The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-09-05
THE GENERALS
TERM OF OFFICE
By MONTGOMERY q. PICKETT
(oopyrlght, by shortstory pub.

sheriff. The negro question" had
come grave problem in Hanover
county. Clashes between whites and
blacks had been frequent. and a race
war seemed imminent. Some of the
generals closest friends had con
WINGED him that he, better than any
one else y fhaps, might handle the
lsituation.
Mother" the general said one
evening, looking at her somewhat ap
prehensively through his shaggy eye
brows,- there seems but one thing to
do, and that is to run for sherin at
this falls election"
@But general" she protested, you
are too old; you could never stand
the hard work and exposure. Be
side" and she abruptly stopped, ear.
nestly regarding him through misty
eyes. She remembered what the doc.
tor had said about his heart. and how
important It was that he be spared
all excitement and fatigue.
But the general was determined and
his election was practically unani-
nous. even the negroes. some of them
his former slaves, forgetting party
animosltles, and voting for "Marse
Gen'el,' as they had called him since
the war.
Shortly before his election, one of
his old house servants, a negro named
Sam Washington, had been convicted
and sentenced to death for the murder
of the editor OF the town newspaper,
which had long been loud in its de-
nunciation Of negroes in general:
Sans conviction was surprise 10
many of those who knew him. He
had been Woodworking, sober and re-
spectful, with clean record in the
past. But he had been the last per-
son seen to enter the Office of the
Clarion on the night that the editor.
working late and alone. had been shot
down. His trial was brief, despite the
efforts Of a clever young attorney
whom the general induced to defend
him. lie made no denial of having
gone to the newspaper Office on the
evening in question, but claimed he
went to warn and not to harm the ed.
itor. Cross-examination failed to
shake his plain, simple story that he
had chanced TO learn that the crime
was to be committed, and went at once
20 tell the editor of his danger. but
he had only laughed and told him to
clear out" He also admitted that no
knew who the guilty person was, but
refused to name the man. The fact
that Nose Jones, commonly known as
"a bad Niger" and who had married
Sans daughter, disappeared after tho
murder did not seem TO be noticed by
the angry townspeople, who had first
organized for a lynching, and then
cooled down TO a persistent clamor
that Sam Washington be hung--as an
example. He was sentenced TO death
on evidence wholly circumstantial, but
almost any evidence against a negro
is sometimes good enough when race
prejudice has reached fever heat.
Sans lawyer promptly moved for
new trial, which was denied, and his
friends had no money TO carry the
case through the higher courts. II
was then that the general, full of con.
fidence. went to the governor to inter.
cede. but without avail. The governor
was sorry but the man had been
properly tried and convicted crime
amongst negroes was rapidly lncreas.
Ing, and he was unwilling to interfere
for even so distinguished a gentleman
as the general.
Governor" he finally said may I
tell you an incident which occurred so
years ago? II was on the evening of
my wedding. After the ceremony, my
bride and | had led the cotillon. Later
! took her to the yeranda where, out.
side the railing were gathered a mum.
Der of the family servants. hoping 10
catch a glimpse OF the scene within.
For few moments | left her to bring
a glass OF punch; returning. saw that
In response to the merry greetings
inside, she had stepped to the door.
way; just then a candle fell from the
side wall to her feet. and In an instant
her clothes. of the light and ample
kind that ladies-wore In those days,
were ablaze. 1t all happened in a mo,
ment's time. Those about her were
young, and seemed stunned with
fright ! rushed toward her, but, with
the usual impulse to run, she darted
back to the veranda, where stronger
and quicker arms than mine caught
her. A negro had sprang over the rail
ing and was fighting the fire, which
had spread alarmingly through her
draperies. With bare hands and arms
he extinguished the fames-and she
only slightly injured, but the man was
pitiably burned Governor" he con,
tinued, his voice full OF feeling, that
negro was Sam Washington, my body
servant. When the war came, he fol
lowed me through It all, and bore
the dead bodies of my boys from the
battlefield. II was from his trembling
lips | first learned they we're dead.
know every impulse os this mans
heart, governor, and beg you will
believe me, sir, he is innocent of any
crime"
The governor said he was deeply
moved by the generals story, but
really he could not consistently dc
anything to save the mans life; there
had hppn much cpima an,ono A. -.