The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-10-19

even under the sooty mask Of miner; me
poor. bent. unimaginative coal digyers
found their kings face under the foul
smelling miners lamp.
BECAME A LEADER.
I Eppa Williams became a leader. NOBODY
else had 50 much influence among the min.
ers or the Great Kanawha Valley as had
the strong. handsome youth, from Mercer
County And strong and handsome ne
truly was. ceSpite his long years Of hard
ship and privations. The Taper boy hnd
developed into a veritable giant. a man
% marvellous strength. as bertS a real
king: nor was there a handsomer man in
all that part OF the great coal fields.
Toe miners were not alone in recognizing
this king. soon the operators and mine
bUssCs came TO value the keen-eyed. eagle
Ustion was that they put him In charge OF
= mine. He became 4 boss at 2 years OF
age. something morr than a year ago
Into the Stone Wall Coal Mine one DAY,
shorty after Eppa Williams had entered
upon his new duties, a young man came
20 HIM ana asked for a Job. He was about
Eppa Wiliiams's own age. and he had been
cut Of work for months He hailed from
Kanawha County. In the north. and his
Eppa Wilkins a story OF trial and hard
ship and had luck. He had been blacklisted
IN the mines in the North and was starving.
The mans story caught the new boss by
the heart. and he grssped his hand and
said; Take YOUR pick and shovel and 90
Il was a red-Ietter day for both young
men. on that day a beautifui friendship
waS born between man and man Eppa
derrTift. the coal digger, became insep1ra-
bic. They loved each other as small broth
~. at a Tother's knee. as David and iona
than loved each other.
E0pa Williams took the young stranger
10 his mothers home. and hencetorth the
little brown cottaze IN the valley became
his home. too. and EPDa Willi2ms's mother
and sisters became George Nandergrtfts
BEGINNING OF ROMANCE
THIS the tw1 young men worked and lived
together as brothers t~hrouehout the !oug
asur-n - TrNf un1 Into sha wrAmFur Of 1910
And tfen a thread % tender romance came
into the friendship whereby the bond be-
closer. They fell In love on the same day.
almost at the same hour. and the women
that they loved We're sisters.
The girls lived at Hinton. on the other side
Of The White Oak Mountains. and every
Sund-- morning found Eppa Williams and
George Nardergrift on for a day with thei-
the iva devoted friends and the two happy.
70 suuate sisters.
iIlms and George Vanderbilt each declared
his love. and each wss accepted as the be-
IroChed husband or the sirf OF his choice.
end on thar very day pans were made and
an carly date set for a double wedding.
II was a happy week that 70 loWed-a
happy week. but a long ole-tor all tirne Is
Ions 20 the young man who has a sweet
heart on the other side OF the m9unta'n-
and the newly hetrOthsd men could not find
any time for courtship between Sunday AMI
sunday But At last Easter day davned.
the bright. g,OrioCs Easter day. and the
ynung men set on. happy and bubbling ove-
With toy. There was a long. happy day
spent With zhe Alliance si-,s. AID the part
ing took place lust in time 70 catch the last
ttaln out q Hinton.
KILLED HIS CHOSEN FRIEND
Bat EpTa VILLA MSS friend had one great
fai'lnr. icdsed: perhaps only one. He oc-a-
slonaNy took a drop too much. and this
night 81 v1s many crops too much. lie be-
came violently dunk on The way back 10
Raleigh Gun iufamfd with whisky, hIs
attituie changed toward his dear friend and
hcaefaotoT. who tried to demonstrate with
h,a:.
whcn they aiizhted from the train Eppa
Williams tried to get The drunken man
houc- The latter rfbelled ami IN an insane
noucrt picked ~ 4 stone and struck tie
mar who had been more to him than n
brother. He attarAed him then with his fist
and again stoned him. Exasreratsd by The
obsiirscv OF Naudsrr~ift and sung bv this
last blow. Ezra Williams picked UP the
-arie missile and hu-'ed Il In the dlrx II the
direction from which Vandergrift had
thrown
Rut. =l1Si fugitive as TIE aim hal been.
she stone had been hurled bette than h
Fncw. move certain that re might have
trCs-ncd = even IN the most towering pas
sion. A faint cry rang out In the daTkneSs,
ard when Eppa VIII ans ran TO the fallen
nan he fr,Iad hin unconscious with a frac-
tured skull.
Tragic outcome OF a day that had dawned
50 happily. EPpa Williams ea<xied his