Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1849-07-19
'THRILLING SIX ETCH.
a PRINTER AMONG THE WOLVES.


"A PRINTER AMONG THE wolves.
4 8 ss=8 IS
Z The Wolf has been ayorite theme for
the brain and pen of the poet and novelist
Hishauhtsland his habits have beendehcribcd
by them with as much ninuteuess. DIS if be
belonged tp one pf The human rather than
the bestial races And truly his Isl an IN
cnyiable fame a coward, except when
driven BY tile ssefn tyraut hunger-rGmorse-
less and Implying as the hyena, he lacks the
noble daring and generosity of the lion DIS
much as the beauty ofthe tiger and leopard.
There Is nothing romantic in the associa-
tons Of bis name, except tales of fearful
carnageDr hair breadth escape s-reminiscen.
ces of terror, fright and horror. Lord By
ron and Gen. Putnam have made him famous,
however; the one has immortalized him in
Mazeppa, The other proved him mortal in his
den. Byrpn's was afancy PICTURE old
Put saw him eye to eyen And they emily
can have ap adequate Idea Of him who have
seen him in bis desert home, and heard his
cries Of hanger issuing through bis lank
jaws from biz maelstron stomach in unearth-
~ bowls, while His eye-balls Eglisten demon
like through THE midnight gloon Then,
when far from home, houseless, succorless,
with the shades pf night gathering around
you, and gathering with them these Canaan
Giles Of tbe quahrupeds, bowling a song Of
anticipated assail oycryour quirering limbs,
snufbng UP the scentof your blood, while
yet it thrills through your veins and arte-
rics, and thTobs eonvalsively in your beating
heart, stealing assassinrlike upon you, their
murderous claws beating the dead march III
the crumpling leayes, and their teeth CLEAN,
ing oat from their thin lips, drawn DIP with
the excitement of hilnger and hoped for
gfatiGcatioa--fksn might you have had some
adequate idea of this terrible ram bier of the
\ forest--this murderous Thug Of the desert
have seen him thus aud the recollec
tioa Of that nightof peril, is yet as fresh as
ifitwere but yesterday Whenever f think
Of il, | almost feel the sharp teeth enter my
shrinking flesh, and hear in Imagination their
thirsty tongues tapping up my hot oozing
blood. It was In the southwest section Of
Arkansas, fDrty, miles from tie habitation IF
man, on the outskirtsbf creation, halfway
between somewhere and nowhere.or la other
words, near the point of division between
Louisiana, Arkansas, Indian Territory and
Texas Il may Be asked, how came | there
To this question III is sufficient to say that
am PRINTER. Further explanation TO those
acquainted with the habits Of my craft, were
useless But there may be some who do not
know that of all nenthe printer il alone
ubiquitous. He is THE only Simon Pure
Cosmopollte, the true citizen pf the world,
bis life anywhere, bis home nowhere, roam
Ing over tile civilized earth, most steadily
pursuing his own caprices whiclfare the stars
be his destiny and whether in the city's
busy hum, or with united shoes peripatetic
rambler ever the mountain or the prairie,
alike at home everywhere, the real Jack b
lnn-thorn Of The human race. Iprettnd not
% be free from the weakness efl myIprofes
sion A typo's tools are his thumb and fiR-
ger, and 50 easily are they transported when
ehnai, hard times or the rowing fancy takes
him, he tics up his spare shirt, If be Has one,
ih his handkerchief III he has one, and miz-
sles for some other green spot where shete
may be types and tokens of better NE.
1 had been at Acknowledgment Natchitochcs,
had finished setting Up my thousands, my.
prospects got into pi, md so / took my stickI
and mr. gun, and like other small fry, com;
niencea working my way Up stream I bud
passed ShregepoEt, Ca6do Lake, and the lit.
IN sisS1lis apof ~ . llas lnpsy luLo Iau
River, When ABOUT noon oncsday thirst bet
gap e rennndg lpe Of my slavery 70 It's der
ntands !; and I commenced searching for
sulphur FofS orisome other stream OF the
precious iqHid water, whose blessed treasure
We may eaIoy fhrough, lie withous apPre1
ciating its value, unless some foTtaitous CIR
cumstances teach ns tile lesson trough our
necessities, which we could never learn from
Fenjoyment. 4 found bayou after bayou,
where the runniig stream had left IN traek,
but the clay and sand were parcaaed and
cracked BY the summers sun Meta drel
Of water was there ii them all ct for man
or beast Disappointment ad de6 f1al otEe
fame already burniing usy tongue, avs stranA b
fire seemed searching into my lraislls YcE i
searched IN, despair coming manflaly uPto
fill the broken columns Of Hopks But ii
WASH vain. The red sun went g:AFiag down
towards his western couch dark sapors
seemed gathering in the east, and hal isps
tdles ! Again, again comes the howl of a
hungry wolf Again again il thai thrilling
sound repeated. kacll hillock seems 70 echo