Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1845-07-18

every side. They we're appalled,. The
reddest- bloated cheek among them blanched!
II was terrible! They seemed 10 be DOOM
ed Three of their number dead and torn
to pieces within ten days; and yet not the
slightest clue to the relentless and invisible
foe, but that ghoslly story of Henry's, and
the tracks which only serve 10 tantalize
them 1t must be some dread supernatural
visitation Of their h,dcous crimes They
shivered, while the great drops started from
their foreheads, and without thinking of
looking for any trail, or gathering up the
bones, they started back at full speed, spread.
ing the alarm everywhere. The excitement
now became universal and tremendous.
Nearly the whole Country turned out for the
purpose of unravelling this alarming myste-
ry; and the superstlious frenzy was in no
small degree heightened by the report, that
this man had been shot in the same way as
the others--in the back ofthe head!
The incidents were all so unaccountable,
that own felt no little sympathy with the
popular association of q supernatural agency
in their preparation. Henry laughed at all
this, but insisted that il was maniac; and 10
account for the peculiar dexterity of his es-
capes and whole management, related many
anecdotes proverbial of the cunning of mad
men. The widest, most absurd, and incred-
ible stories now alloat among the people
concerning this deadly and subtle foe of the
Regulators; for it was now universally be-
leved and remarked, that it was against
them alone that his enmity was directed.
The story of Henry was greatly improved
upon and added to and, as some reports
had il, the Mailman, as others, the Bearded
, Ghost, was seen in half a dozen places at
i, the same time ;--now On foot, stalking with
enormous strides across some open glade
from thicket to thcket-passing out Of sight
, again before the observer could recover from
, his surprise-then mounted, he was seen fly
| ing like the shadow of a summer cloud over
the praires,ior beneath the gloom OF forests,
always haggard and lean, dressed in skins
! with the hair on, and that long, terrible,
, heavy rifle on his shoulder | noticed that
, there was only one class of men who VEN
tured to assert that they had actually seen
with their own eyes, these wonderful sights,
and that was constituted of those who either
had suffered or from their characters and
pursuits, were most likely to suffer persecu-
, ton from the Rcgualors-the class Of hum
r trious in embellshing all the circumstances
t Of character, feats. and relentless hatred TO
G the Regulators, as highly as the excited GRE
G dulity of the public would bear. They new
err him except in the vicinity of the
: homes ofsome Sno oTNtiiesrrhated tyrants! In
IS their versions, this being was forever hover.
: ing around them, waiting themoment to strike
= while they were alone and far from any help.
h They carried this thing SO far as 10 attract
d attention to it, and arouse IN the cunning
n mind of llinch the same suspicion which had
st occurred to Henry and myself, namely, that
e all this was the result of a profoundly acute
J. and thoroughly organized scheme of this
t, class, headed by some man of peculiar per-
tn sonalites and consummate skill, with the OBJ
lie ject DISCRIMINATING or driving otlthe Regu.
Ii lators. 1t seemed impossible that, without
i, collision with many others, the murderer
&c should have been able to so battle all pur-
st suit. Hlnch and his band had been thor
of oughy cowed and awed but the moment
a this idea occurred TO him, the reaction OF
I'd their base fears was savage exultatIon. Here
ig was something tangible; their open and uni
al ted force could easily extermiIate an enemy
st who had acknowledged their weakness IN
I'd resorting 10 secret combinations and assassi-
I'd nation from the busH!' They forthwith
of proclaimed war TO the knfe,' with the
hole class and during the next week sew
RAJ ourages, so revolving that will not de.
III them, were perpetraled upon these men
different parts of the country; and The
ct that, during this general tumut, nothing
bore was seen or heard of the mysteriou,
fleman, encouraged them with the belle
rat they had succeeded in getting rid OF hin
trough the intimidation Of his confederatcs
They had now been for nearly fortngh
the saddle--had glut,ed themselves will
bngeance, and, as they conceived, broker
bwn this dangerous conspiracy against the
pwer and if they had not succeeded in de.
citing and Furnishing, had at least frightened
Il their singular foe. They now concluded
ley might safely disband. That day, afte
ley separated, one of their number, named
Fees-almost as bad and savage man Al
inch himself-was riding past thicket, il
lght Of his own house, when he was sho
rom it. His negroes heard the gun, ant
eeing his horse galloping up to the house ri
erless and snorting wildly, they ran down
nd found him stretched in the road dead
lie was shot in the eye, and the ball pass
d out at the back of his head.
When Hnch heard this, he turned per
pctly livid, his knees smote together, AM
18th horrid oath he exclaimed, Its JAG
long with vengeance' 1t was now per
eved, for the first time, that all the me
ad beer shot through the eye, instead of i
20 back Of the head, where the ball had on
hssed out, after entering at the socket
he other heads had been too unpleasant
Initiated for examination. and this had nc
cen before observed. or course, ever
ody was satisfied now, that this terrible be
hg was in one way or other identified wit
lye UWer Long: for the notoriety of his iavorit
,lly mark and his matchless skill Instantly occur
lis ed TO all, as accounting for much that wa
|, TO unaccountabe in these occurrences. TIL
the produced great change in public feelin'
the The better sort began to consider that the
hat understood the whole matter. The lyncl
led. ing Jack had received was fresh in the
Gu. memories, aud they supposed It's severil
the had shaken his mental balance and max
the him monomaniac, and that the disease la
die, endowed him with the marvellous cunning
in the staunch, murderous hate--and the VI
ate, natural appearance, which had created SUI
int. sensation. They could not understand no
IN being so supplemented and sluggish as
line was reputed to have been, could have be-