Evening journal., 1900-08-16


the Wall of His Outhouse-A
edy of the Civil War.
Morning, colonel"
Morning, sir, " replied the man
was leaning over the fence.
! He was a short, thickset man, 3
a clear and piercing eye, his face 81 81
smooth, with not the suggestion
wrinkle; yet his hair was as VIII
snow. He had a slight southern ad
and his hearty manner of invitin @
visitors in and his cordial hospil l
were wholly southern. One Of the
ors knew him and had told the
that there was a man with bona
skeleton in his closet and that the
ton had story. 1t did not require
persuasion to obtain glimpse Of
skeleton. The owner presently LED
way TO an outhouse. and, openin
door, displayed the skeleton of a
badly fastened together and har
to tie wall by the neck. The Nilsson
did not object TO telling the story.
THAT fellow" he said, motto
with his thumb to the skeleton,
once an acquaintance of mine, al
liked him so well ll"-this with lau
"that l have kept him by me ever s
SO that can come out and stir hii
whenever ! feel disposed, and he
the skeleton a dig in the ribs.
at was this way" he contin#
closing the door on his acquainta
During the war lived in one of
southern states, where was about
only northern man. They took nd
everything that / had as time wen
killed my stock. killed some of my
pie and finally announced that
were going to kill me. Nearly al h
: country was terrorized at that tim D
a good for nothing chap whom we
} call Jim Conner; that was not his n;
but it will do-one name is as god
another now
"WheH the war broke out, he staI
in as a sort of independent guerrilla
began a system Of looting and kiln
: | knew him well, and he sent me u
that he was coming my way and
going to burn my house and hangI
to a tree in the yard. / sent u
back that / was ready for him.
heard of him all around-men s
niggers killed, houses burned--so
the name of Jim Conner became a Il
to scare children, not to speak Of i
| was always trying to help nortl
men. and one time had two or t
J with me, passing them on as occa
, offered.
II had not heard from Conner ol
raids for some weeks. when one da
rode into the yard and swore tina
! was going to burn the house. We
( no means of protecting ourselves
d cept by using a rife. and with IL
tried to pick him off from the top st
but he had picked up one of my fri
who had been in the field. and they
= him on a horse and stood behind him
J shot at the windows of the hous
9 the same time gathering brush
0 which. they said. TO burn the hous'
! "But no one dared to approach
: house. as ! was a sure shot. ! supp
:, that they would wait until night
! then creep up and burn me out. l
I out of sight and could not believe
4 they would murder a man in cold b
d But, hearing a shout, glanced thF'
!. a bullet hole in the shutter and
i them driving my friends horse up
Y tree-a fine old tree that had pla
!; as a boy One of the limbs crossed
drive, and to this they fastened
y rope and drove the horse away, lea
. my friend dangling there, and l WI
ing the operation totally helpless, '
they were looking on.
"Some United States troops fl
N came along and drove them off an,
a the body down, and we joined in
Z chase. hunted the gang for w
e then gave it up. as it was evident
d. they had given us the slip. Afte
as war | moved to California and
st here. soon heard Of curious
nj acter who lived up in one Of the
lg yons the life Of a hermit / never
at nected his name with Conner. it
more or less common. But whe
M died one day the story was that b
MI had a bad record back in Missouri
us he had been a murderer, etc, al
on occurred to me that it might be N
H. enemy, the man had been after
at many years.
ey II can't say that have a pa
~ larly revengeful disposition. sal,
~ ~ skeleton owner, "but he had muir
air my friend, and / had never give
the hope Of finding him and was al
on the lookout. The old fellow
alone and homeless, it seems. wi
ng friends, and they had buried him |
nix side of his hut. / heard of it few
et. later and employed some men
MS me in the investigation.
me Conner had bad saber Y
iau a across the face, by which no one
" ever fail to recognize him, and
we opened the grave there wa
man. while papers which he left 81
y. that he was Conner. l had fount
~ ~ too late to turn him over to the
- So | proposed to hang him wi
could keep an eye on him for Il
r Of my life, and in my will prof.
lS leave instructions that he shall
Y hanging, dangling in the wind
x as he had hanged my friend. b