The Tupelo journal., 1911-06-09
HOW He
WAS SAVED
By WILLIS BEACH POTTER
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

III SOpyIlSAts lJlU, NY AtleTlCdD ETSSS III
Association. ii
There had been a lot o. cussedness
In Galloway county, and the people
was hot to find some un to string up
fer a warnin'. Ole Man Thompson
had been murdered in his bed and
5000 taken. Bill Stimson was held up
on the road and relieved Of his watch
and chain. These and other crimes
were committed. vet no one was ar
rested.
About that time my brother Tim
come from Californy and was stayin'
with me on the farm. Tim was as
| peaceable a Teller as you eve see
wouldn't hurt nobody. But he liked
to hunt, and. 1t bein' in the fall O. the
year. when game was plenty, l got a
lot o. my friends to go over into Ma
non county, where there was wood
cock. We took a kit with us, calcu-
latin to be gone a week.
WAL. one evenin' when we was
collectin' in camp all on US got In ex-
cept Tim. When we sot down to sup
per he wasn't there, and when 1t was
time to turn In we was obleeged to do
lit without him. / wanted to 60 out
land hunt for him, but the rest lowed
couldn't find him in the dark, that
he'd got lost or somep'n and would
turn up next day.
WAL, about midnight I was woke up
by Tim himself.
by gum. Timy' I says. "Have y
seer a ghost?"
He was the most skeered Teller you
ever ~seen-white as the snow and his
teeth a chatterin'. As soon as he
could ketch his breath he said:
They're comm to hang me. I was
Iwatchin' fer birds when / met q man
who looked at me kind o. queer. He
went OF and come back with two 9TH
Ter men. They all tied my hands and
TUX M to . small town. A Teller was
brought In. who looked at me and said,
That's him." Then they all set around
land talked me over. l knew they tux
ime fer some un else, and there wasn't
mo 8 tryin' to make 'em think I
wasn't. Most of 'em was for .hangin'
|me right up at onct. They said II the
law got q holt Of me I'd never be pun
!ished. I begged 20 hard for 'em to give
|me one day to prove who I was that
lat last they consented.
'"They TUX me to some un's Office and
left me in charge Of two Of 'em. One
lof the two left me in charge Of the
other, while he went off to git somep'n
for 'em both to drink. He brought
back a bottle, which they finished,
then the other one, he went of and
got another bottle, and by the time
they'd drank that they was both
drunk. First one went to sleep then
the other. / dug out and here l am.
las soon as I'm missed I'll be follered."
I woke up the other men, Abe Wood
ruff and Oliver Swayne. and we held
a consultation. Eff they come to take
Tim there'd probably be enough Of 'em
to take him in spite Of all we could
do, but we was four shotguns in the
party and concluded to put up a fight
rather'n have 'em take him. About A
O'Clock in the mornin' we heard the
barkin' O. dogs, and 1 knowed they'd
find Tim shore, since they was after
him with bloodhounds.
We wasn't fur from Jimtown, where
there's a postofice. and the railroad
runs through it. While we was con-
suitin' we seen a man git up on a plat
form and hang a mail bag to one O.
them posts what's used fer deliverin'
the bag to a man in the mailcar on a
pasin' train without it's stoppin'. The
man left the bag and went away. The
barkin' was comm mighty near, and I
concluded I'd go out and meet the
posse and have a talk with 'em. Resin
my shotgun across the pommel Of my
saddle. l rode forward, crossin' the
track beside which the mail bag hung,
lookin' in the night for all the world
like a man swingin' on a gallows. At
fust it seemed it meant that my broth
er would swing shore. Then all on a
student an idee come to me. There
was a faint light In the east when |
met the party comm down the road.
| counted ten of EN-.
'Hello" l says. whats up?'
'Yistiday," said one on 'em, I'VE
caught the man that killed ole Thomp-
son. Sam Jones found him hidin' in a
wood. We tux him and was keepin'
him under guard till tomorrer mornin'
to hang him. ALI Andrews and Charlie
Moore was watchin' him, but he got
'eln both drunk and lit out"
WAL" says l, there's two crowds
Of us got onto the same purpose, and
we got ahead of you. He was hidin'
from us when you TUX him. When ne
escaped. like a fool, he run right agin
Us. We strung him up at onct, fearin'
he'd git away If we didn't"
You don't mean it,"
"Yas. we done it."
"Whar did you hang himT"
Right over there. / kin show him
10 you, but we don't want no interior