Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, April 24, 1856, Image 1
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samx^melton }* priet?rs- An Independent Journal: For tlxe Promotion of the Political, Social, Agricultural and Commercial Interests of the South. {lewis m. geist, pubiuher.
VOL.2. YORKYILLE, S. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 1856. ' NO. 17.
Cjrotcc |j netrg.
From Anae Shipton's " Whispers in the Palms."
WORDS.
Oh, never say a careless Word
Hath not the power to pain ;
The shaft may ope some hidden wound,
That closes not again.
Weigh well those light-winged messengers ;
God marked your heedless Word,
And with it, too, the fallen tear,
The heart-pang that it stirred.
Words! what are Words ? A simplo Word
Hath spells to call the tears
That long have lain a sealed fount,
Unclosed through mournful years.
Back from the unseen sepulchre,
A Word hath summoned forth
A torm?that hath its place no more
Among the things of Earth.
Words?heed them well; some whispered one
Ilath vet a Dower to flinz
A shadow on the brow ; the Soul
In agony to wring ;
A name?forbidden, or forgot,
That sometimes, unawares,
Murmurs upon our wakening lips,
And mingles in our prayers.
Oh, Words!?sweet Words! A blessing comes
Softly from kindly lips ;
Tender, endearing tones, that break
The Spirit's drear eclipse.
Oh, are there not some cherished tones
In the deep heart enshrined,
Uttered but once?they passed?and left
A track of light behind ?
Words!?what are Words ? Ah, knowest thou
not
The household names of love?
The thousand tender memories
That float their graves above?
Long buried by the world's cold tread,
Yet mid the crowd they rise.
And smile, as Angel-guests would smile,
With gentle, earnest eyes.
% ;ale oUjic (k'lfst.
THE RlinT TTNI THE EYE
JL iiXJ k/A*VA M? *MU MA Ml
[concluded.]
One day we had all turned out for a deerdrive.
This hunt, in which dogs arc used
for driving the game out of the timber, scatters
the hunters very much; they are stationed
at the different 'stands,' which are
sometimes miles apart, to watch for the deer
passing out; for this reason the party seldom
gets together again until night. We divided
in the morning, and skirted up opposite
sides of a wide belt of bottom timber, while
the 'drivers' and dogs penetrated it, tp rouse
the deer, which run out on cither side by
the stands, which were known to the hunters.
We were unusually successful, and
returned to a late dinner at our host's, the
planter's house. By dusk all had come in,
excepting my friend, whose name was Henry
and a man named Stoner, one of the neighbors,
who had joined our hunt. Dinner was
ready, and we sat down to it, supposing they
would be in. in a few moments. The meal
was nearly over, when Ilenry, who was a
gay, voluble fellow, came into the room,
and, with a slightly flurried manuer, addressed
our host:?'Squire, this is a strange
country of yours! Do you let crazy people
range it with guns in their hands ?'
'Not when we know it. Why? What
about crazy people ? You look excited.'
'Well, I think I've had enough to make
me feel a little curious.'
'What is it? What is it?' exclaimed
everybody, eagerly.
'Why, I have met with either the old
Ilarry himself?a ghost?or a madman;?
and which it is, I am confundedly puzzled
to tell!'
'Where? How?'
He threw himself into a chair, wiped the
perspiration from his forehead, aud continued
: 'You know, Stoner and myself, when
we parted from you all this morning, took
up the right hand side of the bottom timber.
Well, Stoner accompanied me to my 'stand,'
where we parted; he to go on to his; and I
have seen nothing of him since. Soon after
he left me, a deer passed out, I shot it,
wounded it, and jumped on my horse to pursue
it. The deer had staggered at my fire,
but was not so badly wounded as I supposed
and led me off, until it suddenly occurred
to me that I might get lost, and I reined
up; but I soon found that this sober second
thought had come too late, and that I was
already out of my latitude. I wandered
about nearly all day, though taking care not
to go very far in any one direction, before I
came across anything which promised to set
me right again. I at last came upon a wagon
trail, and felt relieved, for I knew it must
take me to some point where I could get information.
The trail was narrow, leading
through scrubby thickets; and I was riding
dinner slmvlv. looking down, in hoDe of de
J J C ' *
tecting the tracks of some of your horses,
when the violent shying of my horse caused
me to raise my eyes. And, by George! it
was enough to have 'stampeded' a regiment
of horses.
