The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 15, 1903, Page 2

THE SUNDAY CALL. o —_— s face he tried to cover stop his ears. little convulsed body into crooned into her ears. “There, pappy’s baby, don't ery. Pap- PYX'’s got you now. had been crushed. The stone lay at her side, the1 crlmsondm'udrk of her life show- ts jagged edges With that stane the brute had tried to strike the death blow. on the edge of the hill with her Lead It was too plain, the ter- rible crime that had been committed. The poor father sank beside her body inarticulate groan, some one had crushed his head with an He seemed dazed for a moment, and looking around he shouted hoarsely: The_doctor quick! She's not dead e given my life? Or is & negro man passing over the along the spring path tl with that nigger, sked Tom holding his hand on his_side_trying to recover his breath. “Yes, I sald howdy, when he stopped to get a drink of water, and he give me a whistle,” she replied with a pout of her pretty lips and a frown. Tom seized her by the arm and shook tell you to run time you seed & nigger unless 1 was wi them in searching parties, and giving to each group the si Tn & moment the white r into a homogeneous mass of love, sym- hate and revenge. poor, the learned and the ignorant, the banker and the blacksmith, the great and the small. they were all ohe now. sorrow of that old one-legged soldier was the sorrow of all, every heart beat with his, and his life was their life, and his chiid their child. But at the end of an hour there was not a negro among them! 2 tle instinct they had recognized the secret feelings and fears of the crowd and had Had they been beasts of the fleld the gulf between them would not reached Tom's house the crowd was divided into groups agreed upon and a signal gun given to each. If the child was not dead when found two should be fired—if dead, but one. He sought Tom to be sure there was no mistake and that the child_had not fallen asleep about the house. the old man shut up in his room kneel- in the middle of the floor praying. hen Gaston:laid his hand gently on his shoulder his lips ceased to move, and n a dazed sort of way rous impulses, Nothin’ can hurt nothin’ shall come d_her face with tears and kisses while he whispered and sooth her to sleep. When the noon train up from Independence arrived. Tom had asked Gaston to tele- graph for him in his name. ‘'om eagerly grasped his hand. eral, I knowed you'd man to tie to. fail in your life. smartest men in the world, never got us boys in a hole didn’t pull us out"— “What can I do for you?’ interrupted the general. “Ah, now's the worst of all, general. I'm in water too deep for me. the last one left on earth, the apple o my eye, all that holds my old achin’ world—she's—about—to— General, you must I want more doctors. They say there's a great doctor at Inde- I want ‘em all. to deny such The rich and up the incline. nigh you!” dame General Worth e was somewhere ““The doctor, For God's sake, quick! . yet—we may save her—help—help!” he sank again to the ground limp and faint from pain and was soon insensible. Gaston gathered the child tenderly in his arms and carried her to the house. The men hastily made a stretcher and carried Tom behind him, CHAPTER V. A THOUSAND LEGGED BEAST. While Gaston and the men were carry- ing Flora and Tom to the house, another searching party was formed. There were no women and children amon, rim-visaged silent men, an ttle mild-eyed sharp-nos All the morning men were coming in from the country and joining this silent army of searchers. -‘am and the By some sub- but he ‘wasn't hurtin’ me and you she cried bursting into tears. 've a notion to whip you good for Tom stormed. on’t, Tom; she won't do it any more, pleaded Gaston, taking and starting to the When they reached the , Tom was still pale and trembling come—you'ré & 1 never knowed you to disappeared. You're ono! of and his ears faid the general, wiil you, Fiora? house with her. there's so many trifiin’ niggers now stealing body 'to the I can't let her. save her for me. ed to death more afraid of 'em thard for a moment a e pressure anybody would hurt Tell 'em it's ed soldier who's shot ost his wife and all his children—=il but this one baby. And d bloodhounds. he looked at him at first without speaking. “Oh!—it's you, ssing the tears from a poor 0l3 one-leg; all to pleces and in't she?”’ sald Tom with the general's face is nowhere in t S he cried in a helpless “Yes, yes, I found her bomnet at I Jooked everywhere for an hour befors I called the neighbors!” “Then I'm off with the searchers. The signal is two guns if they find her alive. un i she is dead. You will under- 3 with them Yankee fei- h a likin® to me in the e that a poor white T'd gone out lers that took the general, and left with- » had a chance the spring. there wern't & nigger In twenty miles of their home. But then I lost my leg, how CHAPTER IIL caming with open eyes for & lIooking tenderly don’'t vou dare go GIVE YOU FIVE WRITE YOUR LAST A WHITE LIE. t as he walked back through ““Yes, Charlle,” answered the old soldier E Sy a “But, baby, as to be war Now he would see W £ BT AT PPE——————— white haired or let one get nigh you no a rattlesnake!’ * she cried with an in his warning Tdm's heart sick in a far-away tone of voice, “and don't help me pray® while you lovk Doctor Graham came, looked long and gravely at Flora and turned a sad face toward Tom The old soldier grasped nis arm be- fore he spoke. “Now, doctor, walt—don't say a word I don't want to know ..e trutn, if Don’t kill me in a min- They'll conie if you His voice broke. I'll have them nigh er nigger. I cag't lose her! n you would ’ 1l do it. Tom. on a special in three sooner,” returned the general, pre his hand and hurrying to the tried already, he answer- as he pressed his hand and the search was_heard. rns gleamed from every byway and hedge fur Torches and la The dootors arrived at 3 o'clock ana held a consultation 7They decided that the loss .of blood had been 80 great that the only transfusion of her body—after that! Through every hour of this awful night A s € Camp was his face now streaming with tears, now and white with the unsnoken terrur that eould stop the beat of hig heart. His snow-white beard disheveled, as he unconsciously tore them with his tzembling hands. crying in an agony’ of Just before the sun rose the signal gun pealed, its message of life, one! his neck and sq The doctor started to speak. pleaded Tom: ‘“let me tell been praying I've seen God face to face. told me so—" his grip on the doc- “I'll give her the blood, Tom." Gaston quietly removing his coat bating his arm. The old soldier throwing a Now he was close around his hot built a fence “lora was a baby to shut her tor's arm relaxed about to faint,. but he rallied. The kindly old “8it down, He tried to lead Tom a: bed, but he held on like a ext to the general, fr.end God ever give me, b The general turned his face away and laoked out of the window. The doctors immediately performed transfusing blood from Gaston into the The results promise what the: rose steadily. you're the best sald gently, in his office to his feet with blozing echoed the another hill, and fainter grew its rep: call from group to group of the sear the certalnty pak S that she was his, as he read and reread t glowing words he was sts had hoped. Her fever he became and immediately went into most fearful convulsions, breaking torn artery a second time. Just as the sun sank béhind the blue mountain peaks in the west her fluttered and she was deau. Tom sat by the bed for two hours, looking, looking, looking with wide star- ing eyes at her white dead face. There was not the trace of a tear. was set in a cold way and he never moved or spoke. ‘The preacher tried to comfert Tom, who stared at him as though he did nou recognize him at first; and then slowly “She's com- Tom’s face brightened. to, doctor—thank wod!" The doctor paid no more attention to him and went on with his work as best There! Glory to « od!"” he screamed at the top of his vuice, the last note of his At first he did not move, only look Sometimes mis- boys rang the bell and ran down one could catch them. its swift siroke seeming to grow louder ond wilder every He saw & man rush across the then the beil of the Metho- be praised!, I kiuew they would find her—she’s not dead, she's allve! alive! O _my soul, Iift up thy .head!" The tramp of swift feet was heard at the door and Gaston told him with husky steps before a and you ought Tom laid his tedr-stained face close to usand wounded hers and murmured soothingly to her as he used to when she was a wee baby . it will be all The doctor’s here and he'll And what he can't The doctor’ll save you. wiil save you! I prayed all night. I saw the shinin’ glory of his face! his poor old servant.” The broken artery was found and tied and the bleeding stopped. wound in her head was dressed the doc- om. bad, but not necessar- the general square, and up his men. in his arms: there, hone: he's allve, Tom, but unconscious. have her brought to the house. found just where your spring branch runs into the fiat rock, not five hundred yards from here in those woods. We will bring her in a minute.” Gaston bounded back to the scena. Tom paid no attention to his orders to rang after him jump- jolned their clamor to the alarm. right now! 118 mouth do all he can! snatched his hat and ran down the steps. As he reached the street, he heard the cry of a woman's voice, A lost chil He was nev; Stay where i rub his fur the *A lost child! What a cry! and awed by a human voice. 