The Southern herald., 1900-03-02


by the name Of Sterrett kept . dirty
saloon near the hotel and the judge
Patronized him every morning before
breakfast. and BY court time was pref
~ mellow. One cold morning thu mis=
chievous lawyers borrowed half a dozen
silver spoons from the landlady Of the
hotel and slipped them into the judges
overcOat pocket. He never discovered
them until court adjourned for dinner
and was dreadfully puzzled and per
picked. He recognized the spoons. for
they had his landlady's mark aud were
ancient heirlooms In Ger family. He
sent for her to come to his room and
gave them back with abject apology.
and said II must have been Sterrett's
whisky that did It. Il sobered him
up and made him very serious all the
afternoon. Next morning a trifline
fellow was put on trial for stealing
package Of pocketknives from a store
in town. He was easily convicted and
the Judge asked him If be had any
thing to say for himself. "Nothin',
judge" said be. "only that / was
drinking an don't remember about
it," The Judge leaned forward aud
said: young man. where did yoa
get your liquor?" AT sterrett's," said
he. Discharge him. Mr.. sherin-dis-
charge him! am perfectly aware
that Sterrett's whisky viii make any
body steal"
We soldiers didn't steal much during
the civil war, but sometimes we were
sorely tempted and fell. Sometimes We
got awful tired of salt meat and
longed for a change Of diet. remem-
Der that when we camPed near Orange
courthouse there was a lovely little
shote that took up where our horses
were tethered. 1t belonged to a cross
old man who lived on a hill near By.
and Maj. Aver rode up there one even
ing and tried to buy 1t. The old man
refused in an insolent manner, for be
was a union man and was mad be-
cause our army had camped on his
land and was cutting his timber. Capt.
Cothran was good shot with a pia-
tol and was proud of his skin. and
so the next evening Maj. Aver bet
him a quarter that he couldn't shoot
that pigs eye out. He took the bet
and won. and our faithful servant Tip
dressed and baked it, and we feasted.
The old man came prowling around
every day hunting for that pig. and
il was harder to lie out of II than IL
was to steal il. But the morning We
broke camp we sent Tip up there and
paid the old woman two dollars and
quieted our conscience. A fat shota
was almost irresistible.
One time George Burnett and Tom
Aver killed one under similar circnm-
stances and sent a quarter to our
mess. The old man missed his hog In
due time, and when he inquired Of
Burnett IL they had seen II around
Burnett whispered TO him that Capt.
Stillwell's mess had fresh pig for din
ner yesterday, but he mustn't tell who
told him. | belonged to Stillwell's
mess, and the first thing we knew Col.
Yeser had us summoned before him
to be tried on a charge of stealing the
old mans pig. II was kind Of mock
trial and resulted in convicting Bur-
nett and Aver, and they had to pay
tor the pig. But am pleased to say
Of our confederate soldiers that /
never knew case Of fragrant or cruel
robbery or pillage, nor did | ever
know of but one instance of a soldier
violating the sacred rights of a mans
family. At Centervlle the Louisiana
Tigers. as they were called, committed
shameful outrage in the country
near by and were Immediately arrest
ed and tried that evening and shct
the next morning at sunrise. Old Joe
Johnston beat lynch law out of sight
when he had sure case.-Bill Arp, in
Atlanta Constitution.