On the left of the trail stood a very tall
skeleton-like figure, dressed in skins, one
foot advanced, as if he had stopped in the
act of stepping across it, and a long heav)
gun, just swinging down to the level, bearing
on me. Of course, my heart leaped intc
my throat, and my flesh shrunk and crept
Before T could think of raising my gun, mj
eyes met those of this strauge figure: and
such eyes! Surprise at their cold unnatural
expression, suspended my action; burning
with a chill singular brilliancy, in deepsunken
sockets, they looked as if they nevet
had winked. Dwelling steadily upon mj
face for a moment, they seemed to be satisfied,
and the gun was slowly thrown Lack
upon his shoulders; and plucking at a long
srislv beard with an impatient gesture of his
bony hands, the figure made a stride across
the trail, and without speaking a word plun
ged into the thicket. I was so confoundei
by this curious dumb-show, that he was near
]y concealed in the bush before I found nn
tongue to shout to him to stop; but he kep
on, not even turning his head. I was provoked,
and spurred my horse in after him,
as far as 1 could penetrate, but he kept on,
: and I lost sight of him in a moment, and
whether he can talk at all or not, is more
than I can tell!'
'Did you look at his feet, Henry?' interrupted
one of the party. ?I expected it was
old?'
'Never mind what you expect?hear me
out,' he continued. 'I followed the trail,
which wound about, it seemed to me, towards
all the points of compass, for an hour or more;
when at last it led me out into a prairie,
which I thought I recognized. I stopped,
and was looking around to make out the
landmarks, when a horse with a saddle on
burst from the woods behind me, and tore
off across the prairie, as if he too had seen
the devil.'
'What color was he ?' exclaimed half-adozen
voices in a breath.
'He was too far off for me to distinguish
more than that he was a dark horse?say
about as much so as mine. I could distinguish
the pummel of the saddle and the
stirrups flying!'
'Stoner's horse was a dark bay/ was buzzed
around the table in low tones, every one
looking seriously in his neighbor's face.
'Yes!' said the Squire, rising and stepping
uneasily to the window. 'Stoner's horse
was a good deal like yours; he must have
got away from him. But then the nag was
a very fine creature, and well trained. I
wonder it should have behaved so !'
'Don't believe 'bay' would have done it,
Squire,' said one of the nieu. 'Something's
cone wrong, I think 1 "Was the bridle down,
Mr. Ilenry?'
'It was too far off for me to tell. I followed
in the direction the horse took, and
soon found myself here,'and expected to find
it here too?'
'No! Stoner's is beyond here,' said the 1
Squire. 'That wagon trail }*ou were turning 1
and twisting about in, is a road I had opened
to a number of broad trees we cut and .
rived out there; you might have followed it i
for hours and not been more than a mile or !
so from the place you started from. That
ghost of yours, by-thc-way, may be some ;
crazy fellow, who has wandered off into these '
parts, with mischief in him ! Hid you hear '
no gun ?'
<1 thought I did?about an hour after :
parting with that man, or devil, or whatever <
he was?but the sound was so faint and dis- <
tant, that, for fear I might be mistaken, I '
did not go to it; and the road had turned so J
frequently, I could not tell whether it was <
in the direction he went off or not.' I
Here the 'driver' interposed, saying that *
he had heard a rifle about that time on the 1
right, but supposing it to be Henry or Stoncr, t
ho thought nothing of it. And a half-laugh- t
ing discussion followed as to the probable 1
character of the wood-ghost Henry had re- J
ported of?some asserting that he was quiz- t
zing us?for these men were too much ac- 1
customed to the exigences of a hunter's life t
to be for more than a moment seriously af- ?"
fccted by the circumstance of Stoner's non- <
arrival. In the midst of this, a horse's >
feet were heard galloping up to the door, i
and a loud 'Ililloa!' followed. The Squire s
rose hastily and went out. In a moment af- 1
tcr he entered, looked pale and excited. I
'Torn Dix?one of Stoner's neighbors? 1
says that his horse has come home without a
rider, the reins upon its neck, and a clot of t
blood upon the pummel of the saddle! Boys, j
he's been shot. Just as I suspected from i
the first.' t
Everybody rose at this announcement? \
looking in the face of him opposite with a ,
blank pallid stare. ;
'The crazy man !' ejaculated several.? j
'Strange !'?'Very mysterious business,' said (
others. ]
'I tell you what,' said the Squire after a (
nonca tlioc cfmmV fvnm (lift fircf Tt is 1
ru^) """ >, ,
that this strange-looking fellow Henry saw, j
mistook him for Stoner, until he looked into '
his face, for Henry's horse and general ap
pearance are not unlike his, and when he ;
found that he was wrong, he got out of the i
way and went on till he met Stoner himself, t
and has shot him.' j
'No doubt of it,' said several. <
'Hut it is a very mysterious affair,' con- t
tinued he?'I know of no such looking man t
in this region as Henry describes; but at any <
rate he will be hunted down to-morrow, for <
i Stoner was one of the Regulators, and Ilinch <
is a perfect blood-hound? lie can hardly <
escape him, crazy or not crazy ?' s
This seemed to be the most satisfactory <
solution of the difficulty, and as it was too t
dark for us to do anything that night we re- t
sumed our seats to discuss over and over I
again these details; while the Squire sent 1
off a messenger summoning Ilinch and the 1
Regulators to be on the ground early in the
morning!
