''Tain' nuttin' 'bout de ring; 'tis for murder.' Well, I
know I ain' murder nobody, an' I ax him who dee say I done murder; an'
he ax me agin, 'Whar air P'laski?' I tell him I don' know whar P'laski
air: I know I ain' murder him! Well, suh, hit subsequently repeared
dat dis wuz de wuss thing I could 'a' said, 'cus when de trial come on,
Major Torm Woods made mo' o' dat 'n anything else at all; an' hit 'pears
like ef you's skused o' murder er steal-in', you mus'n' say you ain' do
it, 'cuz dat's dangersomer 'n allowing you _is_ do it.

"Well, I went 'long wid him. I ax him to le' me go by my house; but he
say, nor, he 'ain' got time, dat he done been dyah. An' he teck me 'long
to de cote-house, an' _lock me up in de jail!_ an' lef' me dyah in de
dark on de rock flo'! An' dyah I rejourned all night long. An' I might
'a' been dyah now, ef 't hadn' been dat de co'te come on. Nex' mornin'
Mr. Landy Wilde come in dyah an' ax me how I gettin' on, an' ef I warn'
anything. I tell him I gettin' on toler'ble, an' I ain' warn' nuttin'
but a little tobacco. I warn' git out, but I knew I cyarn do dat, 'cuz
'twuz de ambitiouses smellin' place I ever smelt in my life. I tell you,
suh, I is done smell all de smells o' mink an' mus' an' puffume, but I
ain' nuver smell nuttin' like dat jail. Mr. Landy Wilde had to hole he
nose while he in dyah; an' he say he'll git de ole jedge to come an' ac'
as my council. I tell him, 'Nor; Gord put me in dyah, an' I reckon He'll
git me out when He ready.' I tell you, suh, I wair p'intedly ashamed for
de ole jedge, whar wuz a gent'man, to come in sich a scand'lous smellin'
place as dat. But de ole jedge come; an' he say it wuz a ------ shame to
put a humin in sich place, an' he'd git me bail; which I mus' say--even
ef he is a church member--might be ixcused ef you jes consider dat
smell. But when de cote meet, dee wouldn' gi' me no bail, 'cuz dee say
I done commit murder; an' I heah Jim Sinkfiel' an' Mr. Lumpkins an' ole
Mis' Twine went in an' tole de gran' jury I sutney had murder P'laski,
an' bury him down in de sumac bushes; an' dee had de gre't bundle o'
switches dee fine in my house, an' dee redite me, an' say ef I 'ain'
murder him, why'n't I go 'long an' pre-duce him. Dat's a curisome thing,
suh; dee tell you to go 'long and fine anybody, an' den lock you up in
jail a insec' couldn' get out."

I agreed with him as to the apparent inconsistency of this, and he
proceeded:

"Well, suh, at las' de t