Tombstone Tuesday - Hidden in Plain Site

 

Etta Fleming Hubbard

b. 06 Aug 1890 in Augusta, Richmond, Georgia, USA
d. 19 Oct 1979 in Greenwich, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA

laid to rest at
Summerville Cemetery
Augusta, Richmond, Georgia, USA

    Etta was married to my 3rd cousin 3x removed, Ralph Hustace Hubbard.  Our common ancestors are Thomas Hubbard II and Sarah Boardman.  These are lines you don't see me writing about often, since these are my Northern (Yankee) ancestors, and I do not know as much about them.  What is ironic is that Ralph was raised in Manhattan, New York and Etta was from right here in Augusta.  I do not know how they met, but Etta lived in the Northeast most of her adult life.  It appears that when she passed, she wanted to come home to Georgia.

        

     Summerville Cemetery is not far from where I now live.  It is a lovely, old cemetery, with lots of ornate headstones and the graves of several famous Georgians.  Cousin Keith and I went there last week, and Etta's was the only grave I was in search of there. We probably walked past her headstone a hundred times, but didn't see it.  It was only after we left for a bit, did some research on our phones, found out she was on the same headstone with her parents, and saw a picture of it that we went back, determined not to leave until we found it.  It still took us awhile.  There is no large Fleming Grave marker.  There is not even a small one.  Just this headstone with the words hard to read.  But find it we did!  

Friday Faces from the Past - My Daddy

 

Gilbert Earl Tapley
b. 19 June 1928 in Johnson County, Georgia, USA
d. 15 December 2008 in Augusta, Richmond, Georgia, USA

    There are no baby photos of my father.  His father died when he was 7 years old, his mother was raising six children on her own and working as many jobs as she could to feed them all; there was no extra money for photographs. 

    This picture is from about 1942-43, when Daddy was 14 years old.  It was taken at the boys' home, or as it is called today, the Youth Detention Center, in Milledgeville, Georgia. 

    What crime did he commit? Well, he TRIED to siphon gas out of a truck. He didn't get any gas, but Grandma (Nealie Drake Tapley 1895-1970) turned him in.  I think she was overwhelmed.  He was the youngest and he was giving her fits. So she tried tough love. 

    Daddy spent 16 months or so in the boys' home.  He often said he spent his 15th birthday there.  They taught him to cut hair there.  He ran away once and managed to hitchhike all the way to Jacksonville, Florida.  He got a job and was doing quite well.  Until Grandma's sister saw him and turned him in.  Even after that adventure, he got out of the boys' home before he turned 16. 

    His time there shaped the rest of his life. He was a law abiding citizen from then on. He hated ground beef because evidently ground meat was frequently served in the boys' home. He didn't like to be cooped up or told what to do. Those months made the deepest impact on his soul of anything else he went through in his life.

Thriller Thursday

    Slydell Kitchens (1923-1953) was 30 years old and seemingly living the American dream.  He had been married for 3-4 years, he had a roof over his head (probably a rental house), and he was working as a crane operator.  However, life can turn on a dime, and unfortunately, that is what happened to Slydell late one night in 1953 in Augusta.

    It was late at night/early in the morning when Slydell was driving on Lumpkin Road near Highway 25 (Peach Orchard Road) here in Augusta. We don't know where he was coming from that late, maybe it was his job, maybe not. For whatever reason (it was a different time in 1953), Slydell stopped two men he saw walking on Lumpkin Road and asked them for a match.  In turned, they asked for a ride.  Slydell obliged. After he had driven a short distance, the two men began beating Slydell, and then left him along the highway after taking his clothes and automobile.  

    Not sure how long Slydell lay bleeding on the side of the road, but he was able to flag down a passing car. A man and a women picked him up and took him home.  

    A neighbor called the sheriff's office at 4:25 am on this Friday morning, September 18, 1953.  Deputies and a criminal investigator arrived, finding Slydell badly beaten.  He told them the story, but they were dubious because Slydell's condition prevented him from being coherent.  

    Deputies did finally take him to University Hospital.  I don't know if it was before, during the trip, or after he arrived at the hospital, but Slydell lapsed into a coma and was unable to answer any more questions.

    Now, I will be the first to admit that I was dubious of Slydell's story at first.  Here's why:

    - Why stop and ask strangers for matches in the middle of the night?

    - Where was Slydell coming from when this happened? Was it somewhere he didn't want his wife or anyone to know?

