,
sah Now, let me tell you suthin', an /
hopes an trust dat you will bar wild me.
NY ole marster was the ligistis man dat
eber crossed dis riber Many err time at
- o'clock in de night he'd come an
wake us up ter pray. He read de Bible
ter us cherry mornin' an he larned us
how ter read 1t. An de las word dat
ligis ole generman said ter me, wuz,
Simon, no matter whut happens ter
you or how po' you gits, allus heb er
Bible Doas be widout one, an ef you
amt got de money Ter buy one, take de
vantage of de circumstances whut de
Lord will SLOWLY spread befo' you
OATS whut ole marster said ter me.
That's all very well, but l think I'll
have to bind you over for you stole the
Bible"
But, iedge, befo' you do yo' bindn'
I wush you'd jest lis'n ter me fer a
mint l toe you whut de old gener-
man ead ter me, dat / mus neber be
wdout er Bible, an dat eff didn't hab
ernuff ter buy one de Lawd
houlI SplSeiNi out wv sea- NdiiA"NLAtNNS Ati
me, Sam, ! want you -"
What did she call your"
"She er-she er-she called me Sam
Her fust husbau' wuz named Sam, an
she neber could quite git him outen her
head | says ter her one day, | says
Look yere, lady, doan' call me Sam,
but she KEEP right on. Well, sab, when
she was a dyin,' she says ter me: II
want you ter take dat ole Bible dat we
has read tergeder so many times an
bury it wild me, right on my breas'.'
An had ter do it, but 1t lef' me widout |
a Bible. An now"
"Wait a moment. You and your wife |
had read the Bible together?"
Yes, sab, many time,
Here see If you can read any in this
book" The judge opened Bible and !
handed it to him. He looked at it a
moment and said:
"Suthin' er bout Jonah, right here,
amt it?"
mo, it's about Samuel" said the
Judge,
Looks like Jonah ter me-
But read some of it,"
II KANT read by myself 1t allus
-uck me an my wife tergeder ter read
Neder one o. us could read by our
selves"
Didn't you say that your master
aught you to read?"
"Me?"
Eyes, you"
Eyes, sab, he did But had-I had
'eber afterward and couldn't read no mo-
IN neber did Farm how ergin, 'cept jest
laf, wild my wife. Wall femme git ter
vhut l wuz gwine git at:
"Atter l buried be Bible | foun' dat
had to hab one, but ! wuz mighty po,.
Gut de good book dun say dat de Cos
,ul mus be widout money an widout
lie price. l didn't hab de price. Whose
ault wuz it dat | wuz POI? 1t wasn't
nine fur l would er been rich eff had
ny way,
"Wall, cutin' de matter short, | went
" accident inter dis mans sto'. Suth-
n 'peared to be err leadn' me in dar:
somehow couldn't hold back. An
While I wuz er standin' dar I seed de
bible. 1t want er temptation; I doan'
now whit it wuz Temptation! Why.
admit l been standin' down at de groc-
ry sto whar dar Wuz er whole pile O.
hickens an ducks? An couldn't I err
rabbed one? Vas, sab, but didn't. T
ouldn't be tempted. But when | seed