Before sun-rise in the morning, Ilinch ar- '
rived with six men. I was waked by his
; loud blustering and swearing. He was rav- ;
ing, as I afterwards understood, about Ilcn1
ry; calling his story about the meeting with 1
i the remarkable personage?all humbug? '
; and asserting his belief that if a murder had
r i been committed, Henry was its author. Our
i host quieted him in some way, and when we
> came out to join them he greeted us with a
. snarling sort of civility. lie was a thick- :
r set, broad-shouldered, burly-looking wretch,
[ | with blood-shot eyes, and face bearing all
I ; the marks of riotous debauchery! Our
;1 search was for several houis entirely unsuc.!
cessful, until Henry by accident found the
! place where he had encountered the Bearded
r Ghost, as some one christened him. Here
! one of the keen-eyed hunters found the tra
; ces of a large moccasinctl toot, rnese were
; pursued for several miles and lost, but on
! spreading our lino and continuing the same
i general course for some distance farther, wc
at last found indeed the body of Stouer! It
1 had been so much mutilated by the wolves
- and ravens that little examination was made
, of the bones. We gathered them together
t to carry them home to his family, and in do
ing this I noticed the fracture of a bullet r
through the back of the skull. It had been t
stripped bare of flesh, and both eyes plucked c
out by the birds, and was too shocking an n
object for close examination. But what puz- s
zled all parties most was the discovery, a jshort
distance off, of the trail of a shod horse, o
Now, there was perhaps uot ahorse in Shel- p
by county that wore shoes, and certainly not li
one in our party. Shoeing is never thought t
of, being unnecessary where there are no e
stones. This was as perfect a poser as even n
Henry's story, and threw yet a greater air
of inexplicability around the affair! It was t
thought that this track might be easily traced v
to any distance; but after worrying about it d
for several days, it was given up in despair, p
and the Regulators, fatigued and dishearten- ti
ed, separated for their respective homes. c
But one of their number never reached c
his. Being missed for two days, there was d
a general turn-out to look for him; and as b
had been the case with Stoner, his body was a
found torn to pieces by the wolves. The re- tl
vrnvt tifna llinf lin fnr\ Vinil Vionn cVint tlimnor]) it
the back of the head. ?
These murders, and the singular circuui- tl
stances accompanying them, created great n
sensation. IIinch and his troops scoured r<
the country in every direction, arresting and b
lynching suspicious persons, as they called
them. Ouc poor inoffensive fellow they ft
hung and cut down fouror five times, to make w
him confess; but nothing was elicited; and
they left him with barely a spark of life. ft
That evening, as they were returning to
their head-quarters at the store, one of them, tl
named Winter, missed a portion of his horse c_
furniture, which had become accidentally w
detached. lie said he had observed it in t(
its place a mile back?that lie would return t(
to get it, and rejoin them at the store, by the ai
time they should be ready to commence the C
spree they had determined on going into tl
that night. He left them, aud never return- ii
ed. They soon got drunk, and not particu- oi
larly uoticc his absence until some time the it
next day, when his family, alarmed by the n
return of his horse with an empty saddle, r<
sent to inquire after him. p
This sort of inquiries had come to be so ci
significant of late, that they were instantly tr
sobered, and mounting, rode back 011 their w
trail. Very soon a swarm of buzzards aud pi
wolves, near a line ofthickct ahead, design- in
itcd the whereabouts of their search; aud ai
there they found his fleshlcss bones scattered w
in every side. They were appalled. The m
reddest-bloated check among them blanched! ai
[t was terrible ! They seemed to be doom- T
?d ! Three of their number dead r.nd torn si
:o pieces within ten days; and yet not the te
dightcst clue to the relentless and invisible st
roe, but that ghostly story of Henry's, and pi
l<e fr?iel-? v.diieli nnlv served to tantalize ai
hem! It must be some dread supernatural di
visitation of their hideous crimes ! They r)
shivered, while the great drops started from se
heir foreheads, and without thinking of hi
ooking for any trail, or gathering up the ta
jones, they started back at full spreading the 01
darra everywhere. The excitement now be- tl
;ame universal and tremendous. Nearly the p<
vhole country turned out for the purpose of 1c
inravelling this alarming mystery; and the to
superstitious frenzy was in no small degree pi
icightcned by the report, that this man had hi
jeen shot in the same way as the others? g<
'n the hack of the head! to
These incidents were all so unaccountable,
hat I own I felt no little sympathy with the In
mpular association of a supernatural agency ^
n their perpetration. Henry laughed at all
;hi.s, but insisted that it was a maniac; and in
:o account for the peculiar dexterity of his te
iscapesand whole management related many
inccdotcs of the proverbial cunning of madncn.
