The Washington herald., 1921-06-19

An G0soen hafps, SAIL but ct d VIII %
Gard An II No better for Dc wicked muir.
asrsr Dat dsy happy now. He 90 70 bell oil
Dc same, whar him belong"
Yeu DON'T think selly Lawson had any.
Thing to Do with itf-
I doan' know nufiin' bout DAT He killed
or not"
He was . sort Of chap who might steal
cane7"
Him tief plenty cane, I dare say, Massa;
bot him psbber DO nuffin' 'gainst Aarss
Hsnry-Marss Henry stand UP Tor him
plenty times De nigssrs tief cans cause
dey terrible iErant fellows an NO nnk how
wicked dsy are; but dsy no fan out wild
udder gemmen bout It. Dat po' soliy-n
him see anybody treatin' John bad or treatin'
AarSe Henry bad, he run to hsip dem, Use
sure"
She whined on-a shrswd, sensible crea-
ture enough. and ones heart blsd for her
grief. for she often stopped talking to weep.
1t was personal sorrow at her loss and no
fear for the future that troubled her. for
Amos slanning had provided for her and her
children.
And elsewhere, a few days later, my In
quiries took me to see another sad. black
woman, the mother OF the murdered Solly
Lawson.
Mrs Mary Lawson's cabin stood near the
place Of her sons death. She was q little,
withered Negress who had married an Eng.
nshman-an old sailor who found work at
he han ~
In the Antilles. Mary could add little to my
knowledge: but she confirmed what others
had said OF solly.
Him no vice. sar-only berry fond OBJ do
gals an berry good-lookin'-rny dear boy was
He lost him head and did silly nngs an fell
out wild de neighbors: but him no wicked
deep down. an him always terrible sorry
after. Him so much full OBJ life dat It run
away wid hin1-a berry 'scitable boy sar, an
dash at hngs an often get in q mess, but
ebb'rybody forgib him after him sorry. An
Marse Henry-he never rough wild Solly.
cause Solly 50 quick Wild his tongue, he
always get round Marse Henry an Marss
Amos. too. an make dem laugh"
He was fond Of them!"
He lub dem-nufing too good for dem
he tell me dat fousand times. All de world
Tub dem-dar nobody on de earf dat would
hurt dem. An If solly him see anybody do
harm to Marse Henry or Marse Diggle-he-
30 fierce him be-dat he night dem an NO
care II he kill dem"
He was friendly to John Diggle, too7"
Yes. sar-he friendly to Marse Dissle.
Marse Diggie a berry nice gemman, an kind
to my son when odder folks cross wild him."
But suppose Marse Diggle had seen your
son stealing sugarcane7
Den Marse Diggle would hab got solly
lock up. God forgib my Solly. dat happened
one or two times; but John forgib Solly after
him punished. an Solly no angry wild Marse
Diggle after. When q ing done. It done,
sar"
You wouldn't say that Solly might not
have been stealing cane that night"
mo, sar, wouldn't say dat. He might;
but no fink him dar. no nnk him far from
him home. fink some bad men quarrel wild
Solly ober a gal. an lie hid for him an
pounce on my po' boy while him come home,
an XIII him"
More men than one?"
Yes. cause solly berry quick an strong.
Oar no Niger in desc parts strong 'nough
to kill my Solly singie.handed wild a knife
an den fro him ober de cliff. 1t take six.
sebben men to do dat"
She dweit on her sons great strength with
mournful Subtraction.
You cannot give a name to anybody who
might a nd LIr-Sp
mo. sar-nobody. Him been berry good
boy for long time now. An ask all de
niggers II dey know anybody what hab
down on Solly. an nobody know. But dar
must be somebody done It. fink sailormen,
who sail away de next day. might hab done
IT.
You know Of no girl who cared for your
son. or quarrelsd with him7"
PLENTY gals. sar; but he only friends wild
one gal In Georgetown now. an she hab no
friends but Solly, an she terrible fond OBJ
him"
He treated her wen7"
Berry kind an good to her. She tell yo
de same If 20 ask her."
Farther inquiries respecting the character
and history Of John Disgle and Solly Law.
son confirmed these reports OF wife and
mother Independent witnesses agreed with
them and with Amos slanning, who had
already told me the same story. 1t was.
indeed. curious coincidence that the three
dead men had all been without any sinister
or dangerously unsocial qualities. OF the
young half-caste. though It was clear be had
been lawless and mora ar less disrsnutnbIa
It seemed unlikely that he could have
wakencd sufiicient enmity to lose his life for
his sins