The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-06-12
AWFUL SUSPENS!
Of Lem Brown Who Hung 'tWixt
Heavens & Earth astaring deth
in the Face, as You Might
Say-FuIl Acct. Of the AW.
full Affair Below.

For a full hour and a half on last
Wensday morning Lem Brown, our tai
ented carpenter, painter and general
iobber, stared cruel and relentless deth
in the face. while brave men and weep
ing wimmen and delighted children
looked on horrihde and helpless. It
was awful experients and will go
down in the annals Of our town as one
of the worst that ever happened.
Some time ago the Ladies Aid of our
church desided that the church steepie
needed new coat of paint The ladies
held a meeting and past vote to pur-
chase paint sufficient 10 paint the stee-
pie Being as they was no money in the
treasury of the aid the ladies went out
with subscripshion papers soliciting
money The members of the church
didn't seem to be any too keen for Civ
ing up good money to buy paint. but
after two weeks begin it was desided
that they had enough to buy the paint,
perviding some one could be secured 70
put same onto the steeple. Lem Brown
was approached and askt how much he
would charge TO paint the steeple. Lem
said he thought il ought 10 be worth
about Is cts. TO him, but as the ladies
didn't want to spend any Of their paint
money they told Lem, being as he was
member in good standing of the church,
il was his Christian duty to paint the
steeDle for nothing. It took Lem a good
while TO see this the way they saw it,
but after they had pestered him for
several days he said: ooh, well. dad
blame it, if you think it's my christchian
duty to do it for nothing l reckon I'll
halt TO do it. but that's the last job I'll
do at them fggers."
The paint was bought at the Co. seat
It was white paint, and they was two
gals of same. They was also at. of
green naint for trimming Lem started
in on the job bright and airly last Wens-
day morning. He borrowed Cy Hos
kins' apple ladder and elm up to the
ridge pole of the church beside the
steepIe, and then hauled up the ladder
and set It straddle of the ridge pole on
the roof and leaned the upper end
aginst the top Of the steeple. Lem then
took pail of white paint in one hand
and brush in the other and started
up the ladder. They was considerable
of a crowd standing around on the
ground in front of the church to watch
Lem do the job, which was a tickelish
one as you might say When Lem
started up the ladder, Gideon Smalley
hollered at him. saying:
Lem, you had ort to build stagin'
around that steeple to paint from. Sup
posin' that ladder would fall down with
you up to the top end of it-then,
where would you be, hey7"
''T've painted and carpentered man
and boy for more'n 80 years." SAYS
Lem, pausing in his tracks about haff-
way 10 the ladder and lookin' down
at Gid. Il calkilate know thing or
two about the bizness. Pml purity
good hand to tend to my own business,
and / hope other folks will do the
same"
Lem then perceeded on up the lad
der, and Gid he got mad and started
of home and said if Lem Brown fell
and broke his neck, leaving his wife
nothing but a wilder, Lem couldn't
blame him, and he hoped he would fail.
The crowd on the ground increased
until almost the entire popu.ashion OF
Bingville was present watching the
brave painter with horrible eyes and
RATED breaths. Before Lem started il
to paint he filled up his pipe and ii