3 He's only tryl (] r so thrilled “Go away, preacher; I don't want to see or talk to you now. There is no God!" “Tom, Tom!" groaned the preacher. “I tell you I mean f{t” “I don’t want any more of God or his 1 don't want to see God. For shake my fist in stay at home, ing and fallin he_followed. was upon the excited.tearful stood in & circle around the child's body. 3aston, who was standing on the op- posite side from Tom's approach, saw himMand shouted: It's a swindl: for a tussle with him, Before they = transmitted tor_turned to you can beat him with vou if you've She's got his fire, an as she is can § through the centuries! 1 o door an exclted he_continued. A man was stand- group had gathered ing on the steps gesticulating wildly and telling the crowd all he knew about it. Over the din he “Tom Camp's Flora.” e breathed hard, bit his lips, and pray- ed instinctively. “Lord have mercy on the poor old man! It will kill him!” A great fear brooded over the hearts of the crow:d, and soon the tumtit was hushed raise God!" ‘Keep the house quiet and her see a strange face when she regains ,’* was his parting injunc- The next morning her breathin, regular and her verish; and abou out of her comatose state and regained She spoke but once, and ‘.sg.zhou\ do I should see him I'd d his face and ask him where his al- mighty power wes when m baly was screaming for help. ale, I tell you!” ¥ reacher was watching him now ity and tenderness. e it all is!" Tom repeated. “Scratch my name off the church roll. I ain't got many days more her I'm not a hypocrite. I'm o meet God cursin’ him to him around. ight the name. i and I'd much rather mot him see her vet!” But Tom was too quick He brushed aside the boy who caught at him, as though a feather, cry- ing: “Stand back!" The ecircle of men fell away from the body and in & moment Tom stood over it_transfixed with horror. ground with her clothes torn to shreds and stained with Her beautiful yellow curls were across her forehead in a dark red lump beside a wound where her skull clonsclousne cried Tom looking ulse stronger, she came her going toward the spring in woods there & minute consclousness. apparently at the sound of voice immediately *went into a convul- clinching trer little fists, scream- ing and calling her father for. help! When Tom first heard that awful cry and saw her terrible eyes and drawn into an dwed In Gaston's heart that fear became a horrible certainty from ihe first. half hour a thousand white were in the crowd. Gaston stood amung and began to hop and h toward the spring in' the branch be- ing and Tom saw the form of The preacher sli d his arm aro the old soldier's ne: k7 and smoothed the tangled hair back from his forehead as he sald brokenly: “Tom, I love you! My whole soul is melted in I{mpnhy and glg for you!" The stricken man looked up into the face of his friend. saw his tears and felt the warmth of his love flood his heart, and at last he burst into tear Frqu:her preacher! you're a good know, but I'm dons, I can't live Every minute, day and night, Tl hear them awful screams—her a callin * me for help! 1 can see her ivin’ out there in the woods all night alons moanin’ and bleedin’!” His breast heaved and he paused as it in reverie. And then he sprang up, his face livid and convulsed with volvanic assions, that half strangled him while e shrieked: “Ohl if I only had him here before me now, and God Almighty would give me strength with these hands to tear his breast open and rip his heart out!—I— could—en—ll—uk.e—a'—“ . any more! gif ‘When they reached the cemetery the next day and the body was about to be lowered into the grave, Tom suddenly spled old Uncle Reuben Worth leaning on his spade by the edge of the crowd Uncle Reuben was the grave digger of raisin “Don’t put her in that gravel dug it. I can’t stand it.” A nigs He turned to a group of old soldier comrades stand- -t ing by and said: ‘val&humor an old, broken man once mor‘ ‘ou'll dig another grave for me, won' you? It won't take long. The folks can go home that don't want to stay. I ain’t got ng home to go to now graveyard. His oomrades filled up the grave that Uncle Reuben had dug, and opened a new one on the other side of the graves ‘where slept his other loved ones. Gaston took Tom to his home and stay- od with him several hours trying to help him. He seemed to have settied into a stupor from which nothing could. rouse him. When at length the old man fell asleep, Gaston softly closed the door and returned to his office with a heavy heart. As he neared the center of the town, bhe heard a murmur like the distant moaning of the wind in the hush that comes before the storm. It grew louder ufl”“.ioudar and became articulate with onal words lhnt“ru far Am and unreal. What could it be?! He never heard such a sound before. Now it clearer and the