The ledger. [volume] (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1896-1907, April 26, 1907, Image 2
HORSE-SHOE ROBINSON
A TALE OF THE TORY ASCENDENCY
BY
JOHN P. KENNEDY
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Troopers Move With Their
Prisoners.
“Oft he that doth abide.
Is cause of his own paiue,
But he that tlieth in sood tide.
Perhaps may fisht again.’’-Old Proverb
It was with the most earnest soli- (
citude that Butler and his companion i
watched the course of events, and
became acquainted with the character
of the ruffians into whose hands they
had fallen. The presence of James
Curry in this gang excited a painful
conciousness in the mind of the sol- i
dier. that he had powerful and secret
enemies at work against him. but who
they were was an impenetrable mys-'
tery. Then the lawless habits of the
people who had possession of him.
gave rise to the most anxious distrust
as to his future fate: he might be
murdered in a tit of passion, or tor
tured with harsh treatment to gratify
some concealed malice. His positi
on in the army was, it seemed, known
too; and. for aught that he could tell,
his mission might be no secret to his
captors. Robinson’s sagacity entered
fully into these migivings. He had
narrowly observed the conduct of the
partv who had made them prisoners,
and with that acute insight which
was concealed under a rude and un
educated exterior, but which was
stronglv marked in his actions he
had already determin' d upon the
course which the safety of Butler re
quired him to pursue. According to
his view of their present difficulties
it was absolutely necessary that he
should effect his escape, at whatever
personal hazard. Butler, he rightly
conjectured, was the principal object
of the late ambuscade; that, for some !
unknown purpose, the possession of
this officer became important to those
who had procured the attack upon
him. and that James Curry had mere-
Iv hired this gang of desperadoes to
secure the prize. Under these cir- !
cumstances. he concluded that the j
Major would be so strictly guarded
as to forbid all hope of escape, and
that any attemnt by him to effect it
would only be punished by certain
death. But. in regard to himself, his 1
calculation was different. “First,” j
said he. “I can master any three of
this beggarly crew in an open field
and fair fight; and. secondly, when it
comes to the chances of a pell-mell,
they will not think me of so much ac
count as to risk their necks by a long j
chase; their whole eves would on- |
doubtedlv be directed to the Maior.”
The sergeant, therefore, determined
to make the at mpt. and. in the event |
of »his success, to repair to Sumpter.,
who he knew frequented some of the
fastness in this region; or. in the al
ternative. to rally such friends from
the neighboring country as were not
yet overawed bv the Torv dominion, ^
and bring them speedily to the rescue j
of Butler. Full of these thoughts, he j
took occasion during the night, whilst
the guard were busy in cooking their
venison and whilst thev thought
him and his comrade wrapt ip slee.p,
to whisper to Butler the resolitlion
he had adopted.
“I will take the first chance tompr- J
row to make a dash upon tlmse raga- '
muffins,” he said; “and I shall count j
it hard if I don’t get out of ^their !
claws. Then, rely upon me. I shall
keep near you in spite of these devils. !
So be prepared, if I once get away to
see me lik-e a witch that trav.ejs op j
a broomstick or creeps through a
keyhole. But whisht! the dn>nken
vagabonds must’s hear us talking.”
Butler, after due consideration of
the sergeant’s scheme, thought it,
however perilous, the only chance
thev had of extricating themselves
from the dangers with which they
were beset, and promised the most
ready co-operation; determined also,
to let no opportunity slip which might
be improved to his own deliveiifnce.
“Your good arm and brave heart. Gal
braith. never stood you in more ur
gent stead than they may do tomor
row'.” was his concluding remark.
When morning broke the light of
day fell upon a strange and disorder
ed scene. The drunken and coarse
wretches of the night before, now les
sened in number and strength by com
mon broil and private quarrel, lay-
stretched on their beds of leaves.
