SATURDAT. FEBRUARY 26. 1838.
THE ASIIEYILLE DAILY CITIZEN.
;?"i J?'5if5iwf5J'5i? 'J? 'i J
-
EXECUTION OF SNEED AND HENRY
B3' COL. A. T. DAVIDSON.
... .. . i!c4i?4.;!5.j!i5.;t4.i!iiliti-?tVitii!ii,4-SJii:s.
r ,c .
Th: being "the season of the anni
. riry f the centennial of Asheville,
(ii b? in order for me to give some
ii. y t-arliest recollections of men,
I
, and events which came into my
hi-- in the passt.
j.i-i.-s Sneed and James Henry wero
an- "n a charge of highway rob
i.: f a horse) then a capital crime,
i t... vi. tim was one Holcumbe. The
... .-a,- . f the robbery, for which these
r, . . n w-r. executed, was at the Maple
Mm;-, about six miles east of Ashe-m;.-.
n' -.ki h-re Air. Folsom now lives
:;;,! n ;iiiy a mile from the water
.... rl.s. at tt- forks of the road where
t... -Aarin.itu'a n ad coming down the
i;.-r joins the new road.
Ii. toy and Su-'d, fearing that Hol-(..rtit.-
wouM have them arrested, as
h-- ti.fl i!in-n up the horse unwillingly,
M.irt.-t for T-nns.-e by way of the
liiouth of llnmiuy, ieaing Asheville to
lloir Hunt, and wi-re arretted neal
.-uiphur Springs on the Bear creek road
by Shcp beaver, then deputy sheriff.
The execution of Kneed and Henry,
twing the third event of the kind in
r.uti-oiibe county, spread all over thi:
western country, and the news of it
reached me at my h'me on Jonathan's
tie.k in M.iywoi.d county, when I was
a b..y of The two previous hang
ings winch had occurred were of a mail
by the name of Ielk, a white man.
. ho was executed probably at about
toe time of toy b.rth, and certainly pre-
i.ois to lMJ'i. f.r the Indians' were still
ill ilie country and were not moved til
th.it year. I know this fait from the
further fait that my father, William
M. Davidson, the i n of the William
avidson at whose house the first
meeting to organize Buncombe county
was heM. and tloldman Ingram, grand
father of John I. Cathey. clerk of .the
superior court of Buncombe county at
this time, arrested Ielk at the Little
Tennessee river near where it is n
span nee by the iron bridge east of
Kranklin, after he had crosed the ford
to the Franklin side of the river.
Kranklin istituated on or near what
was then the ki'l Indian town of Eunee
1 do not remeiiifcr for V hat he was ex
ecuted, nor how my father came to ar
rest him unless It was the custom of
K'wmI citizens gene-rally to arrest or fol
low all law breakers of whose move
ments they had knowledge. Delk was
hanged in the gorge south of and be
low the postotlice, probably about the
s-ite of the old Johnston well, now vis
ible from I'atton avenue.
i lie wcona execution was of a ne
gro, whose name I forget, about 1830
or ''5. for burning the barn of a man
on Mud creek In the neighborhood of
Kidelio I'atton. He was hung In. the
"tJalloHs Field," east of the hollow in
whi h Sliced and Ienry were hung but
on the slope of the hill leading into the
same Hollow. It must nave been near
the present site of North Asheville
Methodist church. Jasjer Bell, who is
now living in Asheville. and a brother-
in-law- of the late Nicholas Woodlln
was a boy of about ten eleven years
when Sneed and Henry were hung. He
saw that event and also the hanging of
the negro, some few years before. He
thinks that Nat Harrison was sheriff
when the negro was hung, and Wiley
Jofen sheriff when Sneed and Henry
were h u n g.
A Great Event.
I if course I determined to see the ex
ecution of Sneetl ami Henry, and it was
arranged that on the morning of the
L'Tlh of May, Is:!."). I and my brother-in-law
I'axton Cumming, a Methodist
preacher, should leave our homes on
mi s m ek tor Asheville to wit
ness the great event u the following
tlay. I fix this time by the fact k that 1
know that 1 siarted the day before the
execution, and Sneed or Henry wrote
at letter to his wife dated in the Ashe
ville J.iil in which he said "In thirty-six
hours I will be in eternity." I saw tins
letter the other day, now. In the po-
ttession of the Editor of The Citizen.
The 2ith of May. IsUj. forever im
pressed n my memory, was a soft and
oeautuuivnorning, wun tow tog nang
Ing over Nje meadows and valleys, as
is common Tn that season of the year.
We left home at daybreak and before
breakfast, for we were to ride horse
back seven miles to l"eter Shook's on
1'igeoit river, near Clyde, where we
were in got breakfast and proceed with
a party from there. But when we
leached his house we found that, the
I arty had already started for Ashe
ville. but as they expected us, they had
l. it a good breakfast for us. This par-
rv consisted of Bev. It. W. l'atty, the
Ai th.xlist minister in charge of the
iii iiii, and the father of J. M. Gudger's
iirM wife. Airs. 1'eter Shook, better
Known as Aunt Mahaly. Miss ElniTna
Shook, a beautiful young lady, l'eter
"Shook s oldest daughter, to whose
manifold charms I observed, young a.-:
I was. the said staid Methodist preach
er was not altogether oblivious, and
Ta.vlor Shook, a son of Peter, w ho went
.Itoot.
