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

drunken re,el IN honor of the event.
As thy rode on win shouts Of laughter
AMI ours S, one OF their number named
Winter, noticed that portion If his horse.
equipment was gone. iie remembered
having 8 en- il IN a place q mile or so back,
aud told them Ia ride on and he would
return 10 get ii and rjoin them by the
time the iioilc commenced. lie left them
but never came back. They wen, on TO
the grocery and commenced their orgies,
at once forgot, or did not notice his alb.
since till the next dav, when they were
aroused from their hoggish sleep by me-
gro messenger IRON his family in great
haste with the news that his masters
horse had returned home without its rid
er. They were instantly sobered by this
announcement, which had grown to be
particularly significant OF late. They
Immediately mounted t1eir nurses and
went back on their trail. They were no,
long KEEP, 10 suspense. The buzzards
and wolves, gathered in numbers about
the edge of thicket which bordered the
prairie ahead of them, soon designated
the whereabouts of the object Of the
search. The unclean beasts and birds
scattered as they galloped up, and there
lay the torn and scattered fragments OF
their comrade! Hard as these men were,
they shuddered, and the cold drops start,
ed from their ghastly and bloated faces,
Il was stunning. The third OF their num-
Der consigned to this horrible fate---eaien
up by the wo.ves--all within a week -
Were they doomedl What shadowy,
inscruiable foe was this, who struck al.
way when least expected, and with such
fearful certainty, yet left no trace behind7
Was it, indeed, some supernatural agent
Of Judgement, visited upon their enormi
ties7 Awed and panic stricken beyond
all that may be conceived of guilty fear,
without any examination of the neighbor.
hood or Of the bones, they wheeled and
galloped back, carrying the alarm on
ioaming horses in every direction. The
whole county shared IN their consterna-
ton. never witnessed such a tumut
Of wild excitement among any population.
1t was the association Of ghostly attributes,
derived from lIenry's story, with the pro.
bable author of these unaccountahle as
sassnatons which so much reused all
classes, and this effect was not little
heightened when the report got out that
this man had been shot in the same way
as the others-through the back of the
head. Hundreds Of persons wen, out to
bring in the bones, making, as they said,
the stric,est search on every side, for
traces of the murderer, without being
able TO discover the slightest.
These things struck me as so peculiar
and difficult to be reasoned upon, that
must confess felt no little sympathy, with
the popular sentiment which assigned TO
them something Of Supernatural origin.
But Henry laughed at the idea, and in.
sisted that it must be a maniac. Ia con-
| 6rmalion of this opinion, he related many
instances, given by halfromancing medi-
cal writers, of the remarkable cunning of
such patients IN avoiding detection and
battling pursuit IN the accomplishment of
some purpose on which their bewillered
energs had strangely been concentra-
ted. This was the opinion most favored
among the more intelligent planters; but
the popula. rumors assumed the most
egregous ard phantastc features. The
! Bearded Ghost, as he was now generally
named from Henry's descr ptIon, had been
seen by this, that, and the other person;
now strding rapidly like a tall, thin spec
ire across some open glade between two
thickeis and Disappearing before the sf.
! frlghted obs rver could summon courage
to ADDRESS i'-row standing benz a,h some
old tree by The road side. still as It's shsd.
ow the keen, sepulchra eyes shlalng
ST. lily through the gloom, but melting
bod ly away if word was spoken-now
he was 10 he seen mounted. careering
like form Of vapor past the dark trunks
of the old FIR st aisles, or hurrying swift
" away like a raiu-cloud before the wind
across the wide praries, always har.clad
md g.unt, with a streaming bard, aud
the long heavy rife on his shoul ier. |
soon b.ean to note that il was only men
Of particular class who pretended to say
III at they had actually sen with their
/ eyes tnese won 'eflUl sightst anu tOtN
were those Em,grsnt Hunters who had
particularly suffered from the perse cutions
OF the raHpers. | observed too that they
ALWAYS locat d these mysterious appear
ances in the close vicinity Of some one OF
the houses OF the Regulators.
II at once struck me that it was pro-
foundy subtle conspiracy of this class,
headed by some man OF remarkable per.
sonalities and skill, with the deliberate
and stern purpose of extermnating the
Regulators. or driving them from the
country. II seems that the cunning
Hinch caught OF the same conclusion
He observed the peculiar eagerness OF
these men N circulating wild reports and
exaggera,ing as highly as possible the
popular conception OF this mysterious be-
ing. His savage nature seized upon il
with thrill of Vulnerable exuliaton.--
Nov he could make open war upon the
whole hateful class, rio the country OF
them entirely, and reach this fearful ene-
nv through his conductors, even if he
sull managed to elude vengeance person.
ally. He denounced them with great
clsmor, and as the people had become
very much alarmed and felt universally
the necessity of sitting this dangerous Sc