| Show JUST TO OBLIGE A JURY He Was in Jail but Not for the Heinous Offenso of Hog Stealing The colonel and I stood talking in front of the postoffice when a colored man who held his cap in his hand approached ap-proached and said I Kurnel Thomas I har yo wants to git a man out on de plantashun Yes I want a man out there replied re-plied the colonel as he looked the negro over Seems to me Ive seen you before be-fore 2 Reckon not sah Ize new aroun yereBut But Im sure Ive seen you somewhere some-where Lets see I was over at Selma the other day Yes sah yo was ober to Selma And while there I called at the jailYes Yes sah yo called at the jail Dey has got a powerful nice jail ober to Selma And while at the jail I saw a colored col-ored man who was serving a sentence for stealing a hog No doubt of it kurnel Yes yo dun saw a culld pusson right in dat jail at Selma And you are the man said the colonel as he laid his hand on the negros shoulder Jes so kurneljes so I was right in dat jail at Selma an I dun mem bers of seein yo pass along Curious wat a memry some white folks has got in their heads But pou dont suppose I want a man whos been in jail for stealing do you exclaimed the colonel No sahno sah Of cose yo dont Dats what Ize yere to dis plain about Yo got it all wrong bout dat hog kurnel De pussopi who dun stole de hog was asleep when yo called I wasnt in dat jail fur stealin no hog Ize no sich man as datThen Then what were you in for Why dey said dem two bags of cottonseed meal what dey found in my cart was tooken from de depo Oh I see Well whats the dif ference 2 Whats de difference Heaps o difference sah On de one hand Ize loadin up a barl o salt arter dark and dem bags jes tumbled into my cart when my back am turned On de oder hand a pusson goes out by day light an runs a hog around de woods fur ober two hours before he cotches a hind leg Scuse me kurnel I did reckon Id like to work on yor plantation but if yo am de sort oman o-man who cant see de difference be tween a pusson restin in jail to obleege de jury an bein sent to jail fur steal in a hog I couldnt trust my reputa shun in yor hands Good mawnin Kurnel Thomasgood mawnin lM Quad in Chicago Times |