    - Why would the assailants steal his clothes and leave him naked?  It was determined that the motive for the crime was robbery.  Slydell did have some money on him, plus they took the car, but why strip him?

    - Why would two strangers stop in the middle of the night and pick up a bleeding, naked man?

    - Why did it take so long for anyone to contact law enforcement... and why did it end up being a neighbor who made the call?

    The criminal investigator did put out a plea for the people who picked Slydell up that night to contact him or come down to the sheriff's office to answer questions.  

    While Slydell was fighting for his life, the investigators had very little to go on to find the men who beat him. Then on Wednesday afternoon (September 23rd) at 3:50 p.m., Slydell died from internal injuries.

    Disclaimer regarding the following news articles.  I do not personally condone the description of the hitch-hikers.  Just consider the time (early 1950's) and the place (the South). 

Transcription by Claude:

Man, 30, dies of beating inflicted by hitch-hikers

A 30-year-old man who had been severely beaten early Friday morning, died yesterday at University hospital, and county deputies last night were probing every possible clue in an attempt to find his assailants.  

Slydell Kitchens, 30, of 2400 Danville street, died at 3:50 p.m., apparently from internal injuries, hospital authorities said. An autopsy will be held to determine the exact cause of death.

Chief Criminal Investigator C. M. Pond said he has been able to obtain little information to help solve the case.

He said Deputies Johnny Wilkinson and W. E. Simmons answered a call at 4:25 a. m. Friday to Kitchens’ home where they found him badly beaten.

They quoted Kitchens as saying he stopped two Negro men walking on Lumpkin road near Highway 25 and asked them for a match. In turn, they asked for a ride. After he had driven a short distance, Kitchens told the officers, the two men began beating him, and then left him along the highway after taking his pants, shorts and automobile.

The officers quoted Kitchens as saying he hailed a passing car and was picked up by an unidentified white man and woman, who drove him to his home.

(Deputy Pond said that if either of these two persons read this story to contact him at the sheriff’s office.)

Deputies called to Kitchens' home by a neighbor took the injured man to University Hospital, where they were joined by Deputies Pond and Jesse Redd and City Detective B. J. Cheek.

Officers said Kitchens lapsed into a coma and was unable, thereafter, to give a coherent statement.

Kitchens' automobile was found abandoned Sunday at Taylor and Eighth streets.

He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Myra Mae Kitchens; mother, Mrs. Janie Williams of Augusta; three brothers, Hoyt Kitchens of Gibson, Ga., Wesley Kitchens of Washington, D.C., and Harris Kitchens of Gibson; four sisters, Mrs. Asa McCoy of Gibson, Mrs. W. S. Williams of Winter Haven, Fla., Mrs. D. H. Hardin of Augusta and Mrs. Cleo Chalker of Augusta. 

He was born in Gibson and was employed as a crane operator at the time of his death.

Funeral services will be announced later by Elliott Sons.

Handwritten by a librarian at the Augusta Library who printed this for me: “Augusta Chronicle, Thursday, September 24, 1953, Page C7.”

    Then lo and behold, three days after Slydell passed away, the woman from the mystery couple came forward and visited the sheriff's office.  She told Investigator Pond that she and a man were the ones "who found the bloody and nude victim on Lumpkin road and gave him a ride home."  She wished to remain unidentified, but her story confirmed what Slydell had told the deputies.  

    Deputy Pond said the sheriff's office was still a long way from identifying the attackers.  However, the woman's story established that Slydell had received the beating on Lumpkin road, and that the rest of his story was probably true. 

Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, Georgia - September 26, 1953, page 2 via NewsBank

Transcription by Claude:

"Murder case clue

Woman admits aiding hitch-hikers' victim

The voluntary appearance of a woman in the sheriff's office has lent impetus to the investigation into the fatal beating of an Augusta man by two hitch-hikers last week.

Slydell Kitchens, 30, of 2406 Danville street, died Wednesday at University hospital from injuries inflicted the previous Friday morning on Lumpkin road.

A woman, who wished to remain unidentified, came to the sheriff's office and told Chief Criminal Investigator C. M. Pond she and a man were the ones who found the bloody and nude victim on Lumpkin road and gave him a ride home after he had been beaten and robbed by two Negroes.

Confirmation

Her story confirmed that of Kitchens, who told county deputies before he died he had been beaten and robbed of his clothing and automobile, and that two unidentified persons had given him a lift home.

Kitchens' car was found later abandoned at Taylor and Eighth streets.

