The Jasper news., 1907-09-19

|. 5Qm6DOuy THnntne on through the
woode lheerd bresh breakin and
leaves rattlin,. Me and the family
hurried up here. and Onas was layin'
here, dead. but still warm, We looked
for the fiddle but 1t was gone. l put
my two boys here to gyard the body,
and went to the store down the road
and telyphoned you.
The girl knelt by the body and took
a hand and wept over It, moaning, and
from her walls came these words. all
the while: oh, he's gone! He's gone
F forever!, I'll never see him any more.
II don't keer to live now cause he's
gone!r
Il The sheriff and his men spent day
and night looking for clews, but went
back to the county seat with none.
The body Of Gray was dressed in
suit Of cheap store clothes and buried
in a walnut box over at Cedar Hill.
The girl was the chief mourner. for
the poor man had no known relative
in that section.
The strong, pure love OF the girl for
Gray was evident In many ways. Each
day after the burial she strolled over
the paths to- Cedar wHili and there
would 5sit BY the grave until the sun
went down. And fall the time she
wondered at the deep mystery Of his
death. But In her mind she could
find no one to whom the crime could
be laid.
A few months sometimes vanishes
to great extent the sorrow from q
heart, but with the girl time had but
little effect, She sat In the doorway
of her home one afternoon and saw
dark clouds in the west. She knew
1t was to be heavy rain and would
run into the grave, as the mound had
sunk below the surface of the ground,
and she saw the crevices the last time
she was there. AS night drew nearer.
her mind was taken more and more
with this fear, and at last she arose.
bridled and saddled her horse, and
rolling up an oil cloth, galloped toward
the graveyard In the distance.
Darkness found her at the grave,
and 1t was protected from the slight
! sprinkle Of rain by the oil cloth.
The rain shifted around to the south
and the girl got on her horse and
started towards home. While passing
a cabin about two miles from her
home she noticed dance was about
to begin. She saw the young men
choosing their dancing partners. She
saw one Of the Culpepper boys take
his seat on box In the corner. wEtf.
a fiddle in his hand And when she
heard him tune 1t, she rode closer to
the cabin. Before the first piece had
been completed the girls face was
white and her heart thumped hard
80 help me Gawd! That's his
fiddle! That's his fiddle! Yonder 1t
Is. Joe Culpepper has 1t! oh, how
J many times have heard Onas play
that fiddle and even that same piece!"
The girl, after listening to the sec.
ond selection, hitched her horse and
crept up to the rear of the cabin.
Joe Culpepper sat there and as he
sawed on the music and called for the
sets. the girl placed her face to large
crack In the wall, within half foot
OF his ear, and said In rough voice:
you killed Onas Gray. That's his
fiddle"
/ Then she ran through the bushes.
mounted her horse and rode home In
lope.
The music stopped with a sudden.
ness that brought confusion to the
dancers. Joe Culpepper. deathly pale.
arose. put the fiddle in its lowered
cloth clip. and walked out the door.
When about to leave the yard he
yelled back; = am sick. boys. Can't
play no more. Got to CO."
| In three days the sherln came and
! took Joe Culpepper to the county seat.
The trial passed and after the death
sentence had been pronounced on him,
the sheriff visited the jail.
| Joe. why did you do that awful
thing 2"
i 4 Jest wanted his fiddle and knowed
no other way to git It."
Very Mean, Of Him.
i Low Comedians Wife-John. dear