As my friend rtoberf Henry said of
ihe event preceding the battle of Cow
an s Ford.v when the school master had
let i a Jug of whiskey at the school
house, "we dispatched" the breakfast,
overtook the party at the crossing of
J'igeon. at what was then called the
Alexander fortl. now Canton. An iron
bridge for wagons now spans it, but
for years before and since the war.
there was no bridge, and the ford was
extremely dangerous in hih water.
Michael Francis, my law preceptor,
drove In there once and lost a pair of
line horses by drowning in the swift
t urrent. On the hill east of the ford
of 1'igeon was situated the Locust tld
Field church, established by Humphrey
I'osey, Henry and 'John Howell, two
brothers, and was the established
hurch of the neighborhood, and was
r a Ion? time and still Is, held in
hiuh repute. They planted a graveyard
here, where most of the old worthies
of that country rest. It is still us for
that purpose, and it Is wortuT of that
. lay and this. The same church still
M.'ltlds.
I got down here ami Taylor Shook frot
on. while I walked, called "ride and
! e." We soon got to old Johnnie Haw
kins's. n the high road west of Ashe
ville. where V. U Henry now lives. In
t me for dinner. All rode horse ex
. , in Taylor Shook. I remember pass
ma the church on the top of the hill
jwst above the Sulphur Spring, stop
1 ng at the spring and taking water to
the lady on horseback and to the
preacher. Don't remember seeing many
I ' . pie i-oming to Asheville as we cams
along. They probab cajne In next
day.
AtAhvill.
But when we got on the top of the
l ili west of the French Broad river,
- rid looked down and saw the splendid
Mver. ami the long narrow bridge, then
Known as Smith's bridge, I waa carri
ed away completely. It was the largest
river and the longest bridge I had seen.
The bridge was kept by William Ir
win, I think. He lived at the same Id
house which stood there till recently
. .
on the west ide of the river. We came
traight up the hill to the top, where
Meike's house stands, and where he
old log Baptist church used r stand.
then began to see signs of "town" by
that time, and my eVes began to shine-
remember distinctly to have seen the
Helds about the present station of the
railroad. Branan Patton lived there
then. Aunt Mary Smith. Dan'l's wife.
iv td above on the river, whose house
we could not see from that point, but
we could see the curling smoke of the
evening meal ascending from the hab-
tation. These places were pointed out
to me by Paxton Cumming, who had
riduen this circuit and knew all the
points of interest round about. We
cai..e on by the Haywood "Road," not
"Street." and entered Main street
parsing by the Villa, just north of Pat-
to avenue. The Haywood road came
Into Main street opposite the front of
fice of the old Buck Hotel, about where
West College street now enters it
There was a large sign in front of the
hotel of a big buck with a heavy head
f horns on it. I remember it distinct
ly
Here our company parted. Ait dui
Mr. Cumming and myself, who pu. up
at the "Buck," went dowii rr Souta
Main street to Stanlfer Rhodes', whose
house stoixl near where Church street
now enters boutn Maun, iie nau mar
ried Peter Shook's wife's sister, well
known as Celia lihodes, a remarkable
and strong woman.
Not many people now living know
what the old stable bell was like. One
of them was attached to the sign post
of the Buck, and I remember it well.
It was the first I had seen of its class.
It was an ordinary bell, but it was at
tached to one end of a curved steel
strip, which when shaken would cause
the bell to ring and vibrate for some
time after the shake had been given to
the strip. I had not Deen long in the
hotel before I was attracted by the
ringing of this bell, and the old darky
who answered it, coming out to take
the horses of the travellers who were
constantly arriving to witness the
show of the morrow. That darky's
name was. I think, Moses, anil he was
a strong, broad-backed negro who was
apparently well fitted for the duties of
tio.stier. It seemed to me that the peo
ple would never stop coming, and
where they were stored away in that
old hotel I cannot now conceive. But
no onp whs turned away.
Tho Hanging Rehearsed.
The store of James M. Smith was just
opposite the old Buck, near where
Frank O'Donnell's now stands. Its
side was on North Main steet and its
front on HaywooTl road, now West Col
lege street. It was known as the
"Freeze Out" from the fact that "o:d
Jimmie" was afraid to allow any lire
in the store where the clerks had to
sleep at night. 1 went through that
stot with eyes as bigaaits saucers.
V here in the world did all the money
come from to buy all those goods. If
only 1 could get behind the counter
and run my hands into the sugar bar
rels and get my stomach full of the
sweet stuff Just once in my life, I
thought 1 should be happy ever after
wards. Then I went to the Jail before it
became too dark. It stood about where
the present entrance of the Palmelto
building now is. The court house was
on a knob about twenty feet higher
than the present site of the Vance
monument. There were many people
around the jail. Wiley Jones was
around looking after things generally.
