The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-05-16

TO take Il calf he's got over thar.
Nahl' put on my hat an went over to
Joes, but Joe's woman told me Joe
wa ht at home, but that he'd gone Off
10 look FOR n pig thatd Straycd away.
SO jest went an looked nt thc colr
mace up my mind Joe wanted too
i'"c' lor IL, then started back acrost
'he woods for home. Waal, I'd walked
i'shl smart piccea an was a-goin along
WIN my head sortcr down, a-thinkin
pout somcthin. when all at once kind.
VI S''lhced up. an right thar before me,
uot SIX feet away, laid that dead man."
hord' but bet you jumped an hol.
'ereo! some one exclaimed
nhorh gave the speaker Il look Of
mild contempt.
pct never" he replied. 81 never
noFed Il inch, nor never give a
squeak"
"Wnal, bet YOU was skcercd any
how"
NO, sir. want Skccrcd. not nary u
grain more than l am this minute"
"Did YOU tech him?" somcbo,lv ask.
cd.
NO, didn't tech him, but it want
cause was afcard to. flowed mcb.
by it mought be agin the law, an
want iiggcrin on gittin into no trouble
noway."
Ihrrr was Il short pause, after which
some one said mprcssivcly:
"Lord. jest to think OF Il fellcr walkin
up on TO Il dead man like that! MY
land, wouldn't "A done it for nothiu
on earth! | bet I'd "A been skccrcd
an l'd Il jumped IN hollcrcd, too, an |
reckon Ia most broke my neck a-gittin
away from thar. Lurd!'
"l.and of gracious" another cyclnim.
Ell, "if that had II been me in place Of
Jim Thorn. l'd IA been skccrcd plumb
out OF my skin. an I'd jest "a tore the
earth up an knocked the bark often all
The trees round thar a-yi!tin out of
,hrm woods"
II the truth had been known, the only
reason Jim Thorn didn't knock the
bark off the trees getting out Of those
woods WAS because the bark was too
tight I" b" knocked off But that was
something no one save Thorn knew,
and h" had no idea of mentioning it.
Then Jim Thorn had to go out to Sim
Banks woods and show where the
body had been found and explain in
drthi! inst how il had lain. He had
10 SHOW the exact position of the head,
the rect and the hands ana describe in
full the precise attitude Of the whole
body
After that he had to show Just how
he had made the discovery and how
he had acted and what he had done and
|, n, nj, IL a..
going through rehearsal Of his move
mcntS.
Tie placed 4 stick across the path
where Melvin had fallen to represent
the corpse Then he went little way
of and. turning. walked back slowly.
with his head down. Just as he had
been walking that morning. At Il Ger.
tain point he raised his head His eyes
fell ON tn" stick. ana he stopped short
IN his tiackS. For Il minute or so he
Eto"u th"rr looking calmly on the stick.
'hea quietly Walkru 10y il ON his way
t" the village.
MI these things the t,riu,ls crowd
drank in with open mouthrd wonder,
leaning eagerly forward and craninc
their n"ckS in order To catch the small
est ana most unimpurlant detail Of the
movements.
Ihrn, having ahSnrhrI the last par.
icl" OF information Jim Thorn POSSESS
"d. the crowd frll to Spcculatiny re.
Gar'lin@ such things ~; Thorn could not
explain. sam Morgan started il Ey
saying:
IL wonder whar the frllcr that done
IN" KILN WIS when he fired the shot"
Ih"n everybody looked around in
search Of what might he considered a
likely place. and two or three were on
the point of haaarding a reply, but it
waS Jason Roberts who spoke.
"Thar's only one place." he said
"whar the frlirr thar done the shoo,in
could a likely stood. accordin to my
way Of iiggrrin it out"
"WharS that" Somcho,iy asked.
"Hchind that big tree whar Pap
Sampson killed the six squirrels is
Seven squirrels, Jason Roberts,"
Pap quickly corrected; "Scvcn suuir-
rclS If thar was one"
1t WAS Il curiOHS fact but in the OK.
citcnrnt Of the moment no one noticed
1t. that was til" first ana the only time
that day. He. the oracle Of tie VILLAGE.
tn" first always to civ" an opinion.
lAp>cd into a silence from which MOTH
Ing say" TN" old force of habit of Oh.
p"Stn" Jason coull arouse him 1t was
strange. paSSin" strange.
"l'"hinh that ire" Whar Pap SAMPSON
Killed the squirrels" Jason rcpcatrd
lis the only place
Whar til" f"ll"r could a been"
Then he took Il stick. TO represent a
gun, and went behind the tree and
demonstrated Just how the murderer
ilAd hil there and how when Melvin
came along down the path the gun had
been thrust out and the fatal shot fired
Everybody saw and readily admitted
the wisdom of IaSon'S conclusions, and
tWo or three haStcnr1 70 assure the
others that they had formed that same
\ X@>..-]N, IA
| = f'EFH, }:RLLE.ef(t S1T