The wildest, most absured, and incredible
stories were now afloat among the
people concerning this deadly and subtle foe
jf the Regulators; for it was now universal- P1
ly believed and remarked, that it was against 01
ihein alone that his enmity was directed.? C1
I'he story of Henry was improved upon and to
ldded to; and, as some reports had it, the w
Madman?as others, the Bearded Ghost, "
svas seen in half a dozen places at the same 01
;ime; now on foot, stalking with enormous '1(
strides across some open glade from thicket t0
;o thicket?passing out of sight again before
he observer could recover from his surprise; a*
hen mounted, he was seen flying like the ,
shadow of a summer cloud over the prairies, t!l
)r beneath the gloom of forests, always hag- U1
rard and lean, dressed in skins with the hair re
m, and that long, heavy, terrible rifle on his ai
shoulder! I noticed that there was only
)uc class of men who ventured to assert that w
hey had actually seen with their own eyes rc
:hcsc wonderful sights, and that was consti- as
:uted of those who had either suffered, or,
from their characters and pursuits, were SI
most likely to suffer persecution from the ^
Regulators?the class of hunter emigrants.
These men were most industrious in cmbel- in
lishing all the circumstances of character, 111
feats, and relentless hatred to the Regulators, ^
as highly as the existing credulity of the publie
would bear. They never saw him except
in the vicinity of the homes of some one
of these hated tyrants! In their versions w
this being was forever hovering around them
waiting the moment to strike while they ki
were alone and far from any help. ai
They carried this thing so far as to attract rc
attention to it, and arouse in the cunning fi1
ill inn ui jlj iuv;n ociiuv; au??jiii;iuii yviiiuu
had occurred to Henry and myself, namely, a(
that all this was the result of a profoundly h
acute and thoroughly organized scheme of 1?
this class, headed by some man of peculiar 11
personalities and consummate skill, with the 01
object of exterminating or driving oft' the
Regulators. It seemed impossible, that,
without collusion with many others, the mur- ii
derer should have been able to so ballle all m
pursuit. IIinch and his band had been a
thoroughly cowed and awed; but the moment w
this idea occurred to them, the reaction of tl
their base fears was savage exultation. Here ii
was something tangible; their open and uni- h
ted force could easily exterminate an enemy T
who had acknowledged their weakness in ii
esorting to secret conbi nation and assassinaion
from 'the bush!' They forthwith proclaimed
'war to the knife,' to the whole class;
nd during the next week several outrages,
0 revolting that I will not detail them, were
icrpctratcd upon these men in different parts
f the country; and the fact that, during this
;cneral tumult, nothing more was seen or
icard of the mysterious lliflcman, encouraged
hem with the belief that they had succccdd
in getting rid of him through the intimidation
of his confederates.
They had now been nearly a fortnight in
he saddle?had glutted themselves with
cngcance, and, as they concci'*md, broken
own this dangerous conspiracy against their
owcr; and if they had not succeeded in deacting
and punishing, had at least frighten1
rr ji ?_ . 1 ? f _ mi
u on men singular iuc. nicy now conluiled
they might safely disband. That
ay, after they separated, one of their numer,
named Roes?almost as bad and savage
man as Ilinch himself?was riding past a
bickct, in sight of his own house, when he
as shot from it. His negroes heard the
tin, and seeing his horse galloping up to
be house riderless and snorting wildly, they
in down, aud found him stretched in the
and dead. Jfr was ."hot hi the fjjry and the
all passed out at the back of his head.
"When Ilinch heard this, he seemed perjctly
livid, his knees smote together, and
ith a horrible oath, lie exclaimed?
'It's Jack Long, or his ghost, conic back
ir vengeance!'
It was now perceived, .for the first time,
Kit all the men had been shot through the
ye, instead of in the back of the bead,
here the ball bad only passed cut after cnsring
the socket. The other beads bad been
10 iinnlonsantlv itnifihifml fi.v nv;niimitirin
r J ? ? .... ....
nd this fact liad not been before observed,
if course everybody was satisfied, now, that
lis terrible being was in one way or another
lenticnl with Jack Long; for the notoriety
f his favorite mark, and his matchless skill
istantly occurred to all, as accounting for
luch that was unaccountable in these occur;nccs.
