The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-01-24

old fa>!lion,d negroes. They Lad
rather match Il LADY, 5 pocActbook and
run. 1t is astonishing how many
chance, they will take to get something
for nothing, and will take the risk Of
arrest and punishment and yet haze
never heard Of one being turned out of
church for stealing.
War will make white folks steal and
Judge Doolry believed that mean
whisky would The old time lawyer
used to tell .ow he was broke Of tax
ins tpn much when he was on the
lrnch o! the Northern circuit. \
man by name Of Stcrrctt kept dirty
saloon ncar the hotel aud the Judge
patrpnizrd him every morning before
breakfast and by court time was pref
ty mellow One cold morning the
mi>chicvous lawyers borrowed half
dozen silver spoons from the landady
Of the hotel and slipped them into the
judge 5 ovcrcoat pocket. lie never
discovered them until court adjourned
iul dinner and ~aS drcadfully puzzled
anI pcrpcxc1. He recognized the
spoons, for they had his landlady's
mark and we're ancient hcirlooms in
her family. lie sent or her to come
to his room and gave them back with
abjcct apology aud said it must have
been Stcrrett's whisky that done it.
1t sobcrcd him up and made him very
serious all the afternoon Next
morning a trihing fellow was put on
trial for stealing Il package Of pocket
knives from store in town. lie was
easily convicted and the judge asked
him if he had anything to say for him
self. "Nothin' Judge said he, Son
ly that | was drinking and don't re-
member about it, The judge leaned
forward and said, "Young man, where
did you get your liquor?' CAT Stcr-
rct's,' said he, "Discharge him, MIR.
Shcrif discharge him! lam perfect
ly aware that Stcrrctts whisky will
make anybody steal
We soldiers didcnt steal much dur
ing the civil war, but sometimes we
were sorcly tempted and fell. Sone-
times we got awful tired Of salt meat
and longed for change of diet. I re-
member that when we camped near
Orange courthouse there was lovely
little shotc that took up where our
horses wcro tethcrd. It belonged to q
cross old man who lived on hill near
by and Major Aver rode up there one
evening and tried to buy it. The old
man refused in an insolcnt manner,
for he was union man and was mad
because our army had camped on his
land and was cutting his timber.
Captain Cothran was good shot with
e pistol and was proud Of his skill,
and 80 the next evening Major Aver
bet him quarter that he couldcnt
shoot that pig eye out. He took the
bet and won, and our faithful servant
Tip dressed and baked it, and we
fcastcd. The old man came prowling
around every day hunting for that pig
and it was harder to lie out Of it than
it was to steal it. But the morning
we broke camp we sent Tip up there
and paid the old woman two dollars
and quietcd our conscience. a fat
shotc was almost irresistible. One
time George Burnett and Tom Aver
killed one under similar circumstances
and sent quarter to our mess. The
old man missed his hog in due time,
and when he inquired of Burnett if
they had seen it around, Burnett
whispered to him that Captain Still
wells mess had fresh pig for dinner
yesterday but he mustent tell who
told him. ! belonged to Stillwell's
mess and the 6rst thing we knew Col.
Yciser had us summoned before him
to be tried on a charge of stealing the
old man 8 pig. 1t was kind Of mock
trial and resulted in convicting Bur-
nett and Aver, and they had to pay
for the pig. But am pleased to say
Of our Confederate soldiers that 1
never knew case Of fragrant or cruel
robbery or pilagc. nor did ever know
Of but one instance of soldier violat
ing the sacred rights Of mans fami
ly. At Ccntervillc the Louisiana
Tigers, as they we're called, committed
shameful outrage in the country
nearby and were Immediately arrested
and tried that evening and shot the
next morning at sunrise. Old Joe
Johnston beat lynch law out Of sight
when he had sure case. There are
various kinds Of stealing, but the
most aggravasing to writers for the
press is the stealing by the press.