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The American Ripper: A Short Story

Decent Essays

I was great talking to you today. I haven't been home very long, and I am watching a program called American Ripper. It's about this poor guy whose ancestor was H. H. Holmes and interesting although too dramatized. Almost none of our ancestors killed anyone except in self-defense so remember it could always be worse...

As I told you Grandpa Shelton was a rounder but I imagine he had to be to survive. He had a sawmill, and in those days they used mules to work the logs and move the mill. Where towns built up around sawmills were rough towns. I don't remember the exact description of what Grandpa used for a belt, but I believe it was a chain with some sort tool at the end. He could pull it out fast for protection. There is a bridge called Slaughter …show more content…

The man running the tavern told him to leave before he got caught. He and other men were walking over West Mountain leaving Hot Springs from a bar. The man that owned the bar sent a black man after them. He was sneaking behind them, and I suppose he was waiting to find the right time to shoot and rob them. The made a pact, and all turned around and fired at the same time. That way none of them could talk, and they would not know which person had killed him. He said they buried him where he died with his gun and anything else on his person. When my daughter was small, I took her to see my ex-husbands grandmother in a nursing home. While sitting outside the other residents started talking to me. One lady knew my grandmother and all her siblings. She said they had candy pulling parties at their house. Back then it was a type of party they had for kids. They made candy that you pulled to stretch it out into strings. She said Grandpa was an herb doctor and healer that people would come from miles around for him to help. He once saved a girls life. The family doctor could not help her and told the parents she would die. It was something to do with one of her organs possibly the kidneys. I should have written these things

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