This produced a great change in
ublic feeling. The better sort began to
jnccivc that they understood the whole 1
latter. The lynching Jack had received
as fresh in their memories, and they suposcd
that its severity had a shaken his 1
icntal balance and made him a monomoui2,
and that the disease had endowed him :
ith the marvelous cunning?the staunch, '
iurdcrous hate?and the unnatural appear- '
ice, which.had created such sensation.? 1
hey could not understand how a being so <
mple-hcartcd and sluggish as he was repu- 1
id to have been, could have been roused or '
ung to such deeds by the mere depth and 1
jwer of his natural passions. But a tnon- 1
noniac or not, such a vengeance, and the 1
iring conduct of the whole affair, were vc,*
imposing to their associations and prcpos- '
'.sions, and they sympathized heartily with '
im. It was only while the general unccr- 1
inty left every man in doubt whether his 1
vn person might not he next the object of <
lis murderous aim that the public were dis- '
jsed to back the Bangers in whatever vio- 1
nt measures they might choose to resort to, '
i drag the secret to light, and the actor to '
jnishmcnt; but now that it was apparent '
is whole hate was levelled against the Ban- '
jrs, and all that uncertainly was confined '
i them, be lie devil, ghost, madman, or
ick Long, the public had no intention of ?
terfcring again. It was a personal issue '
jtween him and them?they might settle 1
between themselves! Indeed, men felt 1
i their inmost hearts that every man of the 1
n engaged in the lynching of Jack Long I
jserved a dozen times to be shot; and now <
icy looked on coolly, rather enjoying the I
ling, and earnestly hoping that Jack might J
ivc the best of it. 1
And of this there seemed to be a strong t
robability; for the Regulators made only '
ic more attempt to get together; butanoth- 1
of their number being killed on his way 1
i the rendezvous, his body bearing that 1
ell-known and fearful signature of skill, t
ie remaining five perfectly unnerved and t
,'orwliclmcd with terror, retreated to their t
dusos, and scarcely dared for several weeks '
* put their heads outside their own doors, t
The class to which Jack had belonged, ?
least those of them who had managed to i
;cp a footing during the relentless proscrip- i
on of the Regulators, how began to look
p, and hinted that they had known of Jack's .
turn from the time of Stoncr's murder, ]
id had aided and abetted his purposes in t
:cry way in their power; furnishing him ?
ith fresh horses when the noble animal he j
>de back from the States became fatigued ; ^
listing his flights and concealments, and ]
mushing him with information, as well as ?
(reading the exaggerated stories about him. (
ne bluff old fellow remarked? t
'You are fools who talk about Jack's be- ^
ig crazy! He's as calm and cold as a frosty ^
orningup in old Kcntuck; and his head's j
; clear as a bell! He's just got his Indian- j
rhting and Toryhatin' blood waked up in ;
im by them stripes! That's a blood you }
now that's dangersomer tliau a catamount (
lien it once gets riz!' <
Jack was now frequently seen, but it was 1
nown that his work was only half done, f
id that lie meant to finish it, and lie was /
igarded with great curiosity and awe. The 1
re wretched men were entirely unstrung (
i .1*1 t
JU pamC-StriCKUN. a uujr muuu iiu uiiuiujji< i
, retaliation, but all their hope seemed to 1
e in the effort to get out of his reach. That f
>ng, heavy rifle haunted them day and i
iglit. They saw its dark muzzle bearing 5
i them from every bush, and through the ]
links of their own cabins! i
One of them, named White, who was an '
ivcrteratc toper, with all his terror could
ot resist his inclination for liquor, and after <
confinement in his house of nearly three I
ccks, he determined to risk all, and go to <
ic store and buy him a barrel. lie went <
i a covered wagon, driven by a negro, while i
c lay stretched on the bottom in the straw, i
he barrel of liquor was obtained?he got <
ito the wagon?lay down beside it, and '
started, for home. All the way he never i
raised his head until, near the mouth of his i
lane, a log had been placed on the side of 1
the road, which tilted up the wagon in pass- 1
ing over it. so as to roll the barrel on him. i
He furgot his caution, and sprang up with I
his head out of the cover to curse the boy c
for his carelessness, and at that moment a \
rifle was discharged. He fell back dead? a
shot throvi/Jt the n/e! The boy said that i
his master suddenly cut short his oaths, aud c
exclaimed?'There he is!'?at the moment .
the gun fired. lie saw a tall man with a
beard hanging down on his breast aud dressed
in skius, walking off through the brush
with his rifle im his slinuhlnr
The next man, named Garnet, about two
weeks after this, got up one morning about
sun-rise, and in his shirt sleeves stepped to
his door and threw it open to breathe the ^
fresh air. He was rubbing his eyes, being
about half asleep; and when he got them t
fairly open, there stood the gaunt avenger
beside a tree in the yard?the fatal rifle levelled,
and waiting till his victim should see
him distinctly. He did sec him?but it was j
with his last look ! The bullet went crash- j
ing through his brain too! Long is said to
have told one of his frieuds that he never j
in a single instance shot one of these men
till he was certain the man saw and rccogniscd
him fully.
