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

Cuot0iASo W sAN SN' s NAASANS ~ :" AiNAA
ter's life TO be for more than moment
seriously affected by the circumstance
of Stoner's non- arrival. In the midst
of this, horses feet were heard gallo
ping up to the door, and a loud "Hil-
loa!' followed. The Squire hastily
went out. In moment after he
entered, looking pale and excited.
S1'om Dix one Of Stoner's neigh
bers )says that his horse has come home
without rider, the reins upon its neck
and clot Of blood upon the pummel
of the saddle! Boys he's been shot
Just as / suspected from the hrs;!"
Everybody rose at this announce
ment-looking in the face of him OPP
posite with blank pallid stare.
"The crazy man!'' calculated sew
eral. "Stange."- "Very mysterious
busine ss!" said others.
81 tell you what,' said the Squire
after a pause, "has struck me from
first. 1t is that this strange looking
fellow Henry saw, mistook him for
Stoner, until he looked into his face,
for Henry's horse and general appear
ance are not unlike his,-and when he
found that he was wrong, got out OF
the way and went on until he met Sto-
ner himself, and has shot him!'
"No doubt ofit!'' said several.
"But i,'s very mysterious affair, :"
continued he-eI know Of no such
looking man in this region as Henry
describes; but at any rate he will be
hunted down tomorrow, for Stoner
was one ofthe Regulators, and Hinch
is perfect bloodhound! He can
hardly escape him-crazy or not era
zy''
This seemed to be the most salts
factory solution of the difficulty, and
as it was too dark for Us to do any
thing that night we resumed our seats
TO discuss over and over again these
details: while the Squire sent off a
messenger summoning Hlnch and the
Regulators to be on the ground early
in the morning!
Before SUNRISE inthe morning, Hinch
arrived with six men. ! was walked
by his loud clustering and swearing.-
He was raving, as afterwards under
stood about Henry, calling his story a.
bout the meeting with the remarkable
personage-all humbug-and asser-
ting his belief that fla murder had been
committed, Henry was its author
Our host Quoted him in some way,and
when we came out to to join them he
greeted US with a snarling sort Of civil
ity. He was thick-set, broadshou!-
dered, burly-looking wretch, with
blood-shot eyes, and face bearing all
the marks OF. riotous debauchery! Our
search was for several hours entirely
unsuccessful, until Henry by accident
found the place where he had encoun.
tered the Bearded Ghost, as some one
christened him. Here one ofthe keen
eyed hunters found the traces ola large
foot. These were pur-
sued for several miles and lost, but on
our line and continuing the
same general course for some distance
farther, we at last found indeed the bo-
ty of Stoner! 1t had been SO much
nutilated by the wolves and ravens that
little examination was made of the
bones. We gathered them together to
carry them home to his family, and in
long this | noticed the fracture of a
bullet through the back ofthe SKULL
It had been stripped bare of flesh, and
Doth eyes plucked out by the birds, and
was too shocking an object for close
Examination. But what puzzled all
parties most was the discovery, a short
distance off, of the trail of shod horse.
Now there was perhaps not a horse in
Shelby county that wore shoes, and
not one in our party. Shoe
ng is never thought of, being unneces-
sary where there are no stones. This
was as perfect pozeras even Henry's
story, and threw yet greater air of
nexpicabiliiy around the affair. 1T
was thought that this tract might be
easily traced to any distance-but after
about it for several days, it
was given up in despair, and the Reg
llators, fatlgued and disheartened scat
cred for their respective homes.
But one ftheir number never reach
I'd his. Being missed for two days, !
here was general turnout to lock Tor
him; and as had been the case with
Stoner, his body was foandtorn to pie
res by the wolves. The report was
that he too had been shot through the
back of the head.
These murders, and the singularcir-
cumstances accompanying them, crea-
ted great sensation. Hinch and his
troops secured the country in every d.
rection, arresting and lynching suspi-
cious persons, as they called them.-
One poor inofensive fellow they hung
and cut him down four or five times,to
make him confess; but nothing was e