murmur was the tread of a thousand feet and the clatter of horses’ hoofs. Not a cry, or & shout, or a word. Silence and hurry- ing feet Ah! he knew now. It was the searchers returning, & grim swaying voiceless mob with one black flgure amid them. They were swarming into the courthouse square under the big oak where an In- formal trial was to be held. He rushed forward to protest against a lynching. He could just catch glimpsa of the negro’s head swaying back and forth, protesting innocence in a sing- ing monotone as though he were already halt dead. He pushed his way roughly through the excited crowd, to the center where Hose Norman, the leader, stood with one end of a rope in his hand and the other around the negro's neck. The negro turned his head quickly to- ward the movement made by the crowd as Gaston pressed forward. It was Dick! Djck recognized him at the same mo- ment, leaped toward him and fell at his feet crying and pleading as he held his feet and legs. “Save me, Charlie! I nebber done ft! T nebber done it! For God's sake help me! Keep ‘em off! Dey gwiue burn me erlive!” Gaston titned to the ecrowd fen, there's not one am ved that old soldier and But you must not do this aro is gufity, we can prov Tt house there, the penalty with his 1 fair trial”— “That's w!” said & king “We know that tune. » lawyer has tk courthouse.” mingled with crowd “Fair trial!" snatching Dick f rope. “Look at t splotched all found him under a he'd by wad} n quarter of a mile to fool tk found track in the sand some where he missed the water and tra him_clear from where we found to the cave he was lying in. Fa - hell! We're just waitin' for ¢ o' ofl. You go back A read your law books—we'll tend ter t The messenger came w the crowd moved forwa “Down by Tom ( down the spring br where he killed her On the crowd moved forth with Gaston Dick's side begging f him. A c wd t shout is a fearful t thing inhuman in its Gas voice sounded discor They paid no m attent to his protest than to the chirp cricket They reached the spot where the child" body had been fou Th tied t screaming, praying negro to o and piled around his body a gr ap of dead wood and saturated it with oil. And thén they poured oil on his clothe Gaston 1 d Fim begging first one man elp him fight the crowd g hand was lifted, There was only was no negro in there was not a_cabin i that would not have given shelter to the brute, though they knew him guilty of the crime charged agiinst him. This was the one terrible fact that paralyzed Gaston's_efforts. Hose Norman stepped forward to ap- ply a match and Gaston grasped his arm “For God's sake, Hose, wait a minute!" he begged. ““Don’t di ce town, our county our State laims to humanit by this rutality. A beast wouldn't do 1 wouldn't kill a mad dog or a rattlesnake in such a way. If vc will ¥ him, shoot him or knock him in the don’t burn him alive ad with a rock— Hose glared at him and quietly re- marked: ‘Are you done now? If you are, stand He struck the match and Dick uttered a scream. As Hose leanwd forward with his match Gaston knocked him down, and a dozen stalwart men were upon him in a moment “Knock the shouted. “'Pin other. Some one quickly pinioned his arms with a cord. He stood in helpless rags and pity, and as he saw the match ap- plied, bowed his head and burst into tears. He looked up at the silent crowd stand- ing there like volceless ghosts with re- newed wonder. Under the glare of the light and the tears the crowd seemed to melt into & great crawling - swaying creature half reptile half beast, half' cragon half man, with a thousand legs, and 2 thousand eyes, and ten thousand gleaming teeth, and with no ear to hear and no keart to pity! All they would grant him was the privi- lege of gathering Dick's ashes and char- red bones for b;)rtal. o The morning following the lynching, the preacher hurried to Tom Camp's to see how he was bearing the strain. His door was- wide open, the bureau drawers pulled out, ransacked, and some of their contents were lying on the floor. “Poor old fellow, I'm afraid he's gona fool in the head!"” one his arms behind him!" sald an- crazy!” exclaimed the preacher. He hur- ried to the cemetery. There he found Tom at the newly made grave. He had worked through the night and dug the grave open with his bare hands and pull- ed the coffin up out of the ground. He had broken . his finger nalls all off try- ing to open it and his fingers were bleed- ing. At last he had given up the effort to open the coffin, sat down beside it, and was arranging her toys he had made for her beside the box. He had brought a lot of her clothes, a pair of little shoes and stockings, and a bonnet, and he had placed these out earefully on top of the lid. He was talking to her. The preacher lifted him gently and led him away, a hopeless madman. CHAPTER VL THE BLACK PERIL. The longer Gaston pondered over the tragic events of that lynching the more sinister and terrible hgcame its meaning, and the deeper he W lunged in melan- choly. 