ee burned
her." They asked her if she had been listening and she declared
she had not.

Next day, a younger brother of Poteat sent for her to work in his
tobacco field, and asked her the second time the reason of her
outcry the night before. He said, "You mind what you are
doing--if you 'cheep,' (_i.e._, tell) about this thing, I will
put a ball through you."

Wiley went home (the story goes on) and walked up and down his
piazza, until late that night, attracting the attention of his
family by his singular conduct. A negro man, on the watch, had
followed him, and had hidden under the house, to hear what was
said. The dwellings of the South are frequently without cellars
and, in the country, are often sustained by brick and log
supports; so it would be easy to crawl underneath. This negro
claims to have heard some of Wiley's family ask him why he did
not come to bed, and he replied that he was waiting for the
wagon.

It was rumored among the negroes, that the purpose was to carry
Stephens's corpse to a church near Wiley's, called "Republican
Headquarters," and there leave it, to produce the impression that
Stephens's political associates had killed him. There was a
sprinkle of rain, after nightfall, and fresh wagon tracks were
seen, which approached near to Yanceyville, and returned almost
to Wiley's. Perhaps, if this was true, the scheme to steal away
the body from the court house was baffled by the vigilance of the
guards.

The effort was several times made to make it appear that Stephens
had been slaughtered by his political friends, to get rid of him,
or for effect. For instance, six years had elapsed when the
Milton Chronicle, published in Caswell county, charged by
innuendo, under the head of "Revelations," that "Hester, Holden,
Settle, Smith, Albion (meaning Judge Tourgee), Albright, Boyd,
Ball and Keogh" had accomplished this murder most foul. But Mr.
Boyd, at the time of the Stephens homicide, was himself a member,
in full standing, of the White Brotherhood. This silly charge was
made during the Tilden-Hayes campaign of 1876; Judge Settle then
being the Republican candidate for governor and William A. Smith
for lieutenant-governor. The others named were all Republicans of
more or less prominence. Of course the edit