The case wuz suthin like this:—
Deekin Pogram wuz charged by Elder Slather with hevin, in broad daylite, with no attempt at concealment, drunk with a nigger, and a free nigger at that, in Bascom’s grocery, and to prove the charge Deekin Slather called Deekin Pennibacker.
The Deekin wuz put onto the stand, and testified ez follows:—
“Wuz in Bascom’s grocery a playin seven up for the drinks with Deekin Slather, Hed jist beet the Deekin one game and hed four on the second, and held high, low, and jack, and wuz modritly certin uv goin out, partiklerly ez the Deekin didn’t beg. Wuz hevin a little discussion with him—the Deekin insistin that it wuz the best three in five, instead uv the best two in three, jest ez though a man cood afford to play five games between drinks! The ijee is preposterous and unheard of, and ther ain’t no precedent for any sich course. We wuz settlin the dispoot in regler orthodox style—he hed his fingers twisted in my neck handkercher, and I held a stick uv stove wood suspended over his head. While in this position we wuz transfixed with horror at seein Deekin Pogram enter, arm-in-arm with a nigger, and,—”
The Court.—Arm-in-arm, did you say, Brother Pennibacker?
Witness.—Certainly.
The Court.—The scribe will make a minnit uv this. Go on.
Witness.—They cum in together, ez I sed, arm-in-arm, walked up to the bar, and drank together.
By the Court.—Did they drink together?
Witness.—They ondeniably did.