FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   >>  
ry of his downfall is very romantic. He was a married man, and the father of an interesting family. There lived near him a young lady of color, very handsome and attractive, so the story goes, and for whom Henry had a great liking. There was nothing wrong about all this, perhaps, if Henry had not permitted his affections to go too far. Instead of admiring this dusky maiden at a distance, as he should have done, he brought her to his home, and cared for her there in a manner too affectionate for the tastes of his colored neighbors. Henry was remonstrated with, but to no purpose. At the close of church services one moonlight Sunday evening his neighbors held an indignation meeting, and it was resolved to put a stop to Henry's little love scheme, as it was now very evident that his wife was getting tired of having the maiden about her so much. The meeting adjourned that evening to have the next one the following night at Henry's front gate. During the ensuing day he was apprised of the intentions of his callers, and was urged to let the young lady depart from under his roof. Henry refused, since love is blind. He got his shotgun in readiness to protect his home and his rights. At the appointed hour some twenty-five or thirty neighbors gathered at the place selected, and demanded of Henry that he should give up the maiden loved, or pull hemp. At this juncture Henry called into requisition his double-barreled shotgun and turned both barrels loose on the excited throng. The result was a stampede, one negro killed and two wounded. For this brave deed he was arrested, tried and sent to prison for life. In solitude for fifteen years, Henry has had the privilege of thinking of his illicit love, none of his former neighbors daring to molest him or make him afraid. The case of a prisoner who was in the Missouri prison under the name of GEORGE ELLIS is very remarkable. Over in Kansas a cold-blooded murder had been committed. It seemed impossible for the authorities to discover any trace of the murderer. Shortly after this murder had been committed, Ellis was arrested and tried in Missouri on a charge of horse-stealing, and got a two years' sentence. He heard of this murder having been committed in Kansas, and, for some reason best known to himself, he went to Deputy Warden Bradbury and confidentially told him that he had committed the offense, and asked him to notify the authorities of Kansas. This was done and a pardon was
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   >>  



Top keywords:
neighbors
 
committed
 
maiden
 

murder

 
Kansas
 

arrested

 
meeting
 
evening
 

prison

 

Missouri


shotgun

 
authorities
 

juncture

 

pardon

 

fifteen

 
solitude
 

called

 

excited

 

throng

 

double


notify

 

barreled

 

turned

 

result

 

stampede

 

barrels

 

wounded

 

requisition

 
killed
 
molest

discover

 
murderer
 

impossible

 

Bradbury

 

Warden

 

Deputy

 

Shortly

 

reason

 

sentence

 

stealing


charge

 
confidentially
 

blooded

 

afraid

 

prisoner

 
daring
 
thinking
 

illicit

 

demanded

 
remarkable