The Snowflake herald., 1921-10-28


dren?
"Fat an happy an well dressed.
Mrs. Peasley has been a mother TO
'em an her sister is gOin' to be wife
to me-" He came close to Samson and
added in a confidential tone: "Say, il
was any happier I'd be scairt. I'm
like I was when I got over the tooth
ache-so scairt for fear it would come
back l was kind o. miserable
Mr.. Peasley came out of the door.
He was big, full-bearded, jovial man.
i've got a small load o. hay for
you," said Samson.
II was expecting it, though / sup
posed 'twould be walkin'-in the dark
O night" Peasley answered. Drive in
on the barn floor"
When Samson had driven into the
barn its doors were closed and the ne
groes were called from their place of
hiding. Samson writes:
II never realized what a blessing it
| is to be free until / saw that scared
man and woman crawling out from un-
der the dusty hay and shaking them
| selves like pair of dogs. The wealth
er was not cold or | guess they would
have been frozen. They knelt togeth-
er on the barn floor and the woman
| prayed for Gods protection through
| the day. Peasley brought food for
them and slowed them away on the
| top of his haymow with pair Of buff
| falo skins. [ suppose they got some
| sleep there. / went into the house to
breakfast and while I ate Brimstead
| told me about his trip. His children
were there. They looked clean and
decent He lived in log cabin little
| further up the road. Mrs. Peasley's
| sister waited on ME. She is fat and
cheerful looking lady, very light COM
| plected. Her hair Is red-like tomato
| ketchup. Looks to me a likely, stout
armed, good-hearted woman who can
| do lot of hard work. She can see a
| joke and has an answer handy every
| time"
For details of the remainder of the
historic visit of Samson Traylor to the
| home Of John Peasley we are indebted
to a letter from John to his brother
Charles, dated February q, 1882. In
this he says:
'We had gone out to the barn and
Brimstead and / were helping Mr..
| Traylor hitch up his horses. All of
sudden two men came riding up the
road at fast trot and turned in and
come straight toward us and pulled up
by the wagon. One of them was
slim, red-cheeked young feller about
twentythree years old. He wore top
boots and spurs and a broad-brimmed
black hat and gloves and a fur waist
coat and purity linen. He loked at the
tires of the wagon and said: That's
| the one we've followed
(which o. you is Samson Traylorr
he asked.
Il am said Traylor.
"The young feller jumped off his
horse and tied him to the fence. Then
he went up to Traylor and said:
What did you do with my niggers,
you dirty SuckerY
''Men from Missouri hated the Illi-
nos folks them days and called 'em
| Suckers.
'Hain't you little reckless, young
feller?' Traylor said, as cool as a Gu
lumber. He stood up nigh the barn
door, which Brimstead had closed
after we backed the wagon out.
"The young feller stepped close to
the New Salem man and raised his
whip for a blow Quick as lightnin'
Traylor grabbed him and threw him
ag'in the barn door, keewhack! He
hit so hard the boards bent and the
whole barn roared and trembled. The
| other feller tried to get his pistol out
of its holster, but Brimstead, who
stood beside him, grabbed it, and I
| got his boss by the bits and we both
held on. The young feller lay on the
| ground shakin' as if he had the ague.
Ye never see man SO spylt in a Sec
| Ond. Traylor picked him up. His right
| arm was broke and his face and shoul-
| der bruised some. Ye'd a thought a
| steam engine had blowed up while he
was putin wood in it. He was kind
| o. limp and the mad had leaked out o.
him.
"T reckon I better find DOCTOR he
says.
"'You get into my wagon and I'll
take ye to good one,' says Traylor.
"Just then Stephen Nuckles, the cir
/ cult minister, rode in with the big
bloodhound that follers him around.
''The other SLAYER had got off his
boss in the scrimmage. Traylor start
ed for him. The SLAYER began to back
away and suddenly broke into a run.
The big dog took after him with kind
of lion roar. We all began yelling
at the dog. We made more noise than
you'd hear at the end of a boss race.
1t scairt the young feller. He put on
more steam and went up the ladder to
the roof of the woodshed like chased
weasel. The dog stood barkin' as il he
had treed bear. Traylor grabbed the