Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1845-05-01

Jack Long.


! In the following relation Of real occur
rences there are several indenliea mat.
tiers il would be we'll to have understood.
j So much OF exaggerated romance is to be
observed pervadlng the narrative soirt OF
the times, that, with a due resneet for the
gooj nature of our readers, i; has become
indispensable that the story.teller should
/ be very sure of his ground-that IS, suf
/ fciently so, to feel that he can establish a
sympathetic confidence between his read
ers aud himself. that he is not attempting
to impose upon their credullly by sheer
and egregious fabrications OF his own.
when he undertakes to tell what is called
"hard story" To define in words
what the process of establishing their
sympathy consists in, is difficult matter.
The most that can be said Of It u.s. that It
forms itself. Mere assertions viii not al
ways answer. Where 1t is required that
they alone should be taken, they must be
accompanied by nameless and Inexpres
sibe air, not Of candor only, but Of
minute and piqusnt deialI, such as person
al familiarity with the incidents narrated
can only give. II is easy enough 10 70.
nance upon the ground work OF gener-
al knowledge OF the characteristics, but
to the cool search of an accurate eye,
there is a want Of filling in, an absence
/ Of those finer touches which are better
! felt than described Avery unsalisiacto
ry impression of doubt is the consequence,
aud the writer who esta shes himself
on so unfortunate terms with the reader,
must altogether fail OF producing the Ell.
feet he aims at. Neither the careless
use oil round assertions nor reiterations
of ones own special claims TO immacula
cy IN roth telling will bring about that
pleasant state of trustfulness so desirable
in the mind of the hearer There IS an
oihor extreme--that Of too much preten-
sion to a bluff, straightforward II am not
eloquent as Brutus !" kind oil manner
] But the world is getting TOO old for this
game. There is yet medium which
strikes me as the only true one. Make
no prote stations at all, one way or the
other. Ii there is story TO tell, tell 1t,
Be carefully minute, and ask no favors:- -
the hard eyed public will rate what is
said properly. A sensitive irri,abiIity at
the idea oil dstrust is not whit more
persuasive than narrative bullyism !;
men like neither to be ~hined or bluffsd
out Of their judgments.
Before proceeding, it would not be a
miss TO give more definite idea, than has
generally been obtained, Of the social
condition of the peculiar region in which
these strange scenes were enacted
Every body knows that Texas has been
the peculiar and iavorite resort of restless,
adventurous men, and not those OF his
stamp simply, but as well the vicious and
unprlncipled, OF nearly all nations. a
knowledge OF this fact alone would nat
urally lead one to expect, that the com
mInsling of 40 many passionate and OPP
posite extremes would lead to many ex-
travagances in the action Of their antag-
onism-that excuses OF all kinds, the I'M
hesitatlng expression of unbridIed impul-
ses, would be ordinary Incid tnts of life
here-that the quick wrath and bloody
hand should be often simultaneous, where
the most formidable weapons were openly
worn, law and its restraints little regard.
ed, and general sentiments favored re-
sort to them on trivial occasions. Though
this much of a vague knowledge Of the
state of things there, might prepare the
anticipation for a good deal--even though
visit to the principal cities of the coun-
try should still farther prepare it for
realization Of what may properly come
within the scope of such forces, still 1t
would be difficult TO understand how the
monstrous exhibitions of frontier life,
with which those who have lived are IA
mlliar, can possibly be credible. One
must see with his own eyes and hear with
his own ears, before he can readily con-
celve that many things occurring there
could be looked upon as matters Of course.
Yet outrages the most terrible succeed
each other rapidly; men are lynched and
stabbed and shot with as little compunc-
tlon as you would feel in splitting goose
The law of bloody force is alone recog-
n'zed there is no medium between the
insult aud the desperate retalatlon.--
There is no interposiion, OF either gen.
eraI sentiment or civil organization, be-
tween the savagery Of unreclaimed blood
wreaking its worst and the stricken VIC
tim. Personal proves, iron nerve and
skill in the use of weapons, are the traits
most calculated for ;nsuring respect, and
commanding power. How recklessly
these are displayed may be appreciated
by remembering the late noloriety OF the
Regular wars, that ragged so exiermlna-
tingy in this very county ofShelby which
is the scene for our story; and the an
swer given by President Houston 10 the
| first application which was made for his
interposi,ion with the civil forces under
his command 10 put stop to them, is en-
trey Characteristic Of the man and
country flight ii out among your
selves ! The sooner you kill each other
the better J"
1t was the period OF the first organlza-
ton OF the Regulators 20 which our story
refers. Shelby, in the latter part of '39,
was frontier county and bordering upon
that region known as the Red Lands,
was the receptacle Of ell the yilest men
who had been driven across our borders,
fl. cr;r,as of every decree Horse