3 Beyond all doubt, within his own mem:. ory, since the negroes under Legree’ lead had drawn the color line In politi the races had been dr¥ting steadily apart. The gulf was now impagsable. aucgucrlrnn as_Dick had committed and for which he had paid such an awtul penalty, were unknown absolutely un- .all the laws der slavery, and wers unknown for two years after the war. Their first appear- ance was under Legree's regime. Now, scarcely a day passed in the & . ou the record of su: followed by a lynchi bad become a habit Since MeLeod's such cr ing rapidity negroes but resistiess. hundred and fifty the State elect the col selves eral power, the its ad 1 red to recall d. o thought.of the d ture and wealth he courage of co: would angwer th: ] nis kindred for he thousand-legged bea the shadows, would I-legged beast around tha beacc e of a Godless revenge! More and more the impossible position of the negro in America came home to his mind. He was fast being overwhelm- ed with the conviction that seoner or later we must quarely face the fact that ounting millions in num~ live together under & de- acy. recafled the fact that there were He more negroes in the United than inhabitants in Mexico, the Pepubd- lic of the world Amalgamation simply meant Afrieaniza. tion. The big nostrils, flat nose, ve jaw, protruding lp and kinky hale will register their annual marks over the proudest intellect and the rarest besut o ny other race, The rule that ha no exception was that one drop of negro blood makes a negro, a the What could be mruv What was bis duty as a citisen an: ‘Tawm>er s St Camp and that mobd quuw was in- tent and persopal It alou his so d weighed on him lke the horrors a nightmare. Again and again the fateful words the preacher had dinned into his ears sinos ehilar You e nation Inside a nat tic races. The future American must be an Anglo-Saxon or & mulatte. * His dep: on and brooding over the v s in which he had so recent- 3 lifs and all . He had reflected to Saille Worth with- ¢ ) ning the events. His heart was of sickening foreboding. How could ne love and be happy in a world by such horrors! He his sense of lonelines: 80— of his inexpressible need of presence in his daily life. only intensified had written that 1 yet she could not cloud the anger of her father broken heart of her mother by ast & month. S letter be add y place among the leaders he_told himself I will e - 1 1¢ T cannot without CHAPTER H A RESERVATION. ed ndignant be the climax 1 res committed in sid succession, and the was reported with ss by & young in asis and unity ssue an appeal to home alone. T Lowell had made one of the his career at the mass meet- d in Faneuil Hall, and he was In re he had gone to make idress In the Cooper Union ympathizers. ompanied ht ted by the eloquent an or human brotherheod T n Boston. There X Eng- been shocked more than prejudices of the t his race. His soul had the last of its powers of times. He found to his hat, when put to test. of the North had even deeper to the person of & negro than utherners who grew up with him from the cra He had found Rimself off from every honorable way of earn- his bread, gentleman and scholar he was, and had looked iato the walked over the bridge te with a well-nigh re- le. ing th blem of bread. Others had this man of tralned ed him. He had face. Lowell imagination, image of God, fres from all super- , a citizen of the powers taught the w was, to the ideal man ma calm in stitions and prejudice world ®f human thought, & prince of that vast ethical ar acy of the free think- ers of all ag o knew no racial or conventional barriers between man and a volume of had _dedicated to inspiring verse was y ng of his soul in wor- s ideal man, votea worshiper for an- had published he had most white-robed the same Now L T ise_with her was then he had stood and turned the music and sang one of his he would live on that eatl! his heart out earnings he dared not nis cadence . a his hearers, in a spell. It i3 needless to say it was in this music he breathed his secret_love. At first he had not dared to hope for the day when he could declare this secret or take his plac e € her ad- mirers and But of late a great hope and illumined the world stened to Lowel human br C g ridi- cule of pride and adice, and the Joetic beauty of fhe language in which e proclaimed his own emancipation from e. the flery eloquence he trampied upon all the bar- rlers man had erected arainst his fallow man, his soul was thrilled into ecstacy with the conviction that this scholar and scientific thinker, at least, was a free man. He was sure that he had® risen with wh