Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-02-28
CHAPTER VII.

That morning the negroes on Col.
Hasbrooke's plantation, being the first
to rise, came first into possession of
the grewsome news. Many Of them had
assembled on the steps Of the veranda
in the rear of the mansion and were
speaking Of the awful details in low
tones.
"Ef de do lay hans on 'im," opined
Ephraim, the Anticipated and disabled
carriage driver Of the colonel's father,
"Marse Ratcliff couldn't tex i'm mile
to'ds de Jail house, TO some gang er
white trash 'ud string i'm up ter q
limb"
"Now you er talkin', Eph," agreed
Melvina, the portly head cook, as she
stood in the door washing half dozen
dismembered chickens in tub Of wa
ter. "He won't STAN no mo- show dan a
stump-tail bull in fly time"
whats all this about?" The voice
came from the upper floor Of the ve-
randa, where the colonel stood in dress
ing-gown and slippers, his round, rubi-
cund face aglow from his morning
bath.
Half a dozen negroes essayed to ex-
plain, but the result was noisy con-
fusion of tones and words. The colonel
stamped his foot and swore furiously.
This left Ephraim with the floor; he
was too deaf to hear his masters COM
mand for silence. The colonel heard
the story from his lips.
I'm my swamp, eh?" he exclaimed,
when the carriage driver had finished,
"a pretty come off! The next thing We
hear all the cutthroats in Georgia will
be hiding in my corn house and gin, and
you lazy scamps will stand by and al
low It,"
With this parting shot into the black,
upturned faces, the colonel retreated
into his room to finish dressing and to
tell his guests the news. In few min
utes Hardy and Winkle came down for
their early morning promenade on the
front veranda and they were promptly
followed by the ladies.
81 hope they will chase i'm out near
u.s." observed the captain, as he helped
himself to one Of the colonePs apple
toddies, which James was passing
round in a punch-bowl. "As long as
have lived in this section I have never
been present at lynching bee"
AS he finished speaking he found
himself under the cold stare Of Mrs.
Lancaster's mild blue eyes.
81 should think, Capt. Winkie," she
remarked, "that you would have more
consideration for human life at stake
than to look upon the matter as provid.
ing you with n.w form of amuse-
ment."
This young man smiled indulgently
as be put down his glass and daintily
touched his lips and waxed mustache
with bis handkerchief.
my dear Mrs. Lancaster" he cried,
.'you ladies are such delicious bundles
of Inconsistency; you would not. in
your hearts, have these bloodthirsty
6ends run at large, but as soon as one
is about to suffer for his crime you fill
his cell with flowers. Now, this swamp
rat has killed helpless old woman and
the people are rising to see that justice
is done. He ough. 10 be hung. and that
promptly"
The colonel was listening to this col
loquy as he stirred the apples up in
the toddy with an old-fashioued silver
ladle.
"Of course" he remarked, "lynch law
is deplorable thing. 1t is fur damen-
tally wrong, because mistakes have
now and then happened; but how on
earth are you going to stop it? Why,
Mrs. Lancaster, those chaps-Syd Hart,
Thad Williams and their ilk-would
burn me out Of house and home II ut
tered a protest in this matter"
"But. papa"-Evelyn stood holding
to Mrs. Lancaster's hand, and as she
spoke her voice trembled-"but, papa,
you must do something-you really
must. The man has not been proved
guilty; he may be absolutely innocent"
"Ah, there you go!" laughed the
colonel as he touched her chin playful