A Nice Young Man

[ddurbin]

from the HOWARD COUNTY LEDGER, Elk Falls, Aug. 13, 1874

A NICE YOUNG MAN

Mr. Charlie Garner is a very fine young gentleman.  He is smooth-tongued, sleek-haired, has delicate, feminine hands, a beautiful bronze moustache---but he will steal.

He used to run a picture shop in Howard City, but that was too slow a way to make money; so, after attending the campmeeting, lately held near Howard City, he concluded that he had imbibed religion enough to do for a while, and getting upon the back of a horse which belonged to one of those who were devoutly worshipping, he "slid" out for Eureka, where he sold his horse for $12 and an old watch; he considered this a pretty good speculation and on his return home he found a mule which was blind in one eye.  He slipped up on the blind side of his muleship, and having mounted, they (the mule and nice young man) started for Texas, where the mule may possibly go but the nice young man is more likely to go to the penitentiary.

After stealing the mule he meandered along slowly, arriving in the vicinity of Longton on last Sunday morning.  Here he was "fetched up a standin" by Squire Cannon, who had a description of the mule, and knew his bird the moment his eyes set upon him.  The nice young man confessed the whole thing to Mr. Cannon; says he took the horse and sold it in Eureka, and that he concluded to go to Texas and thought he would take the mule along for company.

The nice young man was turned over to deputy Sheriff Shellady who will remove him to Iola for safe-keeping until the district court sits in October.

[flo]

had to smile as I read this.  The way it is written, you can almost picture this young man as he went about his meanderings.

[Teresa]

I know it! Isn't it great the way that they used to write?
What happened anyway to that style of writing.?...where you could just put yourself right in the situation , so to speak.