I did not see the prisoners. It was too
dark. I still continued my perigrina
lions alout town, and went down to
John Osborn, who kept the leading
merchant tailor shop of the town at
the bend of South Main street, where
Airs. Hiiliard now lives. He was from
Haywood, and I was bound to see ev
ery one from that county. I spent
about an hour there, and afterwards
came up the street and got into a store,
which 1 do not now remember, where
I saw a rehearsal of the hanging on a
small scale in the tests that were being
given to the rope with which the pris
oners were to be hanged. The noose
was made, the rope thrown over a
beam, it was given a sharp jerk by
several men hanging to one end of it,
and if I am not mistaken Ur. Hardy
pronounced it sufficient for its purpose.
I got into the attic of the Buck with
Jesse Smith, a small son of J. M., and
slept with him on a pallet on the tloor.
Air. Cumming. being a man of distinc
tion, got a better bed. I did not go to
sleep before I became convinced that
Asheville. was a big place the hub of
the universe, in fact and I have not
changed my mind since. It was always
a big place for the surrounding coun
try. It was always so far ahead of
anything within sixty miles of it that
there was absolutely no comparison.
There was always something worth
seeing here. It was a funnel through
which everything had to pass if it
passed the mountains, and everything
had to pass the mountains in those
days, for the west was being settled.
It is so jet. and the railroads all have
to come by Asheville.
The Day of th Hanging.
The next morning, before good light,
that stable bell began to ring again, and
I woke op, I wasted no time in mak
ing my simple toilet, but immediately
struck for the street. The whole front
arf public square were covered --with
people. It was only just about day
light then. The people had not slept
much the previous night. The excite
ment was intense. People must have
been coming In all during the night.
The crowd was a mixed one. There
were feeveral thoughtful and sober reo
ple, but there were also toughs rushing
about, drunken men, women and chil
dren in their country finery, and a gen
eral holiday air everywhere. I saw the
Asheville company of militia formed In
a hollow square about the Jail, In com
mand ofCoL Enoch Cunningham, to
keep buk the crowd from the Jail. The
militia had guns only, but the officers
wore uniforms. There had been a ru
mor that there would be an effort from
Tennessee friends to rescue the prison
ers, hence the militia turnout. ivr ef
fort was made in that direction how
ever. I remember distinctly to have seen
the evening before in the parlor of the
Buck hotel Gov. David L. Swain, ho
was then governor, and who had been
pressed to respite the prisoners to look
further into the Justice of the execu
tion or for a pardon outright, but the
governor left In the stage before day
that morning and was not present at
the hanging. I heard of a petition be
ing circulated by Mrs. Perkins, a sister
of James W. Patton. for the pardon
of the prisoners, and there was one ex
pression in It which I have remember
ed ever since. It was to the effect that
no son of a woman should suffer the
death penalty for the foal of n ass.
Gov. Swain was censured for leaving
w hen he did by those who wanted a
pardon or respite.
I may have got breakfast but I don t
remember it. It waa Impossible to pet
near the Jail to see the prisoners be
cause of the crowd and guard. There
waa nothing Uka a program for the in
formation of the public, hence all that
couid be done was to listen to the con
jectures of the multitude and take care
of yourself. The interminable ring of
that stable bell for Moses I shall never
forget. It rang all day. Moses had to
be reinforced; the work was too heavy
for one man. I should say without fear
of being extravagant that five hundred
horses were carried to the stable from
that bell during the morning. The
crowd was estimated by men of judg
ment at from 5000 to 8000 people. It
must be remembered that there were
few wheels in the country then, and
most people came on foot or on horse
back. Many came from long distances.
Though I believe that the prophecy of
Zebulon Baird had come to pass that
the mails should be carried into Ashe
ville on four horse coaches. But there
were not many wheeled vehicles and
the roads were execrable. It was de
cidedly the biggest day that Asheville
had ever seen, and I don't believe that
Bryan day equalled It certainly not in
my young eyes.
Off forth Gallows Field
Incredible as it may seem to some, I
was timid and bashful then, not at all
sure that I might not be run over by
some "critter," as the horses were then
called, and by no means sure that the
militia might not conclude to fire on
me for fun. So a boy and I went to see
the gallows field. We went down North
Main street by the old Sam Chunn tan
yard about where Merrimon avenue
now comes into North Main street,
near where the Woodfin stables used
to be. The old road then ran directly
over the hill to the branch. Then we
went down the branch 200 or 300 yards
and turned to - the right in
the gorge, and there stood the
gallows, grim and forbidding. The
beam from which the ropes were to
dangle was in place and the trap doors
were there too, and the steps leading to
the platform. There was a double
grave half finished on the hill near by.
It had not been finished. But only the
lowest vaulted place remained to be
dug. and this was how it was explain
ed to me that it had not been com
pleted by the time we leached there:
Some negroes had been employed to
dig it the evening before, and while
deep in the excavation, they were sud
denly confronted on the brink of the
grave by what they took to be the devil
himself, w ho sternly demanded to know
what they m?ant by digging the grav
of men who were still aliye? The ne
groes ran and could not be induced to
return. The devil was really George
Owen, a harmless and inoffensive old
wit and joker from Haywood county
who had tarred his hair and bea rd a id
disfigured himself as much as possible
for the purpose nt r.aviag his fun with
the grave diggers.
