Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1851-02-11

lIsettlers, he had continued to hur
IIwith even more assiduity tia n usua
| and was in great measure ignoran
of the unenviable notoriety he wa
enjoying. He had heard so methin,
of the charge with which his eharae
| ter had been assailed, but at tribute
them all to the jealous EN- nifty h
| had incurred at the shooting mattel
/ He could understand perfectly no,
| pne man could hate another who ha,
beat him in shooting, and thought i
natural enough; but he could not un
derstand how that hatred might b,
meanly and desperately vindictive
and therefore gave himself no uneasi
ness about it. He was only anxieu.
that his wife should not hear and bt
annoyed by any of these things, and
preserved his usual cheerfulness of de-
meanor.
He had just returned from hunting
and laying aside his accoutrements
Partook of the simple meal her neat
housewifery had prepared for him;
then stretching himself upon the buf-
fhlo robe on the floor, rompe d with
bis two rosy checked boys, WI roll
id over his great body, and GAM
boled and screamed in riotous Joy
around him; but mother wanted
some water from the branch, and the
ffolic must be given over while Jack
would go and bring it. So jumping
up, he left the little-folk pouting viii
fully as they looked after him from
the door, and started. The stream
was only about a hundred yards
from the house, and the path leading
toit was through a dense high thick
dt. It was against Jacks religion
to leave his house without his gun;
but the wife, whom he loved above
all the universe Of sentiment and ev-
erything else, was in a hurry for the
water, and the distance WIS SO short,
! so he sprang gaily out with tie
vessel in his hand, leaving the rifle
behind The water had been dipped
up, and he was returning along the
marrow path closely bordered by
brush, when he felt a light tap on
each shoulder, and his career strange
" impeded. He had just ii me to
perceive that a lasso had been thrown
oyer him, which would confne his
arms, when he saw himself suddenly
surrounded, and was rub shed upon by
4 number of men. He instantly re-
,dgnized the voice of Hinch, shout
nc, Down with himi Drag him
l6wn!' as the men who had hold Of the
"a abso about his body jerked at it vio-
|ently in the effort to throw hi M
All his tremendous strength wa S put
1orth in one convulsive effort, which
Would have freed him, but that the
nfernal moose had fallen true, and
mid bound his arms. AS it was, he
lfagged the six stout men who held
t after his frantic bounds nearly to
hi 5 own door, before he was pr6stra-
ted, and then it was by q heavy blow
lealt him over the head with the butt
,fa gun. The last object which met
lis eye as he sank down, were the
Mortified faces Of his two children and
wife looking out upon him!
The blow deprived him of his SEN
;es for some time, and when he re-
dveredhe found himsdlfhalf stripped, |
md lashed to a tree q short dis
ance from his house Hinch ia
rbnt of him, with a kllottea rope in
ii hand, his wife on the ground, |
yailing and clinging " ith piteods en-
1eaty round the monsters i nees,
IFS children weeping by her, a nd out
'ide this group circle of me en with |
runs in their hands, That fearful
Weakening was q new birth to Jack !
[ Ipng! His eyes took in everything
It one glance. A shuddef; like that
# an oak rifting to its core, sRrang
dong his nerves, and seemed to- pass
} bit at his feet and through his fin
gers, leaving him as rigid as marble;
Ind when the blows Of the hiaeous
levil before him fell upon his white
lesh, making it welt in purpleI rid
ges, or spout dull black G urrents, he
alt them no more than the dead lin
81 of his door would have done] and
be agony of that poor wife shri fling
i frantic echo to every harsh sla$hing
'pund, seemed to have no more effect |
lpon his ear than it had uponI the
Zee above them, which shook its |