Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-07-29

hay in the stall, an remember I jest
fell on 1t, face downward, an begun to
cry an beg the Lord to save me.
civilians had heart like childs.
He stood thar an watched an listened
to nv ravin's Of fear an regret till all
ut once he begun tytn' to pacify me.
He told me I'd come clear; that 1t was
In self defense; that he had seed it all
an would 60 on the stand an testify
In my behalf. I know now-in fact, l
knowed when heard him on the stand
that he was lyin' 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. wasn't
even Jailed. 1t was In unsettled times
Jest after the war. My folks was prom
inent, an public sympathy fer me,
young as was, was high. The hard
est thing of all to bear was the grief OF
Hambright's mother. 1t looked like 1t
nd mighty nigh kill 'er. He was her
youngest an pet Her other boys nev-
er amounted to anything an had gone
west an left 'er. Finally I come clear
in the eyes o. the world, but, as God
knows, not in my own. That crime Is
before me, wakin' or sleepin'. I often
dream that I never done 1t, an day
light gives that the lie. Seemed like
everything l went into turned out mon
ey, an prospered, though l did all I
could to alleviate suffering an help
the different churches. Mrs. Ham,
bright jest had a little farm over in the
mountains that turned out bare lfv-
in, an I sent friend to 'er to offer
her help, but she Indignantly refused
it. She'd come in town once in awhile,
but she'd never come nigh whar I was
at Then 1 heard she was tryin' to git
a pension through congress. Her hus.
band had claimed to be q Union man,
an that he was forced into the Con-
federate ranks, whar he fit an was
killed, an somebody told 'er she was
entitled to a pension. Old Trabue tuck
up the claim an writ on about 1t to
Washington, an one day he happened
to tell me that he had had a final de-
cision an that she couldn't git 1t 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 paid the SIS month. I've been
doin' it fer twenty year now, an 1t
has kept 'er from sufferin', but I'm in
mortal dread O her findin' out whar
the money comes from an sellin' her
place to repay 1t. She's still in good
health over thar in the mountains.
About once a year, generally in the
fall, she comes in town, but she shirks
meetin' me. Somehow always breathe
freer when she's gone out O. town.
The sight Of 'er fetches 1t all back
wuss than anything else. I've tried to
find out what she thinks about 1t now,
but she never mentions the subject to
soul. I've suffered the torments Of
the damned. made public confes-
sion in meetin', as we'll as I could, to
show my contrition without implicatin'
Hank Williams, but it didn't do speck
O. good. All the members swarmed
round me and patted me on the back
an said I was nigh the throne, but
Their pats Jest seemed to beat my guilt
deeper in. was afeard O. the slight
est sound at night or my shadow in
daytime an was always countin' on
bein' tuck off by disease. One mornin'
in Shawn, noticed little red spot
on my cheek an tuck 1t fer cancer.
I was shore then that the Lord intend
ed to make me die slow, loathsome
death, an all at once felt weak at the
knees an couldn't hardly stand. My
wife come an found me. I didn't tell
her about my cancer, an she thought
I was Jest sick from some'n' I'd eat,
an when the doctor come was afeard
to tell i'm about the sore place. He
left some medicine, an made out like
I tuck it, but th'owed it away. After
that I'd make point to stop an talk
to i'm every day to see eff he'd notice
my face an speak Of 1t, but be didn't.
I've started up to his Office fifty times
an backed OUT, jest beca'se I couldn't
Howsomever, one day, when 1t was
more infamed than ever, went to. his
office-as weak as sick kitten, feelin'
Jest like man goin' to the scaffold.
7 went in an set down an waited fer
i'm to git through with somebody else.
an when he turned to me said, Doc,
I want you to take look at my face.
He put on his specks an examined It;
then he laughed an said: III bet dol
lar you thought 1t was cancer. Folks
nowadays Is more anxious to raise can
GERS an they are good taters.' But
amt it? I axed i'm. No. said he, 1t
hain't nothin' O. the sort. Eff you'll
quit rubbin' II every minute in the day
an stop thinkin' about 1t, It'll 60 away
in a week I felt as light as feather
when left him, but it wasn't twenty
four hours fore had some other all
ment.
II was always lookin' fer the Lord
to show designs agin me. Fer one
thing, no children come to me n Mar
tha. an l interpreted that as meanin'
that, sence I'd put life out O. the world,
[ shouldn't fetch it in. Most married
folks worry when they hain't got some
offspring, but 1t worried me powerful.
I never seed happy child or a proud
mother an father without feelin' the
Lords rebuke. Oh, George, George,
I've led the most awful life that was
ever led by a human bein', 1t seems to
mean I kept 1t all to myself, smilin'