The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-02-21
O.o.oso.oeoeooeoeOsoeosoe,
My Secret.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Cljttol.
was awakened hy quick words and
hurried footsteps outside my widow.
arose and looked out. Evidently
something had happened, for | saw
people moving about. nearly all Of
them with horror depicted in their cy-
pressions.
My colored man. sam. was coming.
carrying my heavy shoes. He had
taken them from my door. opening
on 70 the porch. for the purpose of
blackening them
whats up. Sam" asked as he put
down the shoes.
"Why. habcn't yo' heered. Marse
Tom: Yo' uncle done been murdered
in de night
MY uncle, Hcavens."'
l lost no time in putting on my
clothes Nathan Clingham. my uncle
had made will. l knew, leaving his
plantation and what other property he
possessed to me. AS soon as | was
dressed went to his house and found
the neighbors in charge. At my APP
pea rance all fell back. giving place to
me. NV uncle had been killed with
an AK. and several hundred dollars
which he had with him were missing.
There was no clcw to the mystery
NV first act was to summon doctor
to learn how long my uncle had been
dead He gave it as his opinion that
the period was not less than two hours
nor more than three | saw at once
the Importance of quick pursuit. l or
ganized Il party at once and sent them
in every direction. I. with several
men and boys, took the road runnn.
past the plantation and. sending part
/ of nv force southwark led the balance
northward.
Coming to a place in the road coin
cident with the northwest corner of
the plantation, l saw fresh tracks that
had evidently been made by some one
who had left the plantation Mt that
point. l stopped to examine them.
Long / looked at them, bending my
face down over them rather to con-
ceal the terror that was in me than to
get close view Then l arose and.
staggering W tHc SUI VI 'Hc ioi' ~ III
ed against the fence.
whats the matter with you?" ask
ed Steve Burton. one of the party
you're white as ghost"
I'm sick must go home. You fell
lows go on"
"All right" said Burton. Better
take one of the boys with you
II don't want any one. I'll be all
right presently"
They insisted, but l wouldn't have
any one with me. They helped me
over the fence. and l made bee line
for home. When / saw them turn
around the base Of a hill, where they
couldn't see me. l ran. never stopping
till reached the house and had gained
my room. Then l sank into chair
with a 'Thank God!
And what was it that so suddenly
threw me into such a condition?
had on the shoes that Sam had
BACKED. From the heel of the right
shoe the lowest layer of leather was
gone, leaving six protrudins nails
The forward part of the sole of the
left shoe ! had cut with an ak while
chopping wood. The moment l hac
caught sight of the tracks in the roat
knew they had been made by my
shoes There were the indentations o.
the six nails, and the cut in the toe
had left it's mark If this discovery
were made by those tracking the muir
derer. it would be proved that | hat
killed my uncle doubtless to gain pos
session of the property he had willet
me- l took off the shoes. hid them ant
put on another pair. Then l began t
: | think.
, First. the murderer had seen NJ.
| shoes on the porch. and it had occur
red to him that. since he must leav
his tracks, it would be safer to leav
r the tracks of my shoes than of hi
' own: second, he had either come bacl
after using them and was probabl'
now on the plantation or he had
partner: third, he was not Sam
was more sensible to believe that Sar
3 had taken the boots to black after tn
= murderer had used them than to be
. lieve that he had committed the mu1
> der himself, for he had been owned b
e our family In the days of slavery an
was very much attached both to m
uncle and to me.
The question with me was VIVA
should I do. To make known that m
n shoes had been used by the murdere
would be equivalent to putting m
S neck in a halter. And the shoes
should I destroy them? If l did an
n it was discovered that l had done g
would be In danger. If the shoes r.
It NAMED intact. were found and con
pared with the tracks. I would swim
II for murder.
I took the shoes from their hidin
L and placed them with my other pair
e A committee hunted all over the plal
tation for the shoes that had made tt
y tracks and sent diagrams of them e
IS erywhere. I waitel, in terror ever
moment, fearing that my shoes woul