The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1902-06-04

WlDOW htCOSNlLED Me-
q brush for fifteen days at 81 day. I
had tramped on for about thirty miles
when a farmer who had had an old
watch stolen from his vest hanging on
q tree in a field had me arrested as the
thief. I was rushed to the nearest vii
lage, asked a few questions by JUS
Jail for ninety days. In Jail I was
searched and the $50 found on me.
This was grounds for suspicion and I
was Immediately hailed before another
justice, who tackled sixty days on to
the original sentence and beld my cash
to await a claimant. 1 took a week to
think things over and then got word to
a village lawyer, and when we had
consulted together the fun began.
"Our first move was to begin q suit
for damages against the farmer who
had charged me with theft, and we had
him badly scared within twenty-four
hours. Then we went for the consta-
bic for arresting me without warrant.
We followed this with charges against
the justice, who had refused me coun-
sci, and move No. was against the
sheriff for not supplying his prisoners
with provisions demanded by law. One
Of the turnkeys Of the Jail had slammed
me around because I had refused to
saw wood, and we gave him suit for
assault and battery. A writ Of habeas
corpus took me out Of Jail, and the ex-
citement in that county beat all the
circuses for twenty years. If the law
yer and died. we might have eventually
upset the whole state government, and
I would have been sure Of place in
dime museum for life. But his death
called q halt. After the funeral was
waited upon by q committee, and the
result was that took night train out
of town and never stopped for 200
miles. 1 took with me $3.50 in cash
and the best wishes of thriving COM
munity, and suppose those suits have
been dropped from the docket ere this.
AS I said I am no kicker, but it's we'll
to let people know that even tramp
has rights in law"
"And did you use your money to
make a new start in life?" was asked
as the story seemed to be ended.
"In a way 1 did," smiled the c. O. D.
man, but it only brought me fresh
trouble. I struck town I rather fam
cied, and bought me some clothes, en-
gagged front room at the inn and set
tied down to take few baths at the
mineral springs for my rheumatism. I
hadn't put in over three days when the
story got around that I was multi
millionaire taking quiet lay off, and
individuals and committees began to
CALL The subscriptions was asked to
put down for churches, mill dams, rail-
roads, schoolhouses, asylums and so
on footed up tens of thousands. could
have stood these off, but the band came
to serenade me every night, social par
ties were given in my honor, and q
widow with a good deal Of push to her
recognized me as her long looked for
affinity at first sight. She was firm
believer in the theory that matches are
made in heaven, and she figured it out
to a dot that the angels had killed of
her husband and brought me around
through the swamps and underbrush
that l might take his place. I never
was any good at arguing against a
widow, and so l solved the matter by
taking a skip. 1t was mysterious
disappearance on my part, and 1 heard
afterward that they dragged the river
and hunted through the swamps for
my body and that the widow put on
rubber boots and was foremost in the
search.
Il had q few dollars of the money
|cft, and l was not happy. Raw tur-
nips don't taste good to q man who is
financially able to buy roast beef and
fried chicken, and il didn't seem to be
quite the fair thing by other dilapi-
dated gentlemen. While in this state
Of mind | struck village which had
six mudholcs on its half mile Of main
street. There were wagons stuck in
three Of these holes as | logged into
town, and the others wcrc occupied by
stray hogs. l asked for the president
of the village, who was q grocer, and
when reached his store I asked:
"'How long have you lived in this
town"
49, y,n sn1