The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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HE WAS ABSENT MINDED AND RUINED HIS AX
By S. C. Turnbo
On some occasions the strongest minded people become absent minded at times and make a mistake that is amusing. Mr. R. M. Jones related to the writer the following anecdote which he vouched for the truth. One day said Mr. Jones Tom Todd, Sam Adkins and a Mr. Swearangin were working for me in the river bottom opposite the south landing at Bradleys ferry. When we all had stopped to rest, a large rock lay on the ground at the base of the bluff that was 5 feet in length and was shaped similar to a piece of dead log of the same length and was covered over with moss. This rock was in a few yards of where we stopped. Mr. Todd thinking that the rock was a part of a moss covered log stepped up to it and raised his ax and struck it with the blade to see how far it could sink the ax into it when to his utter astonishment he found that he had hit his ax against a stone and the blow bursted the steel edge of the ax into shivers and the pieces flew in every direction and the pall of the ax bounded up. Mr. Todd was so greatly surprised at the mistake he made that he was unable to speak for a minute and then he exclaimed, "Oh, my God, I thought it was a log. I have ruined my ax." We all roared out with laughter while Todd was dumb founded with amazement.
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