Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-09-01

. Kitten, Straight into a Trap.
fer fo it. Right here onder this here
warnut tree we're a-goin' to hold cote
and have yOre trial, by jedge and jury,
and you'll shore git what's a-comin'
"
Bill Dale cut in with some bitter
ness: "And you'll be the judge, and
your plans have already been laid, and
I'm to be hanged by the neck until
dead; Ell? Well. you'll pay dearly for
it, promise you. We always have
to pay for what we get, you know.
The Morelands and the Littlefonds will
be quick to settle the account. You
know that"
mo" old Ball disagreed hotly, II
don't know thatr
He turned to the others.
"Set down, boys. It's the same price
as standin'. The jury will please set
over thar" pointing to his right. 1.-THE
pris'ner and his guards will please set
right over thar" pointing to his left.
1.-THE hon'rable jedge. which same is
me, will please set right thar" indi-
eating a spot at the base of the gnarled
walnut. 1.-THE rest" he finished, "will
set anywhar they DIN pleases. Set
down, men,"
His orders were obeyed. Dale found
himself sitting on the ground between
two pairs of mountaineers and facing
a line of twelve mountaineers-the so
called jury. To his left was the self
appointed judge, and to his right
lOunged a score or more Of men whose
attention was then being turned to-
ward jug Of fiery new whisky that
had never been near to revenue
stamp or anything else that was hon
est, The jug travelled rapidly from
one hairy mouth to another.
Old Ball passed the jug to a mem
Der of the "jury," and announced:
"Well, dammit. cO'te's open now"
"Kitty, kitty, kittyl" tainted Walt
Turner. pore little kitty"
The mockery began, 1t was ridicu-
lous, and yet it was grim. Adam
Balls father himself furnished most
of the evidence; also he acted as.
prosecuting attorney. OF course there
was no counsel for the defense, and
1t wouldn't have helped IL Dale had
had a proverbial Philadelphia lawyer
on the grounds; all the proof and elo-
quence and pleading In the world never
would have changed, In the slightest de-
gree, the sentence that had been cut and
dried for Blll Dale. The mock trial
was being held solely because the
Balls and Torreys felt that by hold
ing 1t they were Insulting the majesty
Of the law and making their ven
geance sweeter. Il became worse than
a travesty.
Night fell during the wordy and
profane harangue Of the Ball leader,
and il was ordered that a FIRE be built
at once. At once a Gre was built, dry
brushwood being used, and in its red
and pickering glare the faces Of the
hiIlmen looked donbly dark and doubly
wicked. Then the judge begged a
chew OF tobacco and deliberately kept
the whole twist. and told the Jury to
60 out and bring back a verdict with
out losing time.
The twelve mountalneers rose UNI
steadily and went to the creek, and
there one Of them uncovered another
ino ~ fiqrv new whisky that was allan
to revenue stamp. They drank
heavily and returned to the walnut
tree court without mentioning the
trial.
The foreman was a Torey, and a
particnlarly bad one. His swarthy
face, with its high Cherokee cheek
aones ord It's thin-llpped mouth, was
ultfa-ylcious. He entered
SIS circle of red and nickerlng flrelight
lllr evilly and the other
cfcr crowded up close behind him