All were gone now but Ilinch and the two ?
youngest men of the party, Williams and j
Davis. The two latter were permitted to es- j
cape. Whether it was from relenting on the j
part of the dread avenger?or that he had
observed some trifling thing in their demeanor
on the occasion of the outrage he was
thus punishing, which recommended them
to mercy, now that his resentment had so
deeply drank of the bitter delight of atonement?01
that in his anxiety to secure Ilinch,
lie confined his efforts and watchfulness to
him alone?I do uot know. They made a a
forced and secret sale of their property, and
cleared out during the night. Hut it was
for Ilinch, lie had with passionless calculation,
reserved the most inconceivable torture. f
lie hau passed him by all this time, while '
one after the other lie struck down the tools Q
and companions of his crimes. He doomed ^
him to see them falling around him with the ?
P
certain knowledge that the avenging hate ?
which slew them burned with ten-fold inten- ^
iity for his life?that it must and would have t'
it! But when would the claim be made ? _
Should lie be the next one? No! The
Q
next one? No! But then each succeeding
death, so sure to take one of their number, .
drove away every sophistry of hope, and t
realized to him in bare and sterner horror
that his own fate was as fixed as theirs. As
(f
each one fell away the circle of doom nar- "
rowed?slowly, steadily closing in about him! jj
How could he callan hourhisown ? When
could he feel safe ? That relentless subtlety ^
had baffled them all! One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, strong mcu had nil gone before
that fatal rifle?every our of thrm shot .
'hroiii/Ji the rye ! (rod of Heaven !?and the ^
diarp agony would spangle keen points of n
burning light through his brain, as if the ?
on o i a
balls wcrealrcady bursting through the sockit!
' T too must be shot through the eye !'
It was worse than ten thousand deaths, and
le died them over in lingering torture day
jy day. _ jj
From the time of Rees's death he looked
i changed and stricken man. In a few weeks jj
le had lost a great deal of flesh, and became ^
)iteously haggard?his eyes and gait and ^
roicc werehumble. II is turbulent and fierce
mimality faded before the harrowing sus- ^
icnse of this fear. The bully and murder- y
rns ruffian trembled at the rustling of a leaf.
O Q
[lis own imagination became his hell?hunrry
remorse became stronger with feasting at ^
lis heart! lie never left his house for weeks, j
intil the escape of Williams and Davis inspired
him with some hope. ITe procured a
ine horse, and set off one dark night for the
lied Kiver ! Everybody regretted his escape;
'or men had looked in quiet expectation upon g
he progress of this affair, and in strong faith C)
hat the sense of wild border justice would
je gratified in seeing this stern, righteous
md unparalellcd vengeance consummated by ^
he fall of Ilinch?the monster instigator t(
ind chief actor in all the grievous outrages
vhich had roused the simple-hearted Long ^
nto a demon executioner of doom.
Ilinch reached the bank of the Red River ^
?sprang from his foaming and exhausted a
ior.se, after looking cautiously around; and ^
ffirew himself upon the grass to wait for a ti
steamboat. In two hours he heard one pufIng
down the stream, and saw the white ](
ivrcaths of steam curling up behind the trees, b
[Tow his heart bounded! Freedom, hope, f]
md life !?once more sprang from his shrivdied
veins and to his lips. He signalized
he vessel ; she rounded to and lowered her j
fawl. His pulse bounded high, and he gazed t(
vith absorbing eagerness at the crew as they f(
lulled lustily towards the shore. A click? h
jehind him ! lie turned with a shudder, f,
? mi <i * n
mil there iik was! inat long rmc was w
icaring straight upon him ; those cold eyes o;
Iwelt steadily upon him for a moment; and C(
jrash ! all was forever darkness to Hinck the 0;
Regulator. The men who witnessed this w
singular scene landed, and found him shot u
lu ougli the. eye; and saw the murderer galoping
swiftly away over the plain stretching
rat from the top of the bank. And so the y,
rcngcance was consummated, and the stern t(
ranter had wiped out with much blood the rj
itain of stripes ou his free limbs; and could s]
low do, what I was told lie had never done
since the night of those fatal and fatally ex- rj
liated stripes, look his wife again in the eyes, S(
md receive her form to rest again on his t]
ireast. a:
It was an awful deed. In view of all its t<
jircumstanccs, the provocation, the charac- ti
tor of Long, the deranging influences of the ri
ratragc upon his brain, though no other in- S
Jication appeared of impaired sanity; the C
mind is lost in uncertainty as tothejudg- n
mcnt which should be passed upon it. He s<
did not remain in Shelby county; but in tl
what direction he had intended to go after n
eturning to Arkansas for his wife and chilIrcn,
I could never hear. lie is probably
iving now his old quiet and good natured
ife in the heart of the green wilderness;
md it is likely as not that one of those chub)y
boys who rolled with him about the floor
)f his log-cabin on that memorable night of
vliich I have above simply related the events
tnd the consequences, will some of these
lays come to Washington from congressional
listricts beyond the Rocky Mountains.