Their motlev and ill-assorted weair
ons lav around in disarray; drinking
cups and empty flasks were scattered
over the trodden grass, the skin and
horns of the buck, and disjointed
fragments of raw flesh were .seen
confusedly cast about beneajh the
tree, and a conspicuous object in the
scene were the clots of blood and
gore, both of men and beast, that dis
figured the soil. Two new-made
graves, or rather mounds, hastily
scratched together and imperfectly
concealing the limbs of the dead,
prominently placed but a few- feet
from the ring of last night’s revelry,
told of the disasters of the fight at
the ford. The brushwood fire had
burned down into a heap of smould
ering ashes, and the pale and sickly
features of the bounded trooper were
to be disceined upon a pallet of
leaves, hard hr the heap of embers,
surrounded by the remnants of bones
and roasted meat that had been flung
carelessly aside. In a spot of more ap
parent comfort, sheltered by an>»ver;
hanging canopy of vines and alder lay
Butler stretched upon his cloak and
close beside him. the stout fram^ of
Horse Shoe Robinson. In thje midst
of all these mark* of recent riot and
carousal, sat two swarthy figures,
haggard and wan from night-watch
ing. armed at every point, and keep
ing strict guard over the prisoner*.
The occasional snort and pa^ng
of horses in the neighboring wood
showed that these animals were alert
at the earliest dawn; whilst among
the rest who seemed aware of the ap
proach of day.-was seen rising from
the earth, where it had been flung In
stupid torpor for some hours... the
bloated and unsightly person of Hugh
Habershaw, now much the worse for
the fatigue and revelry of the Pre
ceding night. A savage and surlv
expression was seated on his brow,
and his voice broke forth more than
ordinarily harsh and dissonant, he
ordered the troop to rouse and.,Pre
pare for their march.
The summons was tardily obeyed:
and while the yawning membeys of
the squad were lazily moving to their
several duties and shaking off the
fumes of their late debauch, the cap
tain was observed bending over the
prostrate form of Gideon Blake, and
directing a few anxious inquiries .in
to his condition. The wounded man
was free from pain, but his ii^ibs
were stiff, and the reign of the stab
sore and sensitive to the least touch.
The indications, however, were such
as to show that his wound was not
likely to prove mortal. By the order
of Habershaw. a better litter was
constructed, and the troopers were
directed to bear him. by turns, a? far
as Christie’s, where he was to Ug left
to the nursing of the family. It was
a full hour before the horses were
saddled, the scattered furniture col
lected. and the preparations for the
march, compiled. When th^se. were
accomplished the prisoners were pro
vided with the two norriest horses
of the troop, and they now set for
ward at a slow pace, under the escort
of four men commanded by J:w’ies
C’irry. The two troopers who bore
the sick man followed on foot; Hab
ershaw with the remainder, one of
whom had appropriated Captain Pe
ter. whilst he led the horse of tUe dis
mounted men. brought up the rear.
On the journey there was but little
spoken bv anv member of the party:
the boisterous and rude nature of
the men who composed the troop
seemed to have been subdued by
sleep into a temper of thurlish indif
ference or stolid apathy. Penyer-
corn. or James Curry, as the reader
now recognizes him. strictly preserv
ed his guard over the prisoners,
manifesting a severity of manner ah
together different from th Q tone of
careless revelry whch cht >cterized
his demeanor on the preceding nmht.
It never relaxed from an official and
sullen reserve. A moody frown sat
upon his brow, and his communica
tion with the prisoners was confined
to short and peremptory commands;
whilst, at the same tme. he foxbade
the slightest intercourse with ^diem
on the part of any of the guard.
During the short progress of Chris
tie’s he frequently rode part with
Habershaw; and the conversation
which then occupied these two was
maintained in a low tone, and with a
serious air that denoted some trrave
matter of deliberation.
It was more than an hour after
sunrise when the cavalcade reached
the point of their present destination.
There were signs of an anxious Pur
pose in the silence of the iouruev.
broken as it was only by low meter
ings amongst the men. above which
sometimes arose an expression of im
patience and discontent, as the sub
ject of their whispered discussions
appeared to excite some angry ob-
iection from several of the party:
and this mystery was not less con
spicuous in the formal order of the
halt, and in the pause that follo.wed
upon their arrival at the habitation.