The woman said she had worried about the man since they left him at his home but didn't know what to do until she read a story in Thursday's Chronicle about Kitchens' death. The story also contained a plea by Deputy Pond, requesting the persons who helped Kitchens to contact him at the sheriff's office.

Solution uncertain

This established the fact that Kitchens received the beating on Lumpkin road, and that the rest of his story was probably true, Deputy Pond said. Previously, the officers said they were dubious of some of the things he said because his condition prevented all he told to be coherent.

Deputy Pond said they are still far from establishing the identity of Kitchens' assailants, but the motive has now been fixed as robbery. Kitchens had some money on the night of the robbery, but it has not been determined how much."

    Three days after Slydell's death, an article was printed in the local paper entitled "Three inquests held by coroner's jury..." One of the inquests was about Slydell and the article states, "Continued investigation by the sheriff's department was recommended in the death of Slydell Kitchens, who was beaten and fatally injured by unknown parties on Lumpkin road."   - Augusta Chronicle, 29 Sept 1953, p. 3

    Of course, that is all the information I could locate about this case.  I personally doubt they ever found the people involved. I also believe there is more to the story. One great big mystery never to be solved. 

"Funeral notices

KITCHENS – Died September 23, 1953, at 3:50 p.m., Mr. Slydell Kitchens, husband of Mrs. Myra Mae Tapley Kitchens. Funeral services will be conducted at Bethel Methodist Church, Stapleton, Ga., this (Friday) afternoon at 3 o'clock, the Rev. J. W. Brinkley officiating. Funeral cortege will leave the funeral home at 2 o'clock. Interment, churchyard cemetery. Elliott Sons." - Transcription by ChatGPT

Slydell was married to my 2nd cousin, Myra Mae Tapley.  Our common ancestors are James Madison "Jim" Tapley and Elizabeth Rebecca "Becky" Page Tapley.

Wedding Wednesday

 

STATE OF GEORGIA, JOHNSON COUNTY
 

TO ANY JUDGE, JUSTICE OF THE PEACE, OR MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL:

 You are Hereby Authorized to Join

 Solomon Tapley and Betsey Scarboro

 in the Holy State of Matrimony, according to the Constitution and Laws of this State, and for so doing this shall be your license. And you are hereby required to return this License to me with your certificate thereon of the fact and date of the marriage.

Given under my hand and seal, this 25th day of October, 1905.

J. M. Hightower (L. S.)

ORDINARY.

---

GEORGIA, JOHNSON COUNTY.                                                         CERTIFICATE.

    I certify that Solomon Tapley and Betsey Scarboro were joined in matrimony by me, this 10th day of Dec, 1905.

S. M. Harris  M.G. 

(Minister of the Gospel)

Recorded January 11th, 1906                                                                  J. M. Hightower, Ordinary.

Transcript provided by ChatGPT with quite a bit of formatting and correction by yours truly.

Solomon Tapley 1881-1971

and

Betsey Scarboro 1887-1960

(pictured here with their two oldest children, Alma Bell Tapley 1907-1973

and James Aulton Tapley 1910-1992)

Solomon and Betsey were married for 55 years and had six children together.

Uncle Sol was my grand uncle:

Tombstone Tuesday

 

Flossie L Edwards Price

b 11 Aug 1909 in Richmond County, Georgia, USA

d 31 Dec 1976 in Augusta, Richmond, Georgia, USA

laid to rest at

Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery

Augusta, Richmond, Georgia, USA

    Flossie was the wife of my half 2nd cousin, 1x removed, James Irvin Price Sr.  Our common ancestor is Lincelia E 'Celia' Claxton Price Schwalls.

    

    Funny story of how I found Flossie's headstone. The other day, my cousin, Keith, and I went out to the cemetery. I had a list of graves I wanted pictures of, and Keith was basically keeping me company and looking for graves or other items of interest to him. Hillcrest is not the easiest cemetery in which to locate a grave. It is divided into sections; for example, Flossie's grave is located in Peace (D). I have a map so the section themselves are not hard to find. However there are NO lot or space numbers marked. So you literally have to walk the entire section to find the grave site(s) you are looking for. Even with Keith's help, it sometimes took a long time and a lot of crisscrossing the section to find.

    So Flossie was the only grave site in this section that I was trying to find. We walked up and down and across with no luck. Keith finally found a group of Prices, but Flossie was not among them. So we walked some more. Finally we met up, and I said let's just go to the next section. I'll just come back another day and get assistance from the office to locate it. So I turned to my left to head to the next section, instinctively looked down to make sure I wouldn't step on a headstone, and there was Flossie. Not six inches from my foot. To me, it was like she wanted me to find her!