^political
FROM KANSAS.
We have been favored with the following
sxtracts of a letter written by Mr. Jos. P.
c~ ??i.. ..e t
jaiiy luuuuiijr ui vuaiicoiuiij lu liiu v/iiaiiunn
of the Kansas Executive Committee in
hat city:
Platte City, Mo., March 25.
Dear Sir : Your favor of the 27th ult.,
cached me on Saturday evening last, and I
lasten to furnish you such information as I
lave been able to gather. In so new a country
as Kansas, much of what you desire to
enow is merely matter of opinion, and, impressed
with the importance of giving you
lothing but what has been well digested,
md is believed to be correct, I decqjpd it
idvisable to confer with on the" subect.
He is more conversant with everyhing
relating to the political condition of
he territory than anyone in this upper count y,
and has devoted much attention to the
ichcme of populating Kansas with pro-slave y
emigrants. The result of our conference
! will embody in answers to your questions
n the order in which you have put them.?
Should my replies not be as full as you would
vish them, you must attribute it to your re[uest
that I should " write immediately,"
md to the importance of giving the inforuation
desired at the earliest moment.
1. Can you give us accurate information
s to the relative strength among the bona
rV/csettlors in Kansas of the two parties?
I cannot tell with any precision the strength
f the two parties at this time. There has
ieen no reliable test of the vote of either
iartv since last Snrinsr. The returns of the
J L o
lections of Whitfield and Rdeder cannot be
aken as any criterion of the true vote of
he respective parties. There bciDg no opiosition
to Whitfield, the vote cast at his
lection by our friends was very light; while
t Rcedcr's, there being no legal restraints,
he vote was such as the abolitionists chose
o make it.
From the most reliable information I can
et, I think there is certainly a majority of
ro-slavery men in the Territory, and, as
key are not like the Abolitionists, conccnratcd
upon one or two points, in an election
or members of the Legislature they would,
without aid from the ? Border Ruffians," be
blc to carry a decided majority of represenntivos.
We have the assurance, however,
hat the Abolitionists will again make the
oost strenuous efforts to send out emigrants,
nd as Missouri has already contributed so
lany settlers, it is all-important that the
thcr Southern States should now come to
ur assistance.
2. As to the possibility of a hostile colsion
immediately.
I think there is none, nor indeed do I beeve
it very likely there will be one at all.
'he knowledge that Government troops will
e used against them will keep the Abolionists
in check, and prevent them from again
rcaking out in insurrection ; and unless
Whitfield's election be set aside and a new
lection ordered, there cannot well arise any
ccasion for a collision?at least, until next
ill, when the election for members of the
legislature will be held.
3. The possibility of strengthening effectally
the hands of the pro-slavery party by
le next fall elections. And,
4. What number of emigrants from the
.1 MI i i . _ _l?i? __l !
outn win dc necessary 10 secure in aponucal
ontest at the ballot box^the majority to the
ro-slavery party.
The election for members of the Legislate
will be held on the first Monday in Oc)ber
next. If the slaveholding States will
md us two thousand emigrants?that is two
lousand voters?during the present year,
ur friends believe the condition of Kansas
'ill be definitely settled. This is, however,
mere matter of conjecture, for, of course,
rc cannot tell how large the emigration from
ic North will be.
From the most reliable information, we are
id to believe that we shall receive the numer
suggested and more. There will also be
om Missouri a large emigration in addition
) those already in the Territory.
5. The parties who arrive by the first of
une, ought to make by their labor enough
) pay for their subsistence. Employment
)r all kinds of laborers can be obtained at
igh rates. Mere farm hands will bring
om fifteen to twenty dollars per month,
ith board furnished them, and mechanics
f all kinds are in great demand. All can
srtainly procure employment until the first
f December, and I am assured in ordinary
inters can labor conveniently out doors allost
the entire season.
******
In addition to the matters suggested by
our inquiries, I would state that the terri>ry
lying between the Kansas and Missouri
vers is now occupied by a decidedly proavcry
population. On the South side of
le Kansas river, and especially along that
rraf A Vtrtlilinniafa limtamoila tliaio
ITWj mv IIVUIIVIVUIOIO lUUUU HiUil KjlllXJL
ittlemcnts. It has occurred to our friends
lat it would be better, as a matter of policy
nd as being more Southern, more agreeable
) the Southern emigrants, that a good poron
of them should settle South of Kansas
iver. By this means we will secure the
outhern half of the Territory before it is
lied by abolitiouists; the Northern half
rill be saved by Missourians. The represntatives
have already been appytioned'to
lie different counties, and adding to our
umbers North of the Kansas river, will not
increase our strength, for we have a majority
there now ; but if the Southern men are
distributed among the counties South of the
river, their votes will tell.
