The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-08-07

BlaCKS I'D, We "Oos SASA~-
rule as masters or be submerged.
"This man is still believed by the ne
groes to possess some miraculous pow
er. He is therefore doubly dangerous
As sharp warning to them he must
die. His death will do more toward
ending the trouble he has prepared
than the death Of dozen negroes.
"And as God is my witness. speak
and act not through passion. but from
the dictates Of conscience"
He meant it, Grimes did. And when
he set down they was a hush. Ana
then Will, the chairman. begun to call
the roll.
I never been much Of person to
have bad dreams or Nightmares or
things like that But ever since that
night in that schoolhouse. If I do have
a nightmare, it takes the shape OF that
roll being called Every word was like
a spade grating and gritting in damp
gravel when grave is dug. 1t sound
ed so to me.
Samuel Palmour, how do you vote:'
that chairman would say.
Samuel Palmour. or whoever 1t was
| would hist himself to his feet, and he
| would say something like this:
Death"
He wouldn't say it joyous; he
wouldn't say it mad. He would be
pale when he said it. mebby. and meb'
by trembling. But he would say 1t like
it was duty he had to do that couldnt
| be got out Of That there trial had
lasted so long they wasn't hot blood
left in nobody jest then-only cold
blood and determination and duty and
principle.
Buck Hightower." says the chair
man, how do you vote?"
Death" says Buck: death for the
man. But. say. can't we jest lick the
kid and turn himsloose"
And so it went. up one side the room
and down the other. Grimes had show
ed 'em all their duty. not but what
they had intended to do 1t before
Grimes spoke. but he had put it in
such a way they seen 1t was something
with even more principle to It than
they had thought it was before.
The door opened. and old Daddy
Withers stepped in He had been
gone so long | had plumb forgot him.
Right behind him was tall. spare
Teller with black eyes and straight
iron gray hair.
DR.. Kirby riz up.
You are going to kill me-" he said.
He was pale. but he was quiet. and
he spoke as calm and steady as ne
ever done in his life. You are going
to kill me. like the crowd Of sneaking
towards that you are. And you are
such towards that you've talked two
hours about 1t instead OF doing It
And III tell you why you've talked Sc
much-because no one OF you alone
would dare to do it, and every man OF
you in the end wants to 60 away
thinking that the other fellow had the
biggest share in it. And no one OIL
you will fire the gun or pull the rope
You'll do it all together. In crowd
because each one will want. to tell
himself be only touched the rope OF
that his gun missed"
But jest then he throwed a look my
way. And something sobered him.
He stood there digging bis finger mails
into the palms of his hands fur min
ute to get himself back. and when be
spoke he was sort of husky.
THAT boy there" he says. and then
he stops and kind Of chokes up. and
in minute he was begging fur me.
He tells 'em wasn't mixed up in
nothing. he wouldn't of done 1t fur
himself. but be begged fur me. No
body had paid much attention to me
from the first. except Buck Hightow-
er had put in a good word fur me.
But somehow the doctor had got the
crowd listening to him agin. and they
all looked at me. 1t got next to me.
seen by the way they were looking
and | felt it Ia the air that they was
going to let me off.
But DR.. Kirby he had always been
my friend. 1t made me sore fur to
see him thinking l wasn't with him.
So says:
"You better can that lire of talk.
They don't get you without they get
| luc lOO. OtI oktCA nhO" ttAH -
gutter. You give me pain"
And the doctor and me stood and
looked at each other fur minute.
He grinned at me. and all of sudden
we was neither one Of us much Civ
ing whoop. fur it had come to us
both at oncet what awful good friends
we was with each other.
But jest then they come slow. easy
going sort Of voice from the back
part Of the room. That Teller that had
come in along with old Daddy Withers
come sauntering down the middle aisle.
speaking as he come.
"1've been hearing a great deal Of
talk about killing people in the last
few minutes" he says
Everybody in the whole place rub
bered at him.
There was something sort of careless
In his voice. like he had Jest dropped
In to see show. and it had come to