The house, in front of which they
were drawn up. was, according to
the prevailing fashion of the time, a
one-storied dwelling covering an am
ple space of ground, built partly of
hoards and partly of logs, with a
long piazza before it. terminating in
small rooms, made bv inclosing the
sides for a few feet at either extre
mity. Being situated some twenty
paces aside from the road, the in
tervening area was hounded by a
fence through which a gate afforded
admission. A horse-rack, with a few
feeding troughs, was erected near
this gate; and a draw-well, in the
same vicinity, furnished a readv sup
ply of water. WSth the exception of
a cleared field around the dwelling,
the landscape was shaded by the-na
tural forest.
A consultation of some minutes’
duration was held between Haber
shaw and Curry, when the order ty
dismount was given, accompanied
with an intimation of a design to tar
rv at this place for an hour or two:
but the men at the same time, were
directed to leave their saddles irjon
their horses. One or two were de
tailed to look after the refreshment
i of the cattle, whilst the remainder
tool:- possesion of the prinebn, 1 room.
The first demands of the trooo were
for drink, and this being Indulged.
Ithe brute feeling of conviviality „ ;ir .
in gross natures depends aitogeth r
noon sensual excitement, began one *
more to break down the barri“'s of
discipline, and to mount into c a nor
The scenes of the morning had
made a disagreeable impression upon
j the feelings of Butler and his com
rade. The charged tone and the r tf-
! flan manners of the band, the pause.
| the doubts which s -emed to agitate
them, boded mischief. The two L'H-
! soners. however, almost instinctive y
adopted the course of conduct which
their circumstances required. They
concealed all apprehension of harm,
and patienlv awaited the end. Horse
Shoe even took advantage of the ris
ing mirth of the company when
began to exhilarate th n. and affect
ed an easy tone of companionaljip
which was calculated to throw tfcem
off their guard. He circulated fr.eely
amongst the men. and bv private con
ference with some of the individuals
around him. who. attracted by hl> air
of confiding gaiety, discovered that
the gang were divided in sentiment
In regard to aome important, subject
touching the proposed treatment of
himself and fads friend- A party, at
least he was thus made aware, were
disposed to take his side in the sec
ret dispute which had been in agita
tion. He was determined to profit by
this dissension, and accordingly ap
plied himself still more assiduously
to cultivate the favorable sentini/at
he found in existence.
Whilst breakfast was in prep^ya
tion, and Habershaw and Curry were
occupied with the wounded maji in
an adjoining apartment, the sergeant,
playing the part of a boon companion,
laughed with the rioters, and. uninvit
ed. made himself free of their Ciuj>s.
‘T should like to know.” he said to
one of the troopers, “why you are
giving yourselves all this trouble
about a couple of simple travellers
that happened to be jogging
the road? If you wanted to make a
pitched battle you ought to have
sent us word; but if it was only UQyn
a drinking bout you had set your
hearts, there was no occasion to be
breaking heads for the honor of get
ting a good fellow in your company,
when he would have come of bis
own accord at he first axing. There
was no use in making such a mightv
secret about it: for. as we were
travelling the same road with you.
you had only to show a man the civi
lity of saying wanted our escort, and
you should have had it at a w^yd.
Here’s to our better acquaintance,
friend!”
“You mightn’t be so jolly. Horse
Shoe Robinson,” said Shad Green—■
or. according to his nickname. Red
Mug. in a whisper; “if some of them
that tool:- the trouble to find vcm.
should have their own way. U’s a
d—d tight pull whether you are to be
kept as a prisoner of war. or shoved
under ground this morning without
tuck of drum. That for your private
ear.”
“I was born in old Carolina my
self.” replied Horse Shoe, aside to
the speaker; “and I don’t believe
there is many men to be found in it
who would stand bv and see the i;ules
and regulations of honorable war
blackened and trod down into the
dust by any cowardly trick of mur
der. If it comes to that, many.jis
there are against two. our lives will
go at a cheap price.”
