Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1889 — Pipes in Tennessee. [ARTICLE]

Pipes in Tennessee.

“You all gwine down to Knoxville to court next week?” atked Bob Martin as he climbed up on the fence beside Bill Thomas down in Claiborne County, Tenn., last month. “I reckon I am. Got the papers last week.” “Witness or prisoner?” “Witness agin Al Myers in a distillin’ case. I get Al spenied las’yeah, and Al he’s gwine to git me the trip this time. Got a little-buyin, ter do, an’ mout as well make the gov’ment pay for it.” “Who’ gwine to put in Al’s crop in case he’s sent up ter Albany ?” “Tom Corbett, I reckon. Tom’s shinin’ ’round Al’s oldest gal purty lively.” “How’d thev git the evidence agin Al?” “He was drunk in the still house, an’ they had ’im tied afoh he cud git at his gun.” “Reckon he’ll go up then ?” “Reckon he will onless he kin prove an alibi, an’ he kain’t very well, bein’ as he was caught in the still house with a kittil on at the time.” “Done give bonds, didn’t he?” “ Yaas; he didn’t wanter to lay in jail. Up to Albany it’s all right, but in that jail they put niggars and white men in the same cage. They wuz fohty in w’en I wuz in.” “How many days do you all expect to stay down the road ?” “ ’Bout a week, I reckon. Get foh dollars a day an’ my railroadin’.” “Gwine to give evidence against Al?” “Not much, Only ’nuff ter send ’im up fer a year. Al kain’t stand moh’n a year. They all didn’t raise but foh pigs an’ a little patch o’ cohn this year.” “Gwine to ride down to Corbin?” “Es you all ull lend me yoh mewl, I will. Es you kin’t, I’ll hoof it.” “Ye kin have ’im es you’ll send ’im back by a boy.” “All right. ’Bleeged ter yer. Good day.” “Good day. The mewl’s out ’n the lot. Ketch ’im, an’ the saddle’s in the barn.”