We examined everything, and then
went back to ti e Buck, where we got
something to eat. The crowd still had
not left the square. But at about 2
o'clock it started, but 1'had again gone
ahead of if and was advantageously
stationed n the slope of the hill about
sixty paces, from the gallowV Here
they came, th msunds of eager ana ex
cited people, and the prisoners seated
on their cofiins in a wagon surrounded
by the military. They drew up at the
fJid of ih gallows, and several people
mounted the sea ft old with the prison
ers. There were two long sermons, one
by Kev. Joseph Haskevv. then a young
man. and the other bv Kev. Thomas
S trad ley. There was praying and ex-.it--inent
of the most intense character.
Spoke From the Scaffold.
The prisoners were then given an op
portunity to make any remarks they
desired, and Sneed spoke first, lie was
a bright-faced, clean shaven tine look
ing young man. with a clear distinct
voice which couid be heard at a dis
tance without effort. He said in sub
stance that he had been a wild, wick
ed young man, and was an adventurer,
making money by every turn and was
not slow to use his profession in tricks
at cards to procure money from the ig
norant and unsuspecting, but that he
had done nothing to deserve death. He
said he felt this. . He had never taken
human life and had never taken any
man's property by force. He said it in
a clear ami ringing voice and attracted
general sympathy. Henry came on the
scene, and was a heavy-headed, thick
shouldered strong man. He impressed
me by his general look and demeanor
as a man capable of committing any
crime, lie had a heavy down look, and
at my distance I could not hear dis
tinctly what he sail. I am informed
this morning by I'l as Israel, who wati
one of the guard and near the s aitold.
that Henry laii-l for Hoicombe the
prosecuting witness against him, and
that Hoicombe came to the stand, and
Henry made a statement in his pres
ence as to how he obtained the horse,
and asked Hoicombe if that was not
the way of it? This Hoicombe deni d.
and walked off sulkily without slating
how it was. I do not remember seeing
anything of the k:nd. I did not see
Hoicombe to know him. The general
impression was then and has b en
since that Hoicombe was called for but
would not face the men.
Hanged.
Then the end came. The bl.n -c
caps
were drawn over
men, the sheriff
the men goodbye,
trap. The signal
happened a thing
only, like a Hash
the faces of the two
and his deputy bade
and retired from the
was given, and then
. just for an instant
of light, that 1 have
never forgotten. The trap, which con
sisted of two doors meeting in the mid
dle, and working from the sides on
hinges, fell at first with a great crash,
as the trigger was knocked out. Hut
they did not fall clear down, but only
part of the way, so that it was possi
ble for a very short space of time, for
the men to touch them with their
shoes. This they did repeatedly, try
ing to regain a foothold, but the doors
were soon entirely beyond their reach,
and they were fairly suspended. But I
can still hear those poor feet in their
blind effort to cling a little longer to
earth.
When the trap finally fell clear it wa
with a loud noise, and it was then that
George Owen, who was near me. said,
with a distinct and bass voice,
"G-o-n-e!"
Then began the death struggle. They
spun round and round. There was a
drawing up of the shoulders and of the
arms, and both died by strangulation,
no doubt, the fall having been broken
by the failure of the trap to fall clear.
Sneed died first. The tremor of the
bodies, the rush of blood to the hands
tied behind them, swelling them to ab
normal sire and making them p.ufTed
and red. But at last the bodies were
still, and I left before they were cut
down.
And so the scene closed.
"The day is long past, and the scene is
afar ,
Tet when -my head rests on Its pillow
Will memory sometime rekindle the
star
That blazed on the breast of the bil-.
low."
A. T. DAVIDSOX.
Asheville. N. C Feb. 17, 189S.
The" letter to which Col. David
son refers In the foregoins highly In
teresting sketch, was printed in 1S35 at
RutherfonUon. N. C by Roswell El
mer, Jr.. as part of the confession of the
condemned. The pamphletshows Its age,
and Is in rart Illegible. The confessions
of Sneed and Henry were mainly bio
graphical records of continued trans
gressions, but in the case of both Hen
ry and Speed concluded with expres
sions of faith In Christ and a meeting
in a better world. Both men were married.
W jeamneue H-watiuortrt;
Copyright. 1S98, by the Aathor.
CHAPTER XrV, CONTINUED.
Sii torn ii ere wre 19 letters, writ
ten by as many enthusiasts to theii lov
ing frieuds at bru;e. ssica read every
one of them, home of them she read
more thau ouce, not tor the elegant dic
tion of tLein or for their vivid deestrip
tioua of the great battle, but because
some word tf praise, some expression of
tends rnc?s, in them for her father
touched her Diore nearly than others.
They all had the Fame tbme admi
ration for their commanding officers.
They all dilated upon one phase the
lilial devotion of Captain Belknap to
Colonel Basxoru. It was Neddie Mat
thews who told the moot prolix story.
Ho told haw, when the battle waa
at its hottest, Colonel Bascoin had
been seen to put spurs to his horse
and gallop toward the spot where
their colors had jnst gone down in
a cloud of smoke; how Belknap gal
loped after him to turn him back;
how the two men were inseparable in
camp or on the field ; how that intrepid
dash of the colonel's had swept him
from the sight of his men forever ; how
the next that was seen of Belknap he"
was being borne to the rear badly wound
ed; how when questioned about the
colonel he had wept like a child while
telling about seeing him reel from the
horse that had been shot under him.