“Whisht!” returned the other,
“with my allowance, for one, it
shan’t be. A prisoner’s a Prisoner,
I say: and damnation to the man
that would make him out worse.”
They sav you are a merry devil,
old Horse Shoe,” exclaimed he who
was called Bow Legs, who now step
ped up and slapped the sergeant on
the back. “So take a swig, man; fair
Play it. a jewel!—that’s my doctrine.
Fight when you fight, and drink when
you drink—and that's the sign to
know a man by.”
(CONTINUED NEXT FRIDAY.)
This man bought a supply of tobacco with
out acquainting himself with the distinctive taste
of SCHNAPPS Tobacco, which has the cheering
qualities that gratify his desire to chew, and at
less expense than cheap tobacco.
SCHNAPPS has been advertised in this
paper so that every chewer has had an
opportunity to get acquainted with the
facts and know that drugs are not used
to produce the cheering quality found in
the famous Piedmont country flue-cured
tobaccos, and that SCHNAPPS is what he
ought to chew. Still there are chewers
who accept other and cheaper tobaccos
that do not give the same pleasure.
Some day they’ll get a taste of the real
Schnapps—they’ll realize what enjoyment
they’ve missed bynot getting SCHNAPPS
long ago—then they’ll feel like kicking
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SCHNAPPS is sold everywhere in 5
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LOSS TO THAW JURORS.
All but Two Rich Ones Suffer by Ab
sence From Business.
As the Thaw murder trial drags
slowly along those of the Jurors who
have business to attend to are experi
encing severe financial loss, says the
New York World. While the Jurors
presumed at the outset that they were
In for a long siege of it, none of them
had any idea that the case would ex
tend for two months, perhaps more.
The first Jurors were drawn on Jan.
24. During ihe trial many of the Ju
rors, prevented from attending to busi
ness affairs with their accustomed reg
ularity, have suffered losses they can
never recoup. Others have fallen far
behind in their work, and it will be
months before they caj? catch up.
Besides this, the hotises by which
some of the jurors are employed as
managers or in other responsible ca
pacities have found their affairs sadly
lagging, and financial losses that can
not easily be estimated have resulted.
There are only two jurors who have
not suffered seriously by the long pe
riod of immurement. They are retired
merchants aud are independently
wealthy.
The. fact that the jurors since th*
death of the wife of Juror Joseph B.
Boltou, three weeks after the trial be
gan, have been allowed to go at the
close of each day has helped only in '
part. Those who have availed them- i
selves of the opportunity to go to their ,
offices have been so overwhelmed with
work that it has been a severe strain.
Before the ueatli of Juror Bolton's |
wife the jury when not in the court
room was locked up in the Broadway
Central hot *1. After that they were
given their freedom after adjournment
each day. Lacli adjournment has inva
riably foun ! the majority of the jurors
hustling t > ih.dr offices to work until
late at night.
The jurors receive 92 for each day’s
service during the trial. At least one
of them has no other revenue, and he
has f.i (; n.re closely to maintain hint
self and his v.tie.
High Diplomacy.
There Is woe among the nations,
There Is rage across the foam,
In St. Petersburg and Paris,
London and Madrid and Rome.
For the kaiser's Speck von Sternburg
Stole a march upon the rest
When he taught the Roosevelt children
How to ride and hurdle best.
No doubt cables now are hissing,
Bearing questions rude and blunt.
Saying: “Bryce, you chump, get busy!
Can’t you teach the kids a stunt?”
While to Jusserand instructions
For the honor of his flag
Make the frenzied call to duty!
“Mon Dfau! Teach I’enfants ze tag!”
Hence the diplomats are thinking
That their lot Is rather blue,
Not alone to play with Roosevelt,
But to teach the youngsters too.
—McI.aJidburgh Wilson in New York Sun.
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Donations of L. & M. made to
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April 1S49.
The Implement Co.
Have Juat issued a
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ISULIditL -
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