Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 November 1898 — WHY THEY HUNG BILL. [ARTICLE]

WHY THEY HUNG BILL.

ftwWae a Gentleman and They Were Jealous of Him. Rack of Duvall’s Bluff, in Arkansas, I* a country where schools are scarce sud civilization of the most primitive jype. A prominent attorney of Washington had occasion to go down there a khort time ago to look after some land titles, and stopped over night at a log cabin, which contained one room and a loft. The only occupant was a whitehaired old man, too feeble to walk without the aid of a heavy cane. “Are you not lonely here?” asked the lawyer. “Yep.” “Have you no friends to whom you ban go?” “I reckon my darter’d keer fer me, In Memphis, but bein’ sartin Providence air my way, I’m stayin’, hopin’ ter git about by spring.” “How long have you lived alone?” “ ’Bout a y’ar. Yo’ see, my son BIQ war with me. He went to Texas, an* cum home one of the mos’ puffec’ gentlemen yo’ ever seed. An’ that highspereted, yo’ could see he war diffrunt from the low-down trash ’roun’ hyar, Bo a passel of ’em got together an’ hung ’lm right down thar by the spring.” “Hung him! What for?” asked the astonished disciple of Blackstone. “Jess ’cause they were jealous of his livin’ like a gentleman an’ bein’ highspereted. One of ’em come an’ stole Bill’s bes’ houn’ pup, an’ In cose Bill, bein’ a gentleman, war in honor boun* ter shoot the thief, which he did. As purty a shot as yo’ ever seed. Feller never batted an eye. Then his lowdown fr’en’s come an’ hung BIU. I’m jess stayin’ here till rheumatlz gits so I kin stomp ’roun’ a leetle, and git a few of ’em, and then I’ll go to my darter’s. I’ve been that po’ly, I ain’t had no shot at none of ’em ylt, but I’ll git ’em In the spring.”