It was the same story in all of the
letters the story of two brave men out
It was of Ficylnahl Belknap .he was
thinking.
of thousands of brave men; two men
who loved each otht-r and would gladly
have spent themselves each for hia
friend.
"They loved each other," said Jes
sica, bending her head to catch the
waning light for a third reading of Ned
die's letter.
"What more could a man do than
this, that he would have given his life
for his friend, and I, oh, most superior
mortal that I am, refused him the meed
of a decent farewell because he did not
come up to my. standard. "
It was of Reginald Belknap she was
thinking and of his deathless devotion
to her father after she had folded up the
letters, and, with hands clasped about
her knees, she sat still on the terrace
steps, with the setting t-un shedding us
radiance about her.
CHAPTER XV.
One day old Timothy Drew, with
much expenditure of breath and not a
few imprecations uixm thy folly of peo
ple perching their houses ou terraces
high enough for eagles' nests, found his
way into Mi.--s Melanie Potts' presence,
carrying a small parcel.
In thoe stagnant d;iys a parcel of any
sort was an event and an object of le
gitimate curiosity. Old Thro thy Drew
delivered this one with an air which
said plainly that he exported to be en
lightened as to its contents.
Mis Melanie turned it over and over,
looking at the address from every pos
sible point of view, touching the tight
ly drawn strings that bound it with
reverent fingers. Presently in an awe
struck voice she taid:
"I do believe it is from my brother
Lester The handwriting looks like his
at its worst, and he always was so pre
cis' about knots. "
Timothy answered suggestively:
"Shouldn't bo surprised if it wero
from little Potts, though the Lord only
knows how it got here. I reckon there
aiu't but one way of making sure, and
that's by outyiug them knots. I'd like
mightily to hear how the little man is
getting on. Want any help?"
Miss Melanie drew her parcel fartb.tr
back from his proiiercd aid with cold
dignity.
"I will wait until the Misses Potts
get homo, thank you, Timothy. They
are in attendance on a meeting of the
L. S. A. S. I am much obliged to yon
for bringing it, Tim. "
"Not for worlds," Miss Melanie told
the girls later, "could I have untied a
single one of those knots with an alien
eye resting on them."
By devious ways, passed from hand to
band, the precious package had reached
its destination, and the girls must share
with her every atom of pleasure or of
pain it might contain.
It contained very little in a material
way three black finger rings, with
gold hearts and arrows imbedded, in
them by way of setting; a carnelian
heart, with "M. P. " rudely carved ou
its face; three tiny golden disks with
three dates engraved on them, respec
tively standing for the birthday anniver
saries of the three women who examined
each article of the package with stream
ing eyes.
But it was over little Potts' letter
that they wept most copiously, Miss
Melanie insisting that he must be
very miserable indeed because he wrote
bo cheerfully, which waa rather astute
of the little woman.
"It is impossible for me to say," lit
tle Potts wrote, "bow this package is
to reach its destination, if it ever does.
I comfort myself by thinking that if it
is lost the world will still wag on.
"I wish I knew how it was wagging
with my three dear ones just now. Sev
eral prisoners -are to be exchanged to
morrow, and among them is a young
fellow from Mississippi, the northern
pert, who expects to be sent to Lis home
as unfit for further service. Ha will
leave as pretty well laden with letters
and just sncb foolish little parcels as
this. I mm glad be is going to be re
leased. He . is not strong, and thiscli
mate is trying to hira."
Here little Potts bad stopped in the
writing of nis iletfer to tie a piece of
old carpet about his neck to protect it
from the cold blasts that were shaking
his enfeebled little frame as with a chilL
" When I tell you what the rings and
other things are made of, I am sure you
will be proud of rue, although I may
come in for a scolding too. You see,
my dears, there is not much dandyism
among this colony of southern gentle
men rusticating at Johnson's island,
and such requirements of an effete civ
ilization as gold studs and sleeve but
tons are ignored among us. "
A wan smile flitted across the little
man's thin face as he wrote that sen
tence. It would never do to tell Melanie
and the-, girls that he had no shirt to
wear the studs with, for of course they
could never be brought to consider him
a gentleman again.
"Therefore I have converted mine
into little souvenirs for you three. I
hope you will observe the niceness of
the workmanship. I think it rather cred
itable to an amateur goldsmith; but
then, you know, I always was a con
ceited fellow, ready to place the high
est possible estimate on my own per
formances. "The black rings are cut from the
horn buttons of my overcoat. Now there
you go, Ollie! I can hear you even at
this great distance declaring that your
papa must have become a regular
slouch, going about with his overcoat
unbuttoned, but you must bear in mind
that my life at present is somewhat
more sedentary than it used to be at
home, and an overcoat is something I
have rare occasion for."
"Happily," he said to himself, "see
ing that mine went to make leggings
for that poor devil of a consumptive
months ago"
"The gold disks I made out of my
three studs, hammering them flat and
engraving the dates of three birthdays
that have been kept this year without
any gift from me for the first time on
record, but I thought of each one of
yon, my darlings, very tenderly on your
birth dates, and I asked the dear Lord to
let this be the lat ones we should ever
spend apart. What glorious little feasts
Aunt Mellie used to get up for us on
our birthdays! I don't feed quite bo
high now, but perhaps that is so much
the better for my liver."
