Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 March 1910 — “A Bad Speculation.” [ARTICLE]

“A Bad Speculation.”

There are penitents and penitents. Some are sorry that they did wrong; others regret the unpleasant consequences of their evil deed. Governor Barbour of Virginia once defended a man charged with stealing a pair of shoes. The man was convicted. One day, years after, the Governor was standing conversing with several lawyers in front of the court-house, when a man approached and said he wished to speak with him. They walked off together, and the man asked: "Squire, do you remember I once hired you to defend me?” "Yes.” "Well,, squire, the taking of them shoes was the worst job I ever did. I didn’t keep ’em a week. They put me in jail; I gave you the only herse I had to defend me; my crop was lost ’cause I couldn’t see to it; and then, squire, they gave me thirty-nine lashes at last. I tell you, squire, it was a bad speculation.”