Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1849-07-14

ed. do NOT mean 10 have il understood
that the whois population at this time
were men OF that stamp evowedly.
There were some few whose wealth 10
q degree protected them in the observance
of more seemingly life-though they
were compelled TO at least wink at the
doings OF their rufiianly and more numer-
Gus neighbors while there was yet an
other, but not large class of sturdy, straight
| forward emigrapts, who, attracted solely
by the beauty Of the country, had come
into it, settled themselves down wherever
they took q fancy,-wlth characteristic
reckless neither caring nor inquiring who
were their neighbors, but trusting in their
| own stout arms and hearts 10 keep foot.
| ing. OF course all such were very soon
engaged in desperate feuds with the horse
thieves and pIunderers around them; and
as they were not yet strong enough 10
! make hend efficently-were one after an.
other finally ousied or shot. It was TO
exterminute this honest class that the more
lawless and brutal Of the other associated
themselves and assumed the name of Reg
ulators.' They numbered from eight to
twelve-and under the organization OF
rangers. commanded by beastly wretch
named Hiuch, they professed TO undertake
the task Of purifying The county limits Of
all bad and suspicious characters; or, in
! other words, Of all men who dared refuse
to be as vile as they were,-or if they
were, who chose 70 act independently Of
them and their schemes. This precious
brotherhood soon became the sc0urge OF
all that region. Whenever an individual
was unfortunate enough 10 make himself
| obnoxious TO them, whether by successful
villaiuy, the proceeds Of which he refused
! to share with them, or bv the hateful con-
trast Of the proprlety Of his course-ho
! was forthwith Observation-Disclosures
/ had his stock driven off or killed want0nly
and if these annoyances and hints were
not sufficient to drive him away, they would
| publicly warn him 10 lsaye the county IN
a certain number of days. under the penalty
! of being scourged or shot. The common
| pretsxt for this was the occusation Of hav-
! ing committed some crime, which they
| themselves had perpe!Ts;ed with view Of
furnishing charge to bring against him.
| Their hate was entirely ruthless and never
stopped short Of accomplishing lis pur.
poses; and in many bloody fray and cruel
outrage had The question Of their suprema-
| cy been mooted, untiI at last there were
! few left to dispute with them, and they
| tyranlzed at will.
Among these few vas Jack Long, as
no was called, who neither recognized nor
denied their power, and indeed never troub-
| led himself about them one wayo or the other.
| He kept himself TO himself, hunted in
ccssantly, and nobody knew much about
! him. Jack had come ofa wild turkey breed
as the western term ia for rowing family,
and though still young man, had pushed
on ahead of the settlement OF two territories,
and had al last followed the game towards
the south, and finding it abundant in Shell
by county, had stopped here, just as he
would have stopped at the foot Of the
Rocky Mountains, had it been necessary
TO pursue il Sd far. lie had never been
in the habit OF asking leave Of any power
where he should settle, and Of course scarce.
ly thought Of The necessity Of doing so now,
but quietly Sc, 10 work--built himself
nice log cabin, rs far off from every body
az he could get. And the first thing that
was known Of him. he had his pretty young
wife and :wo little ones snugly slowed
away in it, and was Staying the deer and
the peals right and left.
Honest brotherhood had made several
attempts at feeling Jacks pulse and nscer-
tanning his availability but he had always
seemed SO impassvely gopd na,ured, and
put them of so pleasantly, that they could
find no ground for either disturbing or
quarreling with him. What was more,
he was physically rather an ugly looking
Customer with his six feet four inches OF
Drawn and bone; though the inclination,
just dIscoverabIe in his figure, to corpu-
| lency, together with a broad, full good
humored face, gave an air of slugglshness
TO his energies, and an expression Of easy
simplicity to his temper, which offered
neither invitation to gratutous insult nor
proYocaion 10 dislike. He wss the very
impersonation ofinoffensiye, loyal honesty
slUmberiBg on It's conscious strength; and
these me", without exactly knowing why,
felt some little Dissemination to waking him.
He had evidently never been roused TO
knowledge OF himself, and others felt Just
as uncertain what that knowledge might
bring forth as he did, and we're not special
" jealous Of the honor of having il first
tested uron their own persons: So that
Jack Long nigh, have been left for many
a day in quiet, even in this formidable
neigborhood, TO cultivate his passion for
mark manship al the expense Of the dumb,
wild things around him, but for an unlorlu-
nate display he was accidentally induced to
make oft.
Happening ~ fall short Of ammunition
he wen, one day 10 the store for fresh
supply. This cabin, together with the
blacksmiths shop and one or two other
huts, constituted the county town, and as