There lay on the table upon which
little Potts was writing the fragments of
his prison breakfast. It was not such as
was calculated to appeal to a pampered
palate a crust of stale bread, the
bones of a herring, nothing more.
"The carnelian heart I carved out of
my watch seal. As there is but one I
send it to that one of you who has said,
'Poor papa!' or 'Poor brother!' seldom
est. The little hearts and arrows im
bedded as settings to the rings were
made from my gold sleeve buttons. Now
I believe 1 have accounted for all of my
valuables. You can't imagine what a
resource we find this sort of work. Our
amusements are rather limited,aud ail
the men are making trinkets of some
sort to send home when they can.
"I know you are anxious to h-nr
when I am coming home. . There is :
good deal of red tape about this institu
tion, but I don't think 1 c.iu possiLly be
detained much longer. 11 'Ihe fact of my
being a Union man from the outset
must tell in my favor as soon as I can
get at the right ears. I kuow this is
bearing very heavily on you, my dears,
but we must be patient. " t
"Yes, patient, O Lord, if only I cau
keep life in this failing body to carry
me back to them." Little Potts laidhia
head down ou the table and wept. Thero
was no disparagement to his manhtod
in those tears. He had but just dragged
through a fierce attack of prison fever,
and the spirit within him was aweary.
"I heard a grievous piece of news
yesterday." He resumed his pen rew
lutcly. "A new batch of prisoners was
brought in. They were men who were
engaged in the battle of Chickamauga.
One of them tells me that my dear,
dear friend Baseoni was slain in that
fight.
"I cannot tell you how this dreadful
news has depressed me. I loved Bascoin.
He was a good man. I never knew a
better. He was apt to be a little rash at
times. I am afraid he was when ho
came to his death. But, after all, it was
a splendid way to die. Of such stuff are
heroes made, and I bare my head in
reverence to him.
"I am not over well supplied with
stationery and find myself reduced to
crossing this. Julia will recall how I
used to scold her for crossing her let
ters from school. Ah, well, I've been
sent to school myself since then, my
loves, and some of my tasks have been
rather hard to learn. Good by and G-od
bless you. " He threw down the pei and
sat staring at the closely written sheets
with despairing eyes. He dared not
trust himself to go on. Something would
be sure to creep in which would mar
all his heroic attempts to write cheer
fully. He fingered the flimsy sheets of
paper contemptuously. What would
Mellie and the girls think if tbey knew
that he had bartered a week's rations of
coffee for the stuff to write to them
upon? They should never know from
him what a lingering agony the days
were to him.
His letter was written. His parcel
was delivered to the prisoner for whom
the gates were about to open, and then
little Potts threw himself upon his pris
on bed with a groan of physical pain.
The emotion resulting from putting
himself in communication with hid
home brought on a return of his fever.
"I think," said Julia, looking doubt
fully from her aunt to her sister, "we
ought to ring the bell again."
"The courthouse bell?"
'-'Yes."
"What for?"
"To let them bear about papa."
Miss Melanie made a gesture of pas
sionate impatience.
"They don't want to bear about him.
Everybodyhas forgotten his very exist
ence. Nobody has given a thought to
him since the last pound of meal waa
given out in his name. " '
"Oh, Aunt Mellie, what dreadful in
grates you make them all out !"
"No, I don't make them out to be
anything. They are just on an average
with everybody else. We treated him
like a malefactor ourselves. How can
we expect others to take any interest in
him?"
"Listen."
Tbey listened. The courthouse" bell
was ringing at a great rate. The three
.women donned their hats in excited
haste.As they ran down the terraces
side by sieOIiss Melanie wondered if
Timothy JDlw could have been officious
enough to teubont their parcel but
they were soon1 enlightened.
will you visit K'-w TorkT If so, stop
at Hotel "Empirei Bee page 4.
;.--. -raw
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jj ':' 'I i'lr -
t jj ii -i if ' ny'
GOWN WITH POINTED FLOUNCE FROM HARPER'S BAZAR
The circular flounced skirts of French
gowns, promise to be very popular,
since they are sheathlike at the top,
with a lower circular flare, which Rives
a pretty fan effect without much full
ness to impede in walking. These
flounces rise gracefully towards the
back, where they sweep outward from
a tiny cluster of gathers below the
waist band.
The simpler forms pf these skirt
models are used for crash, as well as
for silks and wools, while more elabo
rate costumes are composed of sev
eral wide flounces, or of a succession of
narrow ones, or, again, of a series grad
uated in width, often reaching to the
waist. f
Circular flounces are not difficult to
make by amateur dress-makers, al
though they require some care and pa
tience. If the corresponding- divisions
of ruffle and skirt are pinned exactly
in place, before basting, as indicated
in the pattern of this grown furnished
by Harper's Bazaar, there is little dan
ger of stretching the edge of the ruffle
in putting together.
