Washington telegraph., 1849-10-17


the great double-harrel hanging on buck
horns over tile door; practice with tina
every morning. and the day you are six
teen, shoot the loads of both barrels into
the man who will this day kill your father.
"Yonder comes Moses Howard; he will
protect you, Pa" said Mary. Hills eldest
daughter, lovely girl of fifteen, who
was to be married the next day to the
| youth then approaching.
Hill and Howard departed; Lucy with
tears, Mary bushing, both calling out as
they left the gate, stake good care of him
Moses, and be sure TO bring him back
tonight"
"Never fear" answered the youth
with laugh; "Hill will never die till
kill him.
"Then he will live forever" said Mary
laughing also.
AS soon as the friends reached the vii
lage, Hill began 10 drink deeply, and
manifested more than ordinary anxiety
for a combat. insulting every one that
crossed his path; and all the youths en-
treaties failed to pacify him. At last the
desperate sWore that he would clear the
courthouse; and Immediately entering
with furious countenance and threat
as 70 his purpose-judge, lawyers, jury
and spectators made a general rush for
the door One old drunken man alone
did not run as fast as Hill wished, and he
sprang on the imbeciIe wretch, and COM
menced beating him numerically.
Howard then caught hold of his future
father-in-law, (alas! who never was to beg
and attempted to pull him away.
With eyes red. and glaring like mad
dog Hill instantly turned upon his friend,
and with siugle blow of his fist feled
him to the floor; then following up the
violent act, he leaped on the youth and
began most ferocious battery. In vain
Howard endeavored to escape, crying out
in tones of beseeching horror, "for God S
sake cease! Hill, don't you know me?
Your friend Nose; Remember Mary
Hills anger only increased, till finally he
threw his hand to his belt and clutched a
pistol. And then Howard's blood also
boiled, and he resolved to fight for his life.
He was of as powerful frame as the
other--the only person in all Arkansas to
he compared with the desperate in physi-
ca, strength.
Howard grasped the barrel of the pistol
as Hill cooked it; and the weapon eX-
ploded in their hands without injury
Once more they clenched, and the most
dreadful struggle ensued ever witnessed
in the west. The advantage shifted from
one side to the other for the space of five
minutes, till both were bathed in streams
of their own blood. Even the bye-stan-
ders, looking Oh through the windows of
the log courthouse, were struck with
wonder and awe. At length, while rag
lug and twisting like two raging serpents,
the handle of Hills huge bowie knife,
unthought of previously, protruded from
beneath his hunting shirt. Both saw it
at the same time, and both attempted to
grasp it; Howard succeeded; quick as
lightning he drew the keen blade from
its scabbard, and sheathed it up to the hlt
in the bosom of his friend and his Mary S
father.
"The dream is fulfilled" exclaimed
Hill, with smile of strange sweetness
that remained on his features even after
he was corpse. He theu sunk down
and expired without groan.
Howard gazed on him as he lay with
that singular smile on his face, and his
glazed eyes open. And then, awaking
with start, as if from some horrible
vision of the night, the poor, unhappy
youth, fell headlong on the body of his
friend, crying in tones thar melted many
a hardened spectator into tears, 'Great
God. what have [ done?" He kissed the
c.amny lips of the dead; wet his cheeks
with a rain Of unavailing sorrow; essayed
to staunch the bloody wound with his
handkerchief; and then, apparently salts
fled that all was over, sprang upon his
feet with shout, or more properly scream
-"Farewell, Mary, your father is gone,
aud am going with him. and turning
the point OF the CORY knife towards his
own breast, would have plunged it into
his heart. had he not been prevented by
the by-standers who had now crowded
into the room.
The same evening Moses Howard dis.
appeared, aud was heard of no more for
nearly two years, when horse-trader
brought back word that he had been seen
i'll San Antonio. Texas
When the shocking news reached Hill
family, the beautiful Mary burst into a
wild laugh. She is now in the Asylum
for the Insane, at New Orleans.
Had we been inditing a tale of romance,
we would have paused with a preceding
page; but literal truth compels US to re.
cord another fact, equally characteristic,
both as to the chief actors and the back
woods theatre of the main tragedy
it will be remembered that the fallen
desperate had enjoined it on his son to
slay the slayer of his father on the day he
should arrive at the age of sixteen.-
Without any such charge vengeance