    You'll be seeing more tombstones from our visit to Hillcrest in the coming weeks. Here's the map of the cemetery (forgive the bad photo - my printer would not scan the image no matter what I tried!):

Military Monday

    Military Monday posts are made to honor those in my family tree who have served in the United States military.

Hubert Thomas Davis

U.S. Navy & U.S. Army, World War II

b. 06 Aug 1921 in Manning, Baker, Florida, USA

d. 23 Feb 1995 in Ellenwood, Clayton, Georgia, USA

burial: Garden of Memories Cemetery, Tampa, Hillsborough, Florida, USA

Military Marker photo courtesy of Find-A-Grave

    Hubert was the husband of my 5th cousin, 3x removed, Shirley Marie "Shellie" Price. Our common ancestors are John Moore and Sarah Norris.

Friday Faces from the Past

 Lincelia E "Celia" Claxton Schwalls

b. 10 Apr 1839 in Edgefield County, South Carolina, USA

d. 18 Jan 1882 in Johnson County, Georgia,  USA

    Celia married George W Schwalls Sr. in 1866 in Edgefield County, South Carolina.  He moved her to Kite, Johnson, Georgia, USA. They had seven children together before Celia's early passing at age 42.

    Celia was one of the 10 children of Zachariah William Claxton (1806-1895) and Lincelia 'Lincely' Bush Claxton (1806-1872).  They are the reason I am related to Claxtons everywhere, it seems.  I have found several folks I went to high school with who, unbeknownst to me, are my cousins... through the Claxton line.  I do believe I am related to more Claxtons than Tapleys!

    Celia Claxton Schwalls was my 2nd great-grandmother:

Tombstone Tuesday - Robert L Kight

 

  I asked ChatGPT about the symbolism at the top of the headstone, and this is what it shared:

"The symbolism on this headstone is quite meaningful. The carved image at the top shows a hand pointing downward, with what appears to be rings or chains around the fingers.

Interpretation:

1. Hand Pointing Downward – While a hand pointing upward typically symbolizes the soul ascending to heaven, a downward-pointing hand can have multiple interpretations. In some cases, it represents the "Hand of God" reaching down to take the soul to the afterlife. It does not necessarily symbolize damnation, as some might think, but rather divine intervention or guidance.

2. Rings or Chain Links – The presence of rings or a chain could represent a connection between the deceased and those left behind. If they are broken links, this may symbolize a "broken chain," often used to indicate the passing of a family member, breaking the earthly bond with loved ones.

3. Fraternal or Religious Symbolism – Sometimes, hands on tombstones are associated with fraternal organizations like the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), Freemasons, or other societies that used specific hand symbols to denote membership. If this person was affiliated with such a group, the rings or chain might indicate their involvement.

At first glance, it  [the image above the hand] might look like a lamb, but upon closer inspection, it appears to be a cloud or cuffed sleeve from which the hand is emerging. This design is common in 19th and early 20th-century gravestones, symbolizing the Hand of God reaching down.

However, if it were a lamb, that would carry Christian symbolism, as the lamb represents Jesus Christ (the "Lamb of God") and innocence, often seen on the graves of children. The texture and weathering of the stone may make it look more ambiguous."

  Robbie was only 17 years old when he passed away.  

Robert Lee "Robbie" Kight/Kite

 

b 30 Jan 1886 in Georgia, USA

d 02 Feb 1903 in Georgia, USA

 

laid to rest at

Kite City Cemetery

Kite, Johnson County, Georgia, USA

 

Son of

William Norris "Bill" Kight (1851-1919)

and Sarah L Tapley (1854-1923)

 

Robbie was my 3rd cousin, 2x removed.  

 

Our common ancestor is 

Newhampton Tapley (?-abt 1807)

Military Monday

  Military Monday posts are made to honor those in my family tree who have served in the United States military.

Emerson Lanier Burns

U.S. Army, Korea, POW

August 4, 1950 - August 21, 1953

  I chose Emerson for Military Monday today because I found the most interesting blog post about him and other POWs from Laurens County. 

