Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1845-04-03

portion of the horse furniture, which
had become accidentally detached. He
said he had observed it in his place a
mile back, that he would return to
getit, and rejoin them at the store, by
the time they should be ready to com
mence the spree they had determined
on going into that night. He left
them, and never returned. They soon
got drunk, and did not particularly no.
tice his absence until some time the
next day, when his family alarmed by
the return Of his horse with an empty
saddle, sent to inquire after him. This
sort ofinquiries had come to be so sig
nifcant oflate, that they We're instantly
sobered, and mounting, rode back on
their trail. Very soon swarm OF
buzzards and wolves, near a line of
thicket ahead, designated the wherea-
bouts Of the object Of their search; and
there they found his feshless bones
scattered on every side. They were
appalled,. The reddest-bloated cheek
among them blanched! It twas terrible!
They seemed to be doomed! Three
of their number dead and torn to pieces
within ten days; and yet not the slight
est clue to the relentless and invisible
foe, but that ghostly story of Henry's,
and the tracks which only served to
tantalize them! 1t mustbe some dread
supernatural visitation of their hideous
crimes! They shivercd, while the
great drops started from their fcreheads,
and without thinking of looking for
any trail, or even gathering up the
bones, they started back at full speed,
spreading the alarm everywhere. The
excitement now became universal and
tremendous. Near the whole country
turned out for the purpose of unravel-
ling this alarming mystery; and the SUI
perstitious frenzy was in no small de-
gree heightened by the report, that this
man bad been shot in the same way as
the others,-in the back Of the head!
These incidents were all so unac-
countab'e, that | own | felt no little
sympathy with the popular association
of a supernatural agency in their perpe-
tration. Henry laughed a. all this, but
insisted that it was a maniac; and TO
account for the peculiar dexterity fhis
escapes and whole management, rela-
ted many anecdotes ofthe proverhial
cunning of madmen. The widest,
most absurd, and increditable stories
were now ahoat among the people con-
corning this deadly and subtle foe of
the Regulators; for it was now univer-
sally believed and remarked, that it
was against them alone tha, his enmi-
ty was directed. The story of Henry
was greatly improved upon and added
to; and, as some reports had it, the
-as others, the Bearded
Ghost, was seen in half a dozen places
at the same time; - now on foot, stalk
ing with enormous strides across some
open glade from thicket to thicket-
passing out of sight again before the
observercould recoverfrom his surprise;
then mounted, he was seen flying
like the shadow OF summer cloud over
the prairies, or beneath the gloom of
forests, always haggard and lean, dress
ed in skins with the hair on, & that long
heavy, terrible rifle on his shoulder! ]
noticed that there was only one class
of men who ven:ured to assert that they
had actually seen with their own eyes
those wonderful sights, and that was
of thoSe who either had
or from their characters and
pursuits, were most likely to suffer per-
secution from the Regulators-the class
of hunter emigrants. These men were
most industrious in embellishing all the
circumstances Of character, feats, and
relentless hatred to the Regulators, as
Mighty as the excited credulity of the
public would bear. They never saw
lim except in the vicinity ofthe homes
IF some oneof these hated tyrants!-E
In their versions this being was forever
lowering around them, waiting the mo-
nent to strike while they were alone,
md far from help.
They carried this thing SO far as to
attract attention to it, and arouse in the
cunning mind Of Hinch the same sus-
picion which had occurred to Henry
and myself, namely, that all this was
the result of a profoundedly acute and
organized scheme of this
class, headed BY some man of uliar
personalities and corsummate skill,
with the object of externinating orI
driving off the Regulators. 1t seemed
that, without collision with
many others, the murderer should have
been able to so battle all pursuit.
Hinch and his band had been thorough. |
Iy cowed and awed; but the moment
this idea occurred to them, the reaction
Of their base fears was savage eXulta-
ton. Here was something tangible;
their open and united force could east