In this model the flounces are attach
ROSGBUSS
Budding wo
manhood ! WTiat
glorious possibil
ities! What half
hidden dangers !
What a time for
tender sympathy!
At puberty nature
generally makes
come attempt to
establish physical
regularities, but
when nature fails to assert itself, develop
ments result which injure the health and
impair the constitution of the maiden.
The timely use of Bradfield's Female
Regulator, the standard remedy for all
weaknesses and irregularities peculiar to
women, is what retarded nature needs in
all such cases. Sold by druggists for $t.
Books for women free.
THE BRADFIELD REGULATOR CO,
ATLANTA. OA-
TURNER'S N. C. ALMANAC.
Old Reliable for 1898. The only
STANDARD STATE ALMANAC pub
lished. For sale at H. Taylor Rogers'
Book Store, Asheville N. C. Price 10c.
pet copy.
Dr. Fischer, Dentist.
Kormer demonstrator of operative den
tlstrv at Pennsylvania College of lental
8urgery, Philadelphia. Nitrous oxide gas
administered.
Drhumor Blook, Room 9, 50 Patton
Avenu. Phono 349.
Win. W. West,
REAL ESTATE,
LOANS NEGOTIATED.
Room 7, 2nd Floor, Drhumor Block,
Patton Avenue. "
J. A. TENNENT,
Architect and Contractor,
.. Office and Jobbing Shop South
Court Souare.
SKYLAND INSTITUTE.
Skyland Institute has the best at
tendaice It has had for four years
in both music and literary departments.
J. S. DICKEY, A. M., Prin.
' r w v v m 9 9 m m m m m m
it
MOTTO: "QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY."
t
cme YVne anc -:L5?yr H ouse
r
L
0
0
O
JAMES H.
VVVV 1
1 .Ur
u Jw
uv mm
ed to a seven-gored foundation skirt
which may serve besides for a plain
foulard, cot4on, or wool skirt, as wel
as for a drop-skirt. This seven-gored
model is one of the most popular foi
general use. It follows the average
width at the present moment -thret
and and three-quarter yards at the
foot, the bottom flounce having sulll
cient extra width to flare easily.
The, bodice of this gown is very be
comingly designed, with tucks at the
neck, and shoulder caps cut in one with
it. The addition of a narrow circulai
ruftie to these caps furnishes a grace
ful top to the plain tight sleeves which
fashion now demands. A little rippled
frill trims the sleeve at the hand
Skirt, corsage and sleeve are borderer
with rows cf the new serpentine b'lacl
velvet ribbon a Paris novelty of the
season. A wide draped collar of blacl
velvet, always so enhancing to th'
complexion, completes the bodice
Quantfty of material foulard for en
tire costume, eighteen yards; Bilk oi
satin for waist-lining and drop-skirt
fourteen yards; velvet ribbon, tv
pieces.
THE CHEAPEST
FIREWOOD,
FOR SALE THROUGH
All Coal Dealers
-AND-
All Grocery Stores
Which Have a "Phone.
NOTICE
The National Bank of Asheville,
located at Asheville, in the State of
North Carolina, is closing up its af
fairs. All noteholders and others,
creditors of said Association, are
therefore hereby notified to present
the notes and other claims against the
Association for payment.
W. B. WILLIAMSON, Trustee.
CONSUMPTION
Is a wasting, weakening disease
Strength is restored quickest to
all run-down systems with the
highly concentrated, pre-digested
beef preparation
Liquid Peptone
Requires no further digestion
passes at once Into the circulation
gives natural vigor Immediate
ly. Contains no drugs or chemi
cals. Buy It from your druggist.
STEVENSON & JESTER CO..
Chemists, Philadelphia. Pa.
Notre Dame of flaryland
Charles Street Ave., Baltimore, Md.
College for Young Women and Prepar
atory School for Girls. Regular and
Elective Courses. Extensive Grounds.
Location Unsurpassed. Suburb of Bal
timore. Spacious Buildings, complete
ly Equipped. Conducted by School Sis
ters of Notre Dame.
w -y -w fc r- tr-
. . v ill VI
WE DEFY COMPETITION ON ALL KINDS WINES AND LIQUORS.
OUT OF TOWN ORDERS SOLICITED. P)
LOUOHRAN,
156 and 58 South Main Street, Asheville,
. ....'Phone 139. P. 0. Box 372.. -
Notice.
State of North Carolina, Buncombe
county.
By virtue of the power and-authority
vested In me as trustee in a cer
tain deed of trust executed by J. H.
McConnell and Ruth E. McConnell. hia
wife, to secure to Ulysees Doubleday
(now dead) the payment of the note,
principal and interest in said deed of
trust set forth and described, default
haying been made in the principal and
interest of said note, now due and pay
able, and having been requested by the
owner and holder of said note to exe
cute the power of sale contained in
said deed of trust, I will sell, to the
highest bidder, for cash, at public out
cry, at the front door of the court
house In the city of Asheville, North
Carolina, on Monday.