"Emerson Burns left Adrian, Georgia at the age of eighteen, when he joined the Army in 1949. Burns was sent to Korea on August 4, 1950. While in Korea, Sgt. Burns worked as a radio operator and truck driver. In November 1950, Burns and his unit barely escaped capture when the Chinese Army overran his division. A member of HQ Company, 38th Regiment, 2nd Division, Burns was in Wanju in January of 1951 when he and seven hundred fifty other soldiers were taken prisoner. Burns and his unit had gotten through the roadblock at Kunure, where many of the 2nd Division troops had been killed. Burns' six by six truck had its gas tank shot out. The men were forced to march for three months. On the seven hundred mile march the men were given twelve total days of rest. One in five of the men would live to see the end of the war. Burns and the others were taken to Camp Number 1 near Chonwon. When they first arrived, the prisoners were fed twice a day. Their diet mainly consisted of soy beans and millet. Later the meals were changed to dry fish and rotting eggs. They had to eat it. It was their only food.

Temperatures in the Korean winter often fellow to thirty degrees below zero. Burns recalled that the men were allowed to have a fire in a home-made furnace for about an hour a day. The men lived in mud huts with mud floors. Eventually Burns was stricken with beri-beri, a disease caused by vitamin deficiencies. When truce talks began in 1951, the prisoners were allowed to write letters home. In the long days in the mud huts, Burns dreamed of living in Dublin. He did not know that his parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.D. Burns, had already moved to Dublin. Burns wrote home several times, stating that he was doing as well as could be expected."

From: https://dublinlaurenscountygeorgia.blogspot.com/2013/07/korean-war-pows-will-never-be-forgotten.html

Go read the entire post.  It is very interesting!

Emerson was my 3rd cousin, 1x removed.  Our common ancestors are Francis Bryant Drake and Selina Henlee King Drake.

Sympathy Sunday

  Sympathy Days will be where I share the obituaries and my condolences for members of my family tree who passed recently.  When you get to be a certain age, you begin to read the obituaries every day.  As the days go by, you read about more and more of your friends and family members who have died.  You compare their age to your own and get a jolt. "That could have been me." 

  For genealogists, checking obituaries and visiting cemeteries is as normal as breathing. I learn so much from an obituary, i.e., maiden names, parents' names; children's' and grandchildren's' names, funeral and burial locations, sometimes even a cause of death.  I want to learn these things not for any purpose but to put it on the family tree for future generations to see and learn about the family that went before them. I admit, most of these relatives I have never met, but I think it is important to share that they were here on this Earth, and they were important.

  So I am signed up with at least three funerals homes from Swainsboro, Vidalia, and Wrightsville to get daily notices of obituaries sent to my email.  Every day, I peruse them and with the help of the family tree, figure out who is related to me and add any new information to the tree.    Some weeks there are several, and some weeks there are none.  

         "Mr. Lonnie Hilton Barwick, age 74, of Adrian, passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning, March 18, 2025, at his home. Funeral services were conducted Sunday, March 23, at 2 p.m. from the graveside in Watson – Odomville Cemetery with Karen Breedlove officiating. Family received friends Sunday, March 23, at the gravesite. Mr. Barwick was laid to rest beside his wife.

        Born in Dublin, Lonnie was the youngest of two sons and one of three children born to the late John T. Barwick and Tasia Petrova Barwick. He grew up in Adrian, and in 1968, moved to Atlanta and launched a forty-year career as a Master Carpenter and Independent Contractor in the North Atlanta area. Lonnie retired in 2008 and returned to Adrian. In 2011, he married Cynthia Louise Cronic of Madison who passed away in 2023. Mr. Barwick is preceded in death by his parents; wife; infant brother, Maurice; sister, Gloria Hun; and grandson, Donnie Davis.

        Mr. Lonnie leaves behind his daughter, Tracy Barwick MacDonald, Griffin; granddaughter, Lauren Davis; and great-grandson, Zane Costello.

        Sammons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements."

            - Obituary courtesy of Emanuel County Live (online news source), Swainsboro, Emanuel, Georgia, USA, posted Wednesday, April 2, 2025.

  Lonnie was my 3rd cousin.  Our common ancestors are William Robert Harrell and Catherine M. Odom Harrell.

  Please join me in offering condolences to Lonnie's family and friends and holding them in the light.

Black Sheep Sunday - Hugh Dorsey Tapley (1919-2007)

   When my grandfather, Lusion K Tapley died in 1935, my grandmother, Nealie Drake Tapley, was only 40 years old. She had six children to support, ranging in age from 7 years old (my father, Gilbert, the youngest) to 20 years old (my Uncle Lamar, the oldest).  She worked various jobs over the years, from telephone operator to sharecropping.  The oldest boys all worked on local farms to help out. No matter how hard the labor she had to do to make a living, I am sure that raising 5 boys and a girl was harder, especially in their teenage years.  There are so many stories in our family of how the boys would try to get away with something and Grandma's creative kind of discipline to deal with their mischief. To say that Grandma Nealie had her hands full is an understatement.  She had to work hard to keep up with those children, especially the boys.

