Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07
I he folded his tent and silently stole away.

L II
dat possum, an it wuz de sweetest dream
! evan has had yit''
He looked around, but empty was the
| oven-"possum gone
"sho'ly TO de LODI said Ephraham. II
| nuvvah ate dat possum while 1 wuz a.
| dreamin' bout eat'n 'im''
He poked his tongue out.
Yes, dats possum grease, sho. l
| pose 1 ct dat pOssum while / wuz a
dreamin' bout eat'n i'm. but eff did eat
| I'm he sets lighter on my constitution
dan any possum I evan has eat in my
bawn days
| An old-time darky was closing his SER
mon one night In Paradise alley. and
| Uncle Rastus. who had been playing
cards the night before. was seated in the
amen corner sound asleep, dreaming Of
| his favOrite game. The old preacher said ::
| I'VE will now close dis meetin' wild
| pray'r, an We will ak Bre'r Rastus to
| lead"
Uncle Rastus suddenly reused himself
| from his slumber and shouted:
| 1T amt my lead. 1 jist dealt
One of his stories that used to tickle the
voters greatly was at the expense of
| politicians. 1t was like this:
An old Dutchman in my neck Of the
woods had a beautiful boy of whom he
| was very proud and he decided to find
out the bent of the little fellows mind.
He adopted a very novel method. He
| slipped into the boys room one morning
and placed on his table Bible, bottle
| Of whisky and a silver dollar.
Now said the old man, wen dot
boy comes in, eff he takes dot dollar he
is going to be beeziness man: eff he
| takes dot Bible he will preacher be; eff
/ he takes dot VfSkv ho M Unn6-ho lei
going to be a drunkard."
Then he hid himself behind the. door
In came the boy, whistling. He ran up
to the table. picked up the dollar and
Bible and put it under his arm. Then he
| snatched up the bottle Of whiskey and took
two or, three drinks. Then he went out
| smacking his lips.
The old Dutchman poked his head out
from behind the door and exclaimed:
"Mein gracious! He iss going to be a
politician
A shrewd and willy horse trader asked
an old farmer one day down in Paradise
farmer told him and warned him that
the horse had two grievous faults
''One of them is this" said the old man.
when you turn him loose in the pasture
you can't catch him."
What is the other?'
''I'n not tell you." said the old farmer.
until after you have paid for him."
The trade was made quickly.
WELL" said the old farmer. "he amt
worth durn after you catch him."
Here Is a sample Of Bob Taylor's
pathos. 1t Is classic in his native
state:
While governor, following the impulse
of his kindly heart, he pardoned more un-
fortunates in two years than all Of his
predecessors had "since the war" In his
campaign for reelection his opponent
used this against him for all it was worth.
in the attack was the Rev. Sam JONES'
then just beginning his own famous
career, preaching nightly to immense
crowds. each time. in his own way, fay
Ing the governor for pardoning criminals
In his sermons Jones claimed that he
himself had once been a drunkard and
had been saved by grace.
1t was having it's effect when Bob said
to a newspaper reporter:
Sam Jones ought not to blame me for
admission II 1T hadn't been for the par
doning power Sam Jones would have been
In hi long agor'
The following true account of how he
pardoned a convict 1 heard him tell I'm the
heat Of the campaign and to an immense
crowd, half Of whom, when he finished,
were in tears. 1t is needless to add that
his majority was greater than before:
"One bright morning just before Christ
mas day an Official stood In the executive
chamber Of the Governor Of Tennessee
and said:
Governor. 1 have been implored by a
poor. miserable wretch in the peniten-
tiary to bring you this rude fiddle. 1t
was made by his own hands with a PEN
knife during the hours allotted to him
for rest. 1t Is entirely without value.
as you can see; but it Is his petition to
you for mercy.
He begged me to say that he has nei-
Their Influential friends nor attorneys to
plead for him, and all that he asks is that
when the governor shall sit at his own
happy freside on Christmas eve, with
his own happy children around him, he
Will play one tune on this rough fiddle
and think OF a cabin far away in the
mountains whose hearthstone is cold and
desoiate and surrounded by a family of
poor, little. helpless, ragged children, cry
ing for bread and listening for the foot
steps Of their father"
Who would not have been touched by
such an appeal? The record was exam
ined. Christmas eve came. The gov
ernor sat that night at his own happy
f1reside, with his own happy children
around him, and he played one tune to
them on that rough fiddle
The freside Of the cabin in the noun
tains was bright and warm. A pardoned
prisoner sat with his baby on his knee
surrounded by his happy children. and
In the presence Of his rejoicing wife, and
although there was naught but rags and
squalid poverty around him, his heart
sang:
Be 1t ever humble,
There's no place like home.
I saw old mothers. with white locks
and wrinkled brows. swoon at the gov
ernors feet every day. saw old fathers
with broken hearts and tear-stained
faces. and heard them plead by the hour
for their wayward boys / saw q wife
and seven children, clad in tatters and
rags and barefoOted in midwinter, fall
down upon their knees around him who
held the pardoning power. / saw little
girl climb upon the governors knee and
put her little arms around his neck. and
/ heard her ask him If he had little girls
and then I saw her sob upon his bosom
as though her little heart would break,
and heard her plead for mercy for her
poor. miserable, wretched convict father
I saw want and WOO and agony and
anguish unutrerable pass before the gu
bernatoy1a1 door, and said:
Let this heartless world condemn; let
tho critics frown and rail. but he who
hath power and doth not temper justice
with mercy will cry In vain himself for
mercy ON that great day when God shall
judge the merciful and the unmerciful."