The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-01-24

afternoon. Next morning tr Il nj
fellow WAS put on trial for stealing
package OF pocketkuives from u stor
In town. De was easily convicted anC
the Juuge asked HIM II he had any
thing to say for himself. Nothin,
Judge" said he, only that [ wa
drinking an don't remember ab Jut II.
The judge leaned forward and s.!d
Young man, where did you ge, your
liquor p AT Sterrett's," said he
Discharge him, Mr.. Sheritr-dis
that Sterretts whisky will make any
body steal"
We soldiers didn't steal much dur.
Ing the civil war, but sometimes we
| were sorely tempted and fell. Sons.
times we got awful tired Of salt meat
anu longed for change of diet. | re
member that when we camped near
Orange courthouse there was a lovely
little shote that took up where our
horses were tetherd. 1t belonged TO a
cross old man who lived on hlil near.
oy and MaJ)r Aver rode up there one
evening and tried to buy 1t. The old
mau refused in an nsnlent manner, for
TIC WAS union man and was mad b )
cause our army had camped ON his
iand and WAS cutting his tim Der. Cap
tain CUthran WAS a good shot with a
pistol and was proud Of his skill, and
SO the next evening Major Aver bet
him quarter that be couldn't shoot
that pigs eye out. He took the bet
anu won, AM our faithful servant It'd
dre-s and baked IL, and we feasleu.
Ihe old man came prowling around
every day hunting for that pig and il
was harder to lie out OF it than it. was
70 steal it. But the morning we broke
camp we sent Tip up there and paid
the old woman two dollars and quieted
our conscience. A fat shOte was almost
irresistible.
One time George Burnett and Tom
Aver killed one under similar circum-
stances and sent q quarter to our mess.
Ihe old man missed his hog IN d le
time, anC when he inquired of Burnett
II they had seen 1T arounu, Burnett
whispered to him that Captain Still
wells mess had fresh pig for dinner
yesterday but he musten. tell who
told him. | belonge! to Stillwell's
mess and the first thing we knew
Colonel Yeiser had us summoned BE-
lore him to be tried on u charge Of
stealing the old mans pig. IL was a
k'nd OF mock trial and resulted in con-
victing Burnett and Aver, ana they
had TO pay for the pig. Bat | am |
uieased to say Of our Confederate
soldiers that l never knew case of |
hagrant or cruel robbery or pillage, |
nor did ever know Of but one instance |
OF soldier violating the sacred rights |
OF mans family. AT Centervile the |
Louisiana Tigers, as they were called,
committed u shameful outrage in the |
country nearby and were immedia lately |
arrested and tried that evening aud |
shot the next morning at sunrise. Od |
Joe Johnston beat lynch law out OF |
sight when he had a sure case.
There are various kinds of stealing, |
but the most aggravating to writer's |
Tor tho press is the stealing by the |
press. Two friends-one in Birming |
ham and the other in Los Angeles, |
California--have receutly sent me
copies of papers published in their
towns In which the said papers have
copied from The Chicago Inter Ocean
the letter | wrote for The Constitution |
about z lzer, South Carolina MY
name is not mentioned, nor lie the let |
ter credited to The Constitution /; only |
a few immaterial changes have been
made, just enough TO make it appear
that Inc Inter Ocean sent u reporter
down there to- write up the town. |
have known petty thieves sent to the
chaingang for doing things not half 80
mean as that. BILL ARP.