THE 28TH DAT OF FEBRUARY. 1S9S,
to satisfy said note and interest, the
following described piee, parcel or lot
of land situate, lying and being in the
city of Asheville, county of Buncombe,
and State of North Carolina, bounded
as follows:
Beginning at a stake in the north
ma rein of Seney street, the southwest
corner of a lot this day quit-claimed
to the said J. II. McConnell by said
Ulysees Doubleday, and running thence
north eighteen and one half degrees
west (lSV-i) with Sam Redmon's line
two hundred and nineteen and one half
(21i) feet to a stake, pixty feet from
a twelve foot alley: thence eastwardly
and parallel with said alley one hun
dred and fifteen feet (115) to a stake;
thence south eighteen and one half
US1) degrees east to a stake one hun
dred and fifty (150) feet from the point
where the line If continued would
strike the north margin of Seney
street; thence eastwardly parallel with
Seney street seventy-five (75) feet to a
stake in Caroline Redmon's line; thence
with her line southwardly to a stake
at a point sixty-five (65) feet from the
point where the line ir continued would
strike the north margin of Seney street ;
thence westwardly parallel with the
north margin of Seney street seventy
ave (75) feet to a stake; thence south
wardly and parallel to Mrs. Caroline
Redmon's line sixty-five (65) feet to
the north margin of Seney Btreet;
thence with said margin of said street
westwardly to the beginning.
Said deed of trust ts recorded in the
office of Register of Deeds of Bun
combe county. North Carolina. In Bok
f Mortgages and Deeds of Trust feftf.
4 page 445, et. seq. 'This the 2sth day
of January. 1898. GEO. F. SCOTT.
Trustee.
HENRY B. STEVENS. Attorney.
1- 29d4tsat
Sale of Valuable Land.
United States of America. Western
District of North Carolina, Fourth Cir
cuit. In the Circuit Court, in Eiiuiiy.
The undersigned will sd,l by public
auction in front of the County court
iiouse at Asheville, North Carolina, on
MONDAY, THE ITU DA YoF APRIL,
isas, at the hour of VI noon, on terms
nereinaftcr stated. the following pioptr
ty, to wit: A certain piece or parcel of
land lying and being in the County of
liuncomoe and titate of North Carolina,
and buunded as follows, to wit: Be
gin'ning at a stake in the east margin
..f the Asheville & Biltmore road just
south of the Kambranch; It running
with the east margin of the said road
ri. 1 degree 45 minutes W. 2ya.65 feet
10 a staKe; then S. & degrees E. 2ti0 feet
to a stake; then S. SS degrees 42 min
utes E. 43.6 feet to a stake in the
north margin on the Swannanoa river
road; then with north edge of said
joad S. bt) degrees 13 minutes E. 42.3 1 t
lo a stake in the west line of the Kenil
worth Park; then with the west line of
said Kenilworth Park N. 9 degrees 35
minutes 94y.3 feet to a locust on the
Lop of the ridge; then N. 6S degrees 10
minutes W. 62t.6 to the beginning, con
taining sixteen (16) acres.
The above sale is by the virtue of a
a decree made by his Honor Clia-rles H.
Snnonton, Judge, and bled February
15, lsys, in a cause pending in the ttbuva
entitled court in which cause George L.
Buist and Samuel Lord, trustees, are
complainants, against William E.
Breese, defendant, to which proceeding
reference may be had.
. The terms of the sale are as follows:
One-third cash, and the balance on a
credit of one and two years in equal in
stallments, secured by the bond of tho
purchaser and mortgage of the prem
ises; said premises to be insured and
policy assigned to protect mortgage,
bond to bear interest at the rate of 6
per cent, per annum, payably annually
from date of sale, purchaser to pay all
taxes payable after date of sale, and to
pay the Standing Master the expense of
making title; said purchaser also shall
have the privilege of paying cash.
For further particulars apply to the
undersigned.
CLEMENT MANLY,
Standing Master in Chancery.
2- 10d4t-sat
Notice.
By virtue of the power contained In
a certain judgment rendered at the De
cember term, 1897, of the Superior
court of Buncombe county, N. C. In
the case wherein I. A. Harris, is plain
tiff and S. O. Deaver, executrix. Is de
fendant. I will offer for sale at the
court house door In the city of Ashe
ville on Monday, the 7th day of March,
1898, to the highest bidder for cash the
following described lands, to-wlt:
Situate lying and being In the County
of Buncombe and State of North Car
olina, on the waters of Big Ivy, and
bounded as follows: Beginning on A.
L. Logan's line, south bank of Big Ivy,
and then running a south course to O.
F. Davis' line; then west with the ex
treme top of the ridge to the sand pit
gap; thence northwardly with the
wagon road to Big Ivy; then up said
stream to the beginning, containing
thirty (30) acres more or less. This
Jan. 11. 1898.
J. McD. WHITSON,
1-I2d30t Commissioner.
vttt.li'-ft rx'f'y Hon-:i iioiil to pm.rs tn. tr . 9
5 MAGiF.CCMT ART F0RTHOU0. "
o) tv!iieU 'irr' tt rr on r, tuif h roii fu i it t it c six
i. iirui-l.tn. Ii. r -:.rl rr our J; It .1. t -..-I It - J
FWtH WITH ONE FOUR-DOLLAR
SLBSCklPTlON TO
IIARPLR'S BAZAR
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..- nt on- r Tor ou I It n 1 1 o too
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Oittl-
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