Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1849-03-21

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chill singular brilliancy, in deep-sunke1
sockets. they looked as if they never hat
winked. Dwelling steadily upon my fac'
for moment they seemed to be satisfied
and the gun was slowly thrown back upo1
his shoulders; and plucking at long girls.
| ly beard, with an impatient gesture of his
bony hands, the figure made stride a
cross the trail, and without speaking wore
plunged into the thicket. l was so con
founded by this dumb show, that he was
nearly concealed in the brush before found
my tongue to shout to him to stop; but he
kept on not even turning his head. l was
provoked, and spurred my horse, in. after
him, as far as could penetrate, but he
kspl 81 ani aa. 50.
|ment, and whether he can talk at all or moi
lis more than Lean tell. . ~ sisS = ss's
"Did you look at his feet, Henry?" inter-
rupted one Of the party. Il expect it Was
old"
@Never mind what you expect-hear me
out" he continued. Il followed the trail,
which wound about, it seemed to me tow
ards all the points of the compass, for an
hour or more; when at last it led me out
into prairie, which thought | recognised.
l stopped, and was looking around to make
out the landmarks, when horse, with a
saddle on burst from the woods, behind me,
and tore off across the prairies as if he too
had seen the devil"
sWhat color was he!" exclaimed half-a-
dozen voices in breath.
"He was too far off for me to distinguish
more than he was dark horse--say about
as much so as mine. l could distinguish
the pummel of the saddle and the stirrups
flying"
ssStoner's horse was dark bay" was
buzzed around the table, in low tones, every
one looking seriously in his neighbor's face.
"Yes!" said the squire, rising and step
ping uneasily to the window. "Stoner's S
horse was good deal like yours; he must
have got away from him, and that is what
detains him. But then the nag was a very
kind creature; and well trained. wonder
it should have behaved sop ..->...
"Don't believe bay would have done it,
square," said one of the men. Something
has gone wrong, think! Was the bride
down, Mr.. Henry?" s..
"It was too far off for me to tell. fol-
lowed in the direction the horse took, and
soon found myself here, 'and expected to
find it here toop'
sNol Stoner's is beyond here" said the
squire. "That wagon trail you were turn
ing and twisting about in, is a road | had
opened te'a number of board trees we cut and
rived out there; you might have followed it
for hours and not been more than mile or
so from the place you started from. That
ghost of yours, by the way, may be some
crazy fellow, who has wandered off into
these parts, with mischief in him. Did
you hear no gun?"..
81 thought l did-about an hour after
parting with that man, or devil, or what
ever be was-but the sound was so faint
and distant, that for fear l might be mis-
taken did not go to it; and the road had
turned SO frequently, could not tell wheth-
er it was in the direction he went off or
not"
Here the "driver" interposed, saying that
he heard rifle about that time on the right,
but supposing it to be Henry or Stoner, he
thought nothing of it. And half-Iaug ching
discussion followed as to the probable char
acter of the wood-ghost, Henry had re-
ported. Some asserting that he was a
quizzing us for these men were too much
accustomed to the exigencies Of hunters
life to be for more than moment seriously
affected by the circumstances of Stoner's
non-arrival. In the midst of this a horses
feet were heard galloping up to the door,
and loud @Hilloa!" followed The squire
rose hastily and went out. In moment
after he entered, looking pale and excited.
"Tom Dix Gone of Stoner's neighbors)
says that his horse has come home without
rider, the reins upon his neck, and clot
of blood upon the pummel of the saddle
Boys! he's been shot! Just as I suspected
from the first!
Everybody rose at this announcement
looking in the face of him opposite with a
blank, palled stare.
"The crazy mani" CALCULATED several
|"Strange!"
every mysterious business!" said others.
"I tell you what" said the squire after a
pause, "has struck me from the 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 ap-
pearance are not unlike his,-and when he
found he was wrong, got out of his way and
went ON till he met Stoner himself, and has
shot him?"
sNo doubt of It'll" said several.
eBut it's a very mysterious affair."" con.
.tinued he-"I know of no such looking
man in this region as Henry describes:
but al any rate he will be hunted dowr
tomorrow. ios. Stoner was one of the
regulators, and Hinch is perfect blood
hound! He can hardly escape him
crazy or not crazy!"
This seemed to be the most satisfac
tory solution of the difficulty, and as ii
was too dark for US to do anything that
night we resumed our seats to discuss over
and over again the details; while the
squire sent off messenger summonine
Hinch and the regulators to be on the
ground early in the morning.
Before sunrise in the morning, Hincb ar
rived with six men. l was walked by his