  Uncle Hugh was the 3rd oldest. He was 15 years old when their father died.  He was wild as a buck the next few years.  It seemed that every time his older brother, Russ, would get into trouble, Hugh would catch the blame and part of the punishment, even when he didn't deserve it.  There is no way of knowing exactly how losing his father at a young age, trying to stay out of trouble with his very religious and tough mother, trying to keep up with his two older brothers, the hard work of farm life, the endless poverty and struggle to have food to eat... how all of that combined in him to form the man he became.  

  Uncle Hugh was a complicated man. Was he a black sheep? Maybe not, but he was definitely borderline scoundrel.  

Arrow points to Hugh Tapley
circa 1942-1944

  There were some signs. He dated a local girl, Annie Lois Gladin, who ended up marrying his oldest brother, Lamar.  He also dated a girl named Blanche Dixon, and because of the events in the story I'm about to share with you, they broke up and she married Hugh's brother, Dempsey.  As soon as he could,  Hugh got a good, civilian job at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida, probably so he wouldn't have to worry about money so much again. Uncle Hugh was very tight with his money; however, he and my father always seemed to be in some kind of contest of who had the nicer car.  If Uncle Hugh went and bought a new car, my father followed suit... and vice versa.  Hugh liked nice cars, especially Lincolns. Uncle Hugh could be abusive to his wife and four children. He had money for nice cars, but didn't always share that money for food or clothes for the kids. 

  Like most everyone, Hugh was not all bad.  He was a scoundrel, but loveable.  He could do something bad and then turn around and do something good.  The following story is an example of this.  I am going to share this story almost exactly as my father always told it, so I am sure there are some discrepancies included.   

  Sometime around 1938, when Hugh would have been about 19-20 years old, he borrowed a mule and a buggy from his friend's, James Burnett, employer (on a local farm), and he and James went out to the  local honkytonk called the Beeline right at the city limits of Kite,  on the road to Swainsboro.  After a night of drinking and good times, the two went outside to get the mule and buggy to head home. They got into an argument over where the mule was tied, and James Burnett called Hugh a "SOB." Hugh quickly told him to take that back or he would cut James's throat.  James refused to take it back. So as any 19-20 year old Southern boy defending his honor would do, Hugh pulled out his pocket knife.  But then he cut James's throat... literally from ear to ear.  Maybe the act sobered him up. Maybe he just realized what he had done, and he wanted to fix it. Either way, he proceeded to carry James Burnett to the doctor's house to have him sewn up, and thus saved his life. 

  Then self-preservation kicked in. He left James, at the doctor's supposedly, and returned to the bar to get the mule and buggy. He went to the home of his older (half) brother, James (or Fella as the family called him), and told him what happened.  I think all of the kids went to Uncle James at one point or another for help or advice.  He was the type to give you the shirt off his back.  Anyway, Fella must have told Hugh to go to Wrightsville and see their Uncle Jim (James L "Jim" Tapley [1868-1941]), who was a long-time Johnson County Sheriff's Deputy.  

  So Hugh rode to Wrightsville, a distance of about 10 miles, in the middle of the night by mule and buggy.  He told Uncle Jim what happened, and Jim's first question was "Do you have a gun?" Hugh said he did not.  Uncle Jim's advice? Get a gun and watch his back as far as Burnett goes. So it was then that Uncle Hugh left town and went to Jacksonville, Florida in order to give James Burnett some time to calm down.  

  I don't know how long he was gone, but eventually Hugh came back home.  The funny thing?  He and James Burnett ended up working side by side at the farm again.  

  Several years later, my father, Gilbert, moved to Jacksonville, and he was working at the shipyard.  A new guy came in and kept staring at him. Gilbert finally had enough and asked the guy what his problem was. The guy asked him, "Are you Hugh Tapley?" My dad replied, "No. That's my brother." It was none other than James Burnett.  He showed my father his scar, and Gilbert knew exactly who he was. They got along just fine from that point on.

  Scoundrel, I said.  But Uncle Hugh seemed to always get away with it.

  He was my favorite uncle.  We were close right up until he passed away.  We could make each other laugh.  And he loved cats.  No one who loves cats is all bad.