Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1900-06-21
Carried Love Letters For
Howard Payne.

dled IN thus clty Il few days ago,
aged about 81. II was old Rob
Roy who carried notes for Mr..
Payn" to Miss Harden during his
visit to Athens back in the thirties
when he came South for the pur-
pose of making an investigation of
the condition of the Cherokee and
Creek Indians and ascertaininr
whether these wards of the nation
wished to be removed by the Gov
ernment to home beyond the Mis-
Sissippi.
Rob Roy, who was the house boy
at the Harden home, where Mr..
Payne was Il frequent visitor, made
it convenient to notify Mr.. Payne
that he held himself in readiness to
polish boots, carry notes or do any
other little service wished.
"Mr. Payne always gave me n
dollar when did any thing for
him. He sure was a nice man."
Rob Roy used to say.
When Mr.. Payne left Athens for
the Indian country, it is almost
certain that he left his heart in the
possession of Miss Mary Harden,
and, so far us has ever been known.
that lady carried it with her to her
grave when she died about eight
years ago, for if MIR. Payne ever
had any other sweetheart the fact
never became known, and when
the great author closed his eyes in
death in Tunis it is reasonable to
suppose that his last thoughts were
of the only woman he ever loved
in the far of Southland.
Mr.. Payne was only among the
Indians Il few days before he was
arrested at the instance of an Indi-
an agent named Curry, who said
that his presence among the lndi-
ans meant the stirring up of strife
between them and the white people.
Curry had no legal or moral right
to order Mr.. Paync's arrest, but he
did so, and so soon as General
Harden, father of the girl Mr.
Payne loved, learned of the out
rage, he FASTENED to the Governor
in Millrdgcvillr and secured the
necessary papers for the immediate
release of his friend, Mr.. Payne.
With Rob Roy, General Harden
immediately set out for the Indian
country, and of the trip the old
negro has often said:
Mars Edward was rs mad as Il
wet hen when he heard of the ar
rest of poor Mr. Payne, and when
Ii" went after him it wouldn't have
been healthy for anybody To have
said much, for Mars Edward had
done spent II lot of time cleaning
up his big pistols, and he was II
hornet when stirred mp. There
WASH tany steam ears IN them days
around here and we went horse
| back roads too rough over them
mountains to max" the trip in II
carriage. led fine horse fol
| Mr. PAYNE to ride back home ON.
! When We got there il didn't tax,
/ Mars Edward long to 'nuuucr his
mission among the Indians. That
man Curry what had Mr.. Pawn"
arrested hung his head and looked
like II sheep kilIingdog when MlrS
Edward told him it was an outlng,
that Mr.. Payne had been arrested
Mr.. Payne wasniHld Mars lIlwar,
was going to do something brash
and hr asked him tu be- easy, thai
Curry was ignorant, and he was
too; he didn't know aS much ~
one of Mars Edward : cornlirlr
nlggrrs; know he didn't, raus'
Mars Edward said 50.
but | tell You, | did feel ;,
sorry for poor Mr.. Payne, riding
over them rough roads. lie lookr'
50 pale and sick-likr, and pcarc,
like he didn't have n friend ol
earth; hnt he did, for Mars Edwnrt
would have gone through fire an,
birthstone for him, aud old Rol
Roy was mighty Spry IN them day :
and ! liked that young man, | did
As we come along over the noun
tains MIR, Payne hummcd that song
Home, Sweet Home, aud it wa
the first time ever heard it, but
heard it many times after that, fo
| NJ a