The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-21
HANIP'S PROLOGUE
OF the Round-IIouse "Tragedy"-Po-
lice Court MclOdrama Waits
on Absent Mayor.

The police court yesterday after
noon was primed for a melodramatlc
matinee calculated to curl the nan :.
All the actors were on hand-DreW
Rab black giant in oVer-alls VIII
an inch-wide patch of court p idS9i'I
over his left eye, and Hamp IoWli,
send. also, black but smaller anu
with his over-alls left at home
tragedians; Col. "Loge' Harris, coun-
sci for Hamp, ponderous and smllils
ready to relieve the strain WIN
comedy; and a chorus of witnesses.
also black serious with the Seilse u
their importance to the play; the
audience, with an mixing OF the Plol'
ready to thrill with the murder scenes
or laugh at the CONVERSATIONS an
there except the mayor.
And. for want of this one man. the
curtain failed to rise. 1t reminded
one of the times when the king having
forpotten the event, the audience was
wont TO wait humbly and the actors
feared to go on with the first act
So while there was no play, 1T is
still permissible to print the prologue,
as if will be recited by Mr.. Hamp
Townsend, Heavy Tragedian:
s'We is both Seebode firemens, sab.
Down aroun' de roun' house l meets
dis here Drew Rab and 1 seq to Drew
dat some body done tole me dat he
done tor my 'oOman to, leave me.
And, wifi dat, dis here Rab done fall
on inches er mighty big man-an'
suush me to de groun' and beat me
over de haed wild er iron stick-yas he
did. sab!
"An' den he done let me up and
dat ar niger Jim Lindsay he holler
out Kill i'm, Rab! kill i'm! An, wifi
dat, Rab he done fall on me 'agin an
bar me to de groun' an ] Sorter
calumiates aroun' an he fotch me
amer lick wifi dat poker, an den he
done let me UP an he sashay round
an he say: Here, you Niger, put on
nah hat An whites l was fiecteratln
bout dat, l jest sorter speculates dat
Use gwine to make i'm pagan, VIII
dat, he done fotch me a lick dat WuZ
err regular sabinder dat done TUX nah
breff
"An', den, when / gifts up, | jest
sorter watch nah chanst an / grabs
dat ar poker an / fotches i'm er lick
on de haed an he done fall down wifi
his mout' in de cinders an | jest
whale i'm one mo time an den l cuts
out so fas a steam engine can't kotch
me-kase dis niger wuz shore
skeered-yas sah!"
All this was on Wednesday last.
Yesterday Hamp and Rab eyed each
other with a certain distant sheepish-
ness that has in it no trace of anger.
"Why don't you and Rab make
up?" l enquired of Hamp.
Hamp grinned sadly:
"Dey won't let us make UP, boss!
he replied regretfully.
And that is a sad truism: before
the law of the police court they are
enemies till they pay.
The curtain is due to rise this morn
ing at ten o'clock above the Market
House.
The Daily Grind.
Calls Francis and Jesse Harvey
aged respectively six and eleven years,
were arrested for stealing brass from
the Jones tobacco warehouse, a part
of their plumber being the brass
weights to a pair of scales.
The parents were summoned before
the mayor and elected to give their
children a sound whipping in prefer
ence to having them sent on to court
to answer a charge of larceny, which
was done in the station house while
the air rang with the sound of juven
lie lamentation.
Two other cases were disposed of
as follows:
Sylvia Leach, colored, disorderly
conduct, fine of $5.25.
Jim Tilley, on a like charge, was
acquitted.