The Arkansas banner., 1849-10-02
Vol. VII.

follow aeadY business, in order 10 support hie family he resor;ed to the gaming table He learn cd also to indulge in the fiery stimulus of ardent drink, and his disposition, necessarily scared in the recent events, became quarrelsome In the extreme. Perhaps there never was excepting Oniy that l Napoleon of duests James Bowie who was heartily dreaded. have myself seen persons of undoubted courage turn pale merely at the appear ance Of Hillb gigantic form, broadly belted and bristling with pistols. He was waylaid and shot at
 number of times, yet still escaped without scar. i But this could be considered no wonder; for even brave men's hands shook when they saw him, and shaking hands generally make very poor shots. DRring the september term, lS43, of the Circuit Court of Pope county, in which Bi resided, he got out of bed one morning, uncommoniy gloomy, and while at the breakfast table, suddenly burste into tears.
 !" What is the matter, my dearf" asked Lucy -that beautiful Lucy, who had formerly left her wealthy home In Carolina for the robber and rob ber's cave.
 :" 1 have had dreadful dream" answered the husband. shuddering to the recoIiectiou; i" saw George Strong in my sleep, and he kissed ms with his pale lips that burned like fire, and smeIed of sulphur. am sure shalt die before sunset"
 '' Then do not go 10 court to-day, said the wife, In accents of earnest entreaty.
 "But w" replied the husband, very firmly "When mans time Is come, he cannot hide from death besides 1t would be the act of coward to do | so, if one possesses the power" Then addressing his son. fine intelligent boy of thirteen, he com tinued, Bill, you see my gum pointing his fng. CT he spoke to the great doubIe-barrel hanging on buck-horns over the door; ''practce with that every morning, and the day you are sixteen, shoot the loads of both barrels into the who will this day kill your father.
 l aYonder cames Moses Howard; he will protect you, Pa" said Mary, Hills eldest daughter, love- i ly girl of ffteen who to be married the next day to the youth then approaching. l Hill and Howard departed; Lucy with tears, Ma " bushing, both calling oa, as they left the gate, 'take good care of him Moses and be sure to bring him back tonight
 "Neyer fear, answered the youth, with laugh; "IIill will never die till l kill him."
 "Then he will live fOrever," said Mary, laugh l ing also.
 As soon as the friends reached the village. Hill began to drink deeply, and manifested more than dinary anxiety for a combat, insulting every one that crossed hIs path; and all the youths entreaties l failed to pacify him. At last the desperado swore that he would clear the court house; and immedi- ately entering with furious coantenance and n threat as to his purpose judge, lawyers, jury and 1 spectators made general rush for the door. One | old drunken man alone did not run as fast as Hill wished. and he sprang on the imbecile wretch, and ! commenced beating him unmercifully. Howard then caught hold of his future father in- law, (alas. who never was to bel and attempted 10 pull him away.
 Witheyes red, and glaring like a mad dog, Hill instantly turned upon his friend, and with single blow of his fist feed him to the fioor then follow ing up the violent act, he eapsd the youth and began a most ferocious battery. In vain Howard endeavored to escape crying outn tones of beseech- l ing horror, "for Gods sake cease Hill, don't you 1 know mel Your friend Mose: Remember Mary" pHiIl's anger only incrcased till finally he threw his | hand to his belt and clntched pistol. And then Towards blood also boiled and he resolved 10 fight l for his life. He was of as powerful frame as the other-the only person in all Arkansas 10 be com pared with the desperado in physical strength l Howard grasped the barrel of the pistol as Hill cooked it; and the weapon exploded in their hands without injury. Once more they clenched. and the most dreadful struggle ensued ever witnessed in the west The advantage shifted from side to inc other for the space of five minute, till both were bathed in streams of their own blood. Even the bye-standers looking on through the windows of the log court house, were struck with wonder and awe. At length, while raging and twisting like two raging serpepts, the handle of Hills huge bowie knife, unthought of previously, protruded from be- heath his hunting shirt Both saw it at the same time, and both attempted to grasp it; Howard sue ceeded; quick as lightning he drew the keen blade from its scabbard, and sheathed it up to the hit in the bosom of his friend and his Mary's father.
 "The dream is fulfilled" exclaimed Hill, with a smile of strange sweetness that remained on his features even after he was a corpse. He then sunk down and expired without groan.
 Howard gazed on him as he lay with that singu-
 lar smile his face, and his glazed eyes open. nd then, awaking with a start, as if from some horri
 bIe vision of the night, the poor, unhappy youth, fell hesdlong the body of his friend, crying in tones that melted many hardened spectator into tears, "Great God. what have done?" He kissed . the clammy lips of the dead wet his cheeks with q rain of unavailing sorrow; essayed 10 staunch the bloody wound with his handkerchief; and then, ap- fad feet with shout. or more properly scream-'Fa Fare- well. Mary, your father is gone, and am going with him. and turning the point of the gory knife towards his breast, would have plunged it into his heart had he not been prevented by the stan ders who had now crowded into the room.
 The same evening Moses Howard disappeared and was heard of more, for nearly two years when horse-trader brought back word that he had been seen in San Antonio, Texas
 When the shocking news reached Hlll's family, the beautiful Mary burst lnte wild laugh. She is now in the Asylum for the Insane, at New Or leans.
 Had We been ndiing tale of romance, we would have paused with proceeding Page bat literal truth compes us to record another fact, equally charac- teristc, both to the chief actors and the back. woods theatre of the main tragedy
 1 It will be remembered, that the fallen desperado had enoned 1t his son to slay the slayer ef his father on the day he should arrive al the age e six teen. Without any such charge vengeance would have been considered by that boy as a sacred duty; for on the frontier the widows Of the slain teach vengeance to their children, and occasionally exe- cute 1t themselves!
 "Accordingly. Bill Hill practsed with his father . gun every day for two successive years, and this even before he had any rumor as to the place of Towards refuge. He then learned that his foe was in Texas and two months before he was sixteen set out to hunt him up.
 At the end of four months Bill came back, and hanging up the doube- barrels on their old buck horn rack, answered his mothers inquiring look [" Mother, is dead let him have both loads. Though cried before done it, and afterwards too he looked so miserable, pale. and bony a skele- l ton.'
 "Poor Mose," said the mother. weeping; "but 1t could not be helped. The son of such brave man as Nixon Curry must never be called coward, and besides 1t was your fathers oFdcr."