The emigrants would still come up the
Missouri river, and land at Kansas City or
Atchison, as they might determine on going
to the Eastern or Western portion of the
Territory. Atchison is nearer to Lecompton,
the Capitol; and I think the better portion
of the Southern part of the Territory now
open for settlement, can be reached from
that point most conveniently. These are,
however, matters for future consideration.
I would suggest that you should seek, as
far as possible, to induce all who havea small
number of slaves to come out. To such this
is a peculiarly desirable country, and they
need to have no fear of their slaves escaping.
The actual presence of a good number of
slaves would at once settle this question.
If I can bo useful to you in any way in
carrying out the objects of your society, my
services are at your command. Very respectfully,
your obedient servant,
J. P. CARR.
William Whaley, Esq., Chairman of
Executive Committee of " A Society for the
aid of the slave settlement of Kansas," Charleston,
South Carolina.
KANSAS AND MISSOURI.
The following appeal of the Missouri
" Kansas Association," will be understood
and appreciated by the Southern people. If
it even over-states the danger of failure in
ITonana if Anaa nnf. of. oil
iUC O^iutiugut Vi i.&uuono^ *v uv? mv ?
exaggerate the disastrous consequences of
that failure, if we once relax our hold upon
the Territory. If we lose Kansas, we lay
bare Missouri on three sides to the depredations
of Abolition. She cannot endure this
overwhelming hostility, and the result must
be, at no distant day, the loss of that State
to the South. Hence the vital importance
of working while there is a good promise
that our exertions will bear fruits?will really
control events affecting the permanent
well-being of our country:
To the People of the Southern States:
On the undersigned managers of the "Lafayette
Emigration Society," has devolved
the important duty of calling the attention
of the people of the slaveholdiug States to
the absolute necessity of immediate action
on their part in relation to the settlement of
Kansas Territory. The crisis is at hand.?
Prompt and decisive measures must be adopted,
or fare well to Southern rights and
independence.
The western counties of Missouri have for
the last two years been heavily taxed, both
in money and time, in fighting the battles of
the South. Lafayette county alone has expended
more than 8100,000 in money, and
as much or more in time. Up to this time
the border counties of Missouri have upheld
and maintained the rights and interests of
the South in this struggle unassisted, and
i* II- T?-i iL. *U!i!
not unsuccessiuny. nui iue auoiuiuuidus,
staking their all upon the Kansas issue, and
hesitating at no weans, fair or foul, are moving
heaven and earth to render that beautiful
Territory "a free State."
Missouri, we feel confident, has done her
duty, and will ?till be found ready and willing
to do all she can, fairly and honorably,
for the maintenance of the integrity of the
South. But the time has come when she
can no longer stand up, single-handed, the
lone champion of the South, against the
myrmidons of the entire North. It requires
no great foresight to perceive that if the
" higher law" men succeed in this crusade,
it will be but the commencement of a war
upon the institutions of the South, which
will continue until slavery shall cease to exist
in any of the States, or the Union is dissolved.
How, then, shall these impending evils
be avoided ? The answer is obvious. Settle
the Territory with emigrants from the
South. The population of the Territory at
this time is about equal, as many pro-slavery
settlers as Abolitionists; but the fanatics
have emissaries in all the Free States engaged
in collecting money and enlisting men. Is
it in the nature of Southern men to submit
without resistance ? We do not believe it.
If, then, the South is influenced by a spirit
of self-respect and independence, let societies
be formed to assist emigrants. Those
who cannot emigrate can contribute money
to assist those who can. We have such societies
iu Missouri, and we can induce more
people to emigrate than we are able to support.
If the whole South would adopt thia
system we would succeed. Kansas would be
a slave State, and the slavery agitation would
cease.
The great struggle will come off at the
next election, in October, 1856, and unless
the South can at that time maintain her
ground all will be lost. We repeat it, the
crisis has arrived. The time has come for
action?bold, determined action. Words
will no longer do any good; we must have
men in Kansas, and that by tens of thousands.
A few will not answer. If we should
need ten thousand and lack one of that number,
all will count nothing. Let all, then,
who can come, do so at once. Those who
cannot come must give their money to help
others to come. There are hundreds of thousands
of broad acres of rich land, worth from
85 to 820 per acre, and open to settlement
and pre-emption at 81.25 per acre. Shall
we allow these rich lands and this beautiful
country to be overrun by our Abolition enemies
? We tell you now, and tell you frankly,
that unless you come quickly, and come
by thousands, we arc gone. The elections
once lost are lost forever.
W. H. RUSSELL,
MARTIN SLAUGHTER,
0. ANDERSON,
G. W. BAKER,
EDWARD WTNSOR.
NATHAN CORDER,
WM. SHIELDS.
I?* He that does anything rashly, must
be thoughtto' do ill willingly; for he was free
to deliberate or not. * *