The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-14
HOTEL LIFE IN
 NORTH CAROLINA Sentence Judge Could Mol
 Impose LETS NEGRO OFF LIGHT Sends Him to the Penitentiary For Ten Years Instead of to Jim
 Poles Hotel For One
 Week.
LETS NEGRO OFF LIGHT
From the Washington Post.


 lom to such an extent in that part of North Carolina" said John Gilbert, the traveling groceryman that had become shy of taclslng 1t, and one day, meeting on the road darkey who was on his way somewhere driving a bull hitched to wobbly wagon on which were loaded dozen or so sticks of lightwood, thought 1t might be well to see if he couldn't give me some information as to the probable fate that might be in store for me at the inn lying in wait at the mountain town I was approaching. l stopped him and asked him If there was a good hotel there.
 The darky leaned forward with hls elbow on his knees, looked at mo, cooked one eye up to the sky as if he were poll dering on the subject had brought for ward, and then coming back to earth gave his bull a whack with the gad he carried, and exclaimed:
 TWO oa dah, yo pintedly op hoodoo?
 "The bull hadn't stirred since the darky stopped him in the road, and he didn't stir under the whack of the gad, so l assumed that this little show of discipline vas but diverting habit of the bulls owner. 1 was on the point of pressing
 
 rested his elbows on his knees again. and, turning to me, said:
 T reckon yo' nevuh did know op Jedge Gillam, wat kim frum ovuh yon in de Chowan kentry?'
 'I replied that I had never known Judge Gillian.
 sad the dark.
 NO said l.; I never heard about him, either.
 "trhat seemed to surprise the darky not a little.
 'Shov he exclaimed, after staring at
 me awhile. 'Wxa yo' done come fum, suh?
 "I told him I was from the north, and even that didn't seem to excuse me for not having ever heard of old Judge Gill
 lam. The darky sat in a pondering atti- tude for minute or so, looking at mo again as if I were something of a curi- osity, and gathering up his lines prepar- atory to starting on his way, he said:
 |" Jim Pole, he done kip hotel up yon, suh.'
 '' But hold on,' I said T don't care who
 keeps the hotel. Is it a good one? And what has old Judge Gillam got to do with l it.?
 "The darky leaned forward with his el- 1 bows on his knees agaln, and he grinned I as he said:
 "'I nevuh did stop at Jim Poles, suh, in
 my life; but ol Jedge Gillam one time he kim ovuh hyuh to lay down da law l du'in de cote time, an he stow heself away at Jim Poles. One O de baddes
 nigguhs dat bean 'roun' heah fotch up | befo' de ol jedge. Dat nigguh, ,~he bean | bad un, an de case agin him 1t bean q
 bad un, too, an dey fin him guilty he wus | kyine. or Jedge Gillian, he bean stoppen | den two, free days at Jim Poles. He l lookin desput sot in no min wen dey l fctch in dat DO nigguh wat dey done | foun guilty. "'"Stan' up, dah, yo' nigguh!' he say. ." He stan up, mos skeeuh to deff "'"Nigguh," de ol jedge say, dis hyuh l a mon st us ting yo' done bean foun guilty fo'! My haht 1t it bean jes lak sone agin yo', an I might regretful to fin | dat de law an de cons tuition dey stan'in | in de way O my 'f1ctin on yo' te te'ble punishment I des pinin' to give yo. Ef de law an de con 'stution, dey didn' stan | in de way O my doin 1t, I shore done sen- tence yo' to stop one whole week at Jim Poles tavuhn, des sho's yo' bon! Ez case 1t done stan, dahfo,' de oP jedge lay it down to dat DO shiv'in' nigguh, T caint do it, an de wus kin do to yo is to sen yo' to de peniten shry fo ten yearsl de ol jedge say, an dey done took dat bad nigguh away "rhe darky on his load of lightwood | relied his eyes up at me, while his grin spread wide across his face, and contin- ung, he said:
 ".Cose 1 nevuh did stop at Jim Pole 8 in my life, suh, an I caint say wevuh de hotel bean a good one or no, but heah folks declah, many times, dat op Jedge Gillam, he suttenly do let dat nig- guh off mighty lucky! with that the darky started up his
 bull and went on his way. As l gazed
 after- him he glanced back at me and heard him say:
 " 'Nevvuh did heah of ol Jedge Gillian! Sho. Dat bean monst'ous queeah!' '"There was another tavern in the place. and didn't stop at Jim Poles; but, rely ing on the darky's tale of old Judge Gill la ms opinion, if this one wasn't branch Of Jim Poles, then the proprietor must have learned hotel keeping from Jim Pole, and I'd heeu willing tO bet on if. ."