The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-03-14

ger.
This was an ll-s.arred day for Jack,
though, from this time troubles began to
thicken about him. The even tenor Of
his simple happy life was destroyed, and
indignity and outrage followed each other
fast. lIinch never forgave the unlucky
skill which had robbed him of his proud
est boast, that Of being the best marksman
on the frontier; and he sworc, in base
vindiclve hate, TO dog him to death, or
make him leave the country. Soon after
This, valuable horse belonging TO rich
and powerful planter disappeared. lie
was one of those men who had compro-
missed with the regulators, paying so much
black mail for exemptions from their dep
relations, and protection against others Of
the same stamp, and he now applied to
Hinch, for the recovery Of his horse, and
the punishment, Of the thief. This Ilinch,
under their contract was bound TO do,
and promised 10 accomplish forthwith.
He and some of his men went off en- the
trail of the missing horse, and returning
next day, announced that they had follow
ed it with all their skill through great
many wndings, evidently intended to
throw of pursuit, and had at las, traced
it TO Jack Longs picket fence, and there
could be no doubt but he was the thief
The planter knew nothing of Jack, but,
that he was new CONNER, and deman-
ded that he should be forced TO give up
the horse, and punished TO the extremity
of the frontier code.
Blu, this was not Ilinch's policy ye!
awhile. He knew the proofs were not
strong enough to make the charge plausi-
BILE, even before Lynch Court, of which
he himself was both the prosecutor, judge
and excculioner. His objec, was to first
get up hue and cry agains. Long, and
under cover Of general excitement, ac-
complish his devlish purposes without
question or mock trial even. So ,hat az
ter great deal of maneuvring, for eigh,
Or ten days, during which time the charge
agalns, Long was industriously circulated
by his myrmidoms, so as to attract gene
raj attention and expectation, as to the re-
sui. OF his nvestigalions-he proclaimed
far and wide, that he had found the horse
at last, hid in timber bottom near Long s!
This. of course, seemed strong confrma-
ton of his guilt, and though the mob were
most Of them horse thieves. to all intents,
yet il was an objectionable crime for any
one to practice professionally among
themselves; so tina, Long was loudly de-
Dounced, and threatened on every side,
and ordered TO leave the country forth
with.
These proceedings Jack by no means
comprehcnded, or felt disposed to be mo-
we'd by; but gave them to understand,
that he meant to remain where he was,
until it entirely suited his convenience to
go, and that if his time and theirs did not
happen to agree, they might make the
most of it. And Jack was such all I'M
promising snagging looking somebody,
and his reputation which had now spr ,ad
evcrywFere-ol possessing such consul
mate skill with the rifle, that he thought
it, condescension to shoot anywhere else
but in the eyes-was so formidable, that
no individual felt disposed to push the
, matter 10 personal collision. He might
still. therefore have been left in quiet, but
liinch had unfortunately taken up the i'm
preston, from Jacks conduct in the
shooling-match affair, that he must be n
coward, and it this were true, then all
his skill amounted to but little and like
) any other bloody woish brute, he fol-
lowed him up the more eagerly for this
very reason, which would have disarmed
! a generous foe. Besides Jack had given
fresh and weighlier matter of offence, in
! that he had refused to obey, and defed
! his authority as Regulator. The very
! being of that authority seemed 10 require
now that wholesome example should
be made of him, for the awing OF all re-
fractory persons hereafter. The wretch,
} who was as cunning as ferocious, and had
J sworn in his Utmost heart 10 ruin and dis
grace Long, from the moment of that tri-
umph, now avaled himself remorselessly
Of all his influence. and knowledge of the
society around him to accomplish it,
Several horses now disappeared, and
} robberies of other kinds perpctrated with
singular dexterity, followed in quick sue
cession. All these things he managed,
through the clamors Of his scounderly
troops to have laid. directly or indirectly.
TO Jacks door.
: But in the popular estimation they
. counted as nothing in fixing The charge Of
; dangerous malice upon poor Long,in com.
, parison with one other incident. About
this time. not only Hinch himself, bu,
every other person who had made him