Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1845-05-15

narrow gully, the banks oil which were
frlnged along the top by bushes about six
feet high. This was within half mile
Of the Town; and as they had seen moth
ing yet to rouse their suspicious, they be.
gan to think they should get in unmoles-
ted. While they stopped TO letthef hor-
ses drink for moment, and were leaning
over their necks, the animals suddenly raj.
sed their heads. snorting, towards the top Of
the bank. The men were startled too
and locked up. The dreaded enemy. a
grisly head and shoulders above the bush.
es, and the heavy rife laid along their
tops, bearing full with its dark tube into
their faces! The shndder which thrilled
through tho frame OF Nixon was pfolong.
ed into the death. The black muzzle
gushed with aame--and the wretched
man pitched head foremost into the stream.
Almost Immediately tho frightened CON.
panion heard the heavy lhump OF a horse &
feet. Leaving his comrade IN the
ws,er--with upturned face, one crushed
cye.ball, and the other glazing CLASSIFY at
the sky--Dayis urged his horse against
the ascent and saw from the top OF the
bank, gaunt outline ofa recediDg figure
Just losing itself through the trees among
which it was speeding with wonderful
rapidity.
Davis galloped into town with the
news on his white lips. The Regulators
scattered in inconcelvab,e dismsy, and
peyer got together again. They shut
themselves in tbs houses and for two
weeks no, one of them dared to put his
eyes outside Of his door. Jack was now
sometimes for moment sem publicly,
and wss regarded with great curiosity
and awe; for, with all he had already
done, it was known that bis mission was
not We, finished. Every body watched
with intense interest the progress OF the
work, especially the hunters who be-
gan now to express their satisfaction
openly. At last one of the Regulators, a
poor scamp named White, who was great
ly addicted to drink, grew impatient Of
abstinence, and determined to risk Jack s
rife rather than do without liquor any
longer. lie set off in covered wagon
for the grocery. to ge, him barrel, lying
in the bottom of the wagon on some straw
which one of the negroes drove. The liz
auor had been obtained, and he had near
ly reached the entrance of lane, which
led up to his house, on his return, without
ever lifting his head soas TO expose 1t when
the wagon run over large chunk OF wood
which had been placed across the track just
where il ran close to thcket. The jolt
was so severe as to roll the barrel over on
10 him. He forgo, bis prudence, and put
his head out of the cover to swear at the
boy for his carelessness. The negroe heard
him say, "There he is a, las'!' cutting
short, with the exclamation, torrent
of oaths-when a rife. shot whsiled
from the thcke,. His master fell back
heavily in the wagon, and he saw tall
"hairy man, >" as he called him, stalking off
through the woods with a gun On his shout.
dor. It was observabls that White also,
was shot through ihe eye.
A week after this, another OF them
named Jarne,, who had kept himself n
close prisoner, go, up one morning at sun
rise, and threw open the door oil his house
TO let in the fresh air. Stepping from be.
hind large tree in the yard stood forta
the avenger with that long rife leveled. and
that cold eye fixed upon his face, waiting
for a rscognition--as he did in every case
before he fred. The man attempted
TO step back--too late! The sun was in
his eve, hu, winged with darkness and
oblivion, the quick messenger burst shat
terng through nerve and sense, and the
seventh miserable victim fell heavily across
his own threshold.
But by an ingenius elaboration OF ven
geance, the most terrible torture OF ak
had been reserved for Hinch. His mag
nation became his hell. Hed'ed, through
it. thousand deaths. He had been pass
ed by, TO see his comrade one by one fall
from around him, with the consciousness,
that the relentless hate and marvellous skill
which struck them down, was strung with
tenfold sternuess against himself. One,
two, three, four, FIVE, six, seven! He had
counted them all many times. They had
all gone down under his eye, and as each
one fell, came tho question, shall it be my
turn next! From tho certainty that 4
would come, there was no escaping. lie
had put forth all the malignant fegocity OF
cunning aud brutal passions IN vain; and
as successfully he missed his minlons
from his side, the dark circle grew mar
rower and narrower, closing in terrible
gloom about him, ill he stood almost
slngly in the light, the only target for that
pitiess aim. Ay! the very spot where
The ball should strike him was distinctly
marked by seven several instances!-and
the wretch casped his hands before his
eyes and shivered through every fibre,
as he felt the keen shock strike in black
ness through tissues so sensitive that even
a hair touching them now was agony.
Such consciousness Of coming doom
was TOO much TO be endured. Within a
few weeks he shtuuk like rank weed,
from above which the sheterlng boughs
had been clef, and the strong sun let IN
upon its bare stem. His beated face be.
come pallid and wrinkled. He grew so
nervous that the tap OF a crisp leaf, dnv-
en- by the winds against his window, made
him shudder and glare his eyes around,
expecting that dark tube to grow through