Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-05-29
Copyright. 1901, by Thomas P. Montfort.
CHAPTER XXI.
rryrT Z NEIaHRORIY GOSSIP.

One day HI jenkins and Jonathan
Turner rode over to Beckett's Mill to
see about selling some hogs. 1t was
one Of the days when Hrs lager
was not working on him. so he was
in an approachable humor. Naturally
in the conversation that followed the
arrival Of the two men the murder OF
Melvin and the disappearance of Sim
Banks formed the chief topic.
IL knowed from the very fust," Iur'
ner remarked, that that feller want
down yere smellin round fur no min
eral, an l knowed thar was somethin
back of him that he want keerin
bout people KNOWN. But, Lord a-mas-
sy, men. | never dreamed that he'd
gone an done sich thing as MURDER
Great snakes an caterpillers, jest think
of Ii. will you-that feller stayin thar
in my house, a-sleepin In my beds an
a-eatin at my table when he'd done
tuck a Teller critters life! My land,
If I'd "a knowed I wouldn't a had
him thar for a boss. Why, don't you
know sence he was thar it jest seems
like ever blame thing on the place is
got human blood on it-seems like It's
on the beds an the towels an the cheers
an the dishes, an pears like can taste
it in the vittles. Lord a-massy. but it's
awful!'
81 bet you'd "a been skeered of him,
too" Jason Roberts said, "if you'd "a
knowed bout him KILN that feller."
"Great possums an persimmons, l
reckon l shorely would "a been skeer-
ed. Why, Jest think-that feller mought
"a got up some night an killed ever
blame one of u.s."
IAN he never cheeped word to you
bout nothin he'd done nor nothin?
"NaEy a word. If I'd been kinder
inquisitive, like some folks, an had "a
pried into him, l mought "a found out
somethin. But, Lord. l amt no hand
to ask questions, you know, an when
a fe.ler acts like he don't want to tell
nothin jest let him alone"
"Didn't you ask him nothtn"
Scarcely a thing. When he come
up thar fust that day, sorter hung out
one or two little questions, but l see
right away he didn't want to answer
nothin. so l jest quit. Land. I amt no
hand to try to make people tell things
anyhow whether they want to or not"
There was an oppressive silence after
this. a silence during which there was
much thinking. But Turner was bliss
fully ignorant Of the trend Of thought
He did not even suspect 1t when he
saw q smile on more than one face.
"An bout that feller over to your
house, HIP Hicks remarked question.
ingly.
"He amt thar no more" Hi replied.
"Gone away"
eyes; went yistedy."
'Pd say't."
Eyes; he got sod he didn't pear to be
satisfied no more, SO yistedy he packed
up all put out"
Want satisfied with the CONNER
dation you give him" Turner asked.
"Them fellers mostly amt satisfied
with nothin."
"Oh, it want that, guess. Least
wise he never made no fuss bout his
'commerdations."
what allied him, then, you reckon"
81 dunno. I'm shore. Jest seemed to
"a got sorter restless an uneasy an
couldn't be still nowhar. When he
want asleep. he was all the time mov-
In about, either trapSin round over the
woods or else walkin back k'ards All for
ards across the yard. I've seed him
walkin out thar In the yard for hours,
dest goin to al fro. to an fro. till 1t
wore me clean out. 1t got SOS he done
it of nights jest the same. an lots of
times I've walked up way long towards
mornin an seed him at it. Then thar
was a kim Of skeered look in his
eyes, an at ever little noise he'd jump
an look round like he'd been shot.
never see nobody do like he DONE"
by grab, it was funny, want it?"
Looked that Away to me shore"
What you reckon was the matter of
him, HIP"
II amt no notion, Jake"
81 bet it was that murder done II"
Sam Morgan said. Don't you all reck.
on 1t was"
Lord, l don't see how that murder
could "a had anything to do with it. u
Hi replied. '"The murder want nothin
to him noway. an he didn't know Mel.
vim nor Sim Banks nuther. Guess he
never see nuther Of 'em less he see
Melvin that day he was lyln here O
cawpse."
HE did see him that day" Sam said
IAN he acted sorter quaire too. | was
a-watchin him when he went up to
whar the cawpse lay, an. for all he'd
been so cool out thar in the woods. the
second his eyes fell on that dead face
he turned right white an put his hand
up to his heart, then looked round
right quick, like he wondered if any
body'd seen him. Guess he must be
one Of them kind Of people that's easy
teched by anything like that"
Must be If he done that away" old
Hi replied. MY skin, 1t don't make
no difference to me to look at dead
feller, an I'd Jest as soon tech him as
not"
Lord, HI. not If he'd been killed?"
"Yes, sir, even If he'd been killed"
"By grab, ! wouldn't. They say II
you tech feller that's been murdered
that away he'll come to you three
nights hand runnin and stan by your
bed an look at you"
"Wonder If that's SO" Jim Thorr
asked.
"By grab, they say it is. shore, an