The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-09-28

4 \ II J ! !; !; y "a
"I-hillcd a feller Jest at the close o. the
aUar."
about FIVE year ago. I'd been maxim
a sort Of pet of little, yaller haired
child stoppin' at the Johnston house
with her ma fer the summer, an one
day, settin' up thar in the Office, tuck
'er on my knee She sorter squirmed
off, an when I asked 'er what was the
matter she said she'd heard I'd killed
q man. It set me back so that didn't
detain 'er, an she looked scared ever
time passed whar she was at. Huh.
Talk about trouble, George, yore'n
hain't a circumstance. 1 had jest got
married, an everything looked bright.
1T was at an election. The feller
was a friend O mine, but few years
younger We was on opposite sides
an had sharp words. The lie was
passed, a. then we come together
Some O tic crowd parted us, but was
q ragin' demon. was a drinkin man
then-that is I took dram occasion
ally-an' 1 got full an went lone fer
q revolver. Then set out to find i'm.
1t was about 10 o'clock at night when
I run acrost i'm at livery stable, a
old shack at t'other end O the town.
He was in the back end with Hank
Williams. the man that run it, an
heard i'm tcllin' Hank good night al,
seed i'm a-conin' didn't know what
I was a-doin'-as God is my judge,
didn't. I hated i'm with the hate Of
hell, an I wanted-I wanted i'm out.
Of the way. I drawed as he come
nigh, an l think I cussed i'm. re-
member he was again right at me
scared-scared mighty nigh out O. his
senses He raised his hans sorter,
like a body will to ward of anything,
but the revolver was aimed right, an
cooked an easy on trigger, an it went
off,"
Hillyer paused. Eis hands were fold
ed one in the other, and both were
ouivering. George Buckley was star
ing at him with bewildered fxity, his
long, slender hand stayed in his heavy
hair.
I'm sorter scared at the sound O my
own voice. said Hillyer. Its like
somebody else was a-tellin' about 1t.
I hain't even whispered 1t to myself.
An in all my prayers in regard to it 1
never have spoke his name ur the name
O. the crime I always said, You know
what I mean, Lord Show me how to
unload it, Welr'-Hillyer swallowed
"he fell dead in his tracks. l was
sober in a second heard Williams
a-comin', an when he seed me an the
smokin' pistol an my deed he give q
little cry an started to break an run,
but I th'owed the revolver down an
called to i'm an begged i'm not to
leave. Then I stood in boss stall
while he went an eXamined-the body.
I couldn't fetch it. Then he come back
to me an told me Lynn Hambrlgnt
was a corpse Thar was pile O. dirty
hay in the stall, an I remember jest
fell on it, face downward, an begun to
cry an beg the Lord to save me.
civilians had heart like q childs.
He stood thar an watched an listened
to my ravins Of fear an regret till all
at once lie begun tryin' to pacify me-,
He told me I'd come clear; that it was
in self defense; that he had seed it all
an would so on the stand an testify
in my behalf. know noW'-in fact, l
knowed when heard him on the stand
that he was lyiE TO save my neck,
but wanted to escape the penalty an
couldn't "a stopped i'm. The fear o
meetIn' my God was awful. l wasn't
even Jailed. 1t was in unsettled times
Jest after the war. Ny folks was prom
inent, an public sympathy fer me,
young as vas, was high. The hard
est thing Of all to bear WAS the grief OF
Hambright's mother. Ii looked like 1t
nd mighty nigh kill 'er. He was her
youngest an pet. Her other boys new
er amounted to anything an had gone
west an LETT CT. Finally come clear
in the eyes G. the world. but, us God
knows, no! IN my own. That crime IS
before me, wakin' or slccpin'- often
dream that / never done it, an day
light gives that. the lie. Seemed like
everything went into turned out mon
ey, an l prospereG, though l did all l
could to alleviate suffering an help
the different churches. Mrs. Ham,
bright Jest had little farm over in the
mountains that turned out a bare llv-
in. an I sent L friend to er to offer
her help, but she Indignantly refused
it. Shed come in town once in awhile,
but she'd never come nigh Whar was
at Then heard she was tryin' to git
a pension through congress. Her hus-
band had claimed to be a Union man,
an that ne was forced into the Con-
federate ranks, whar he fit an was
killed, an somebody told 'er she was
entitled to i pension. Old Trabue tuck
up the claim an writ on about it to
Washington. an one day he happened
to tell me that he had had 4 final de-
cision an that she couldn't git it an
that he hated to have to tell 'er the
outcome. Then I got him to pretend
to her that the pension was allowed,
an I paid the $l5 Il month. I've been
doin' it fer twenty year now, an it
has kept CT from suffcrin'. but I'm in
mortal dread G. hcl. tim;!in' out whar
the money comes from IN scllin' her
place to repay it. Shes still in good
health over thar in the mountains.
About once Il yc:ir, generally i'll the
fall, sic comes il town, but she shirks
meetin' NE. Somehow always breathe
freer when she's gone out O town.
The sight Of or fetcheS it ali back
wuss than anything else. I've tried to
find out what she thinks about it now,
but she never mentions the subject to
a soul. I've suffered the torments of
the damned made q public confes-
ST 80, tr' .,-o11 Gould