The Adair County news., 1907-03-27
EARLY HISTORY OF MELVIN WELT


CHAPTER Ii.
Melvin lived in the vicinity Of Tabor.
Tabor is were ne got the most of his
education. He attended the public
schools there until he was about SIX
teen years old. He had a rather re-
markable mind, he was a good spelleT,
could write a very legible hand, he took
part in all the games common IN his
day, he stood up IN class and spelled
twice every day, but On account of the
goodness OF his heart, would never turn
the little boys down, as a consequence
he maintained his position at the foot
of his class. He said the little boys
hated to be foot, and as he did not
mind 1t, ne never did allow little boy
to be foot. He reasoned in this way,
that if everybody in the class spelled
every word, some body would have to
stand foot, and the little boys could not
spell every word, why should they be
punished by having to stand at the bot
tom, he would not allow it.
Nothing Of very serious nature oc-
CURED until one Hooker was employed
to teach. Hooker was not the same
Hooker that "ft'' above the clouds,
but the Hooker that lit at Tabor. He
was d very piOus gentleman, Method
list preacher Of the Northern persuasion,
of whom Ches Taylor once remarked
that Hooker would be fine preacher,
if he did not walk to much like a man
buying furs. At that session quite a
number of len the people of Columbia
know, when boys attended the session
that Hooker taught-Lucian Hurt, Jim
Taylor, Bascom Garrett, Rollin Hurt,
10. Nat Conover, Allen Pile and Melvin
White. Young E. Hurt owned the fine
woodland laying contiguous to the
school house, and in that woodland were
many fine pawpaws, which the boys
dearly loved. The boys of Ky, love
pawpaws as well as the boys of the
pine tar state love asckleberries. Up
to this time the teachers had never ob.
jected to the boys getting pawpaws.
Hooker would have been no exception
if the boys had returned in reasonable
time, but in little while the stock of
fruit that was near became exhausted,
and the boys cSsld Ass rs.urn in time.
One day the teacher announced that
thereafter any boy stayEg out for any
purpose later than one o'clock, should
be punished with = severity, whose
memory woald be lasting. The boys
above named, met saFV the next morn
ing and held council, and had several
warm speeches, passed several resolu-
tions recounting the fact that they had
always been allowed during pawpaw
time to gather the frxit, and that they
ought to be still allowed to do so, that
they lost very little time, and found in
so doing great deal OF pleasure. Mel
vim was called on for a speech, he arose
with great sOlemnity And gave it as his
opinion that the teacher was altogether
unreasonable, and that the boys should
not yield to his unreasonable demands,
and no matter what others might say
or do, he would say emphatically, give
me pawpaws or give me death. The
council unanimously endorsed his senti-
ments, but concluded to give the teach
er one more chance, and they resolved
to get fruit that day or die in attempt.
Accordingly. that day they went to the
pawpaw patch. and stayed unreasonably
long, some of them were in favor of
appeasing Hooker's wrath, by taking
him some of the best fruits, but this
proposition was voted down by an al
most unanimous vote. The boys return