Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1851-02-18
FAYETTEVILLE, TENN, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY lS, S5

ferent parts Of the county; and th
+! fact that, during this general tumult
}, nothing more was seen or heard Q
u the mysterious Rifleman, encourage,
i them with the belief that they hat
), succeeded in getting rid Of him thro
] the intimidation of his confederates
NJ They had now been for; nearly
fortnight In the saddle had gluttet
themselves with vengeance, and, as
they conceived, broken down thii
dangerous conspiracy against then
power; and if they had not succeeded
lin detecting and Furnishing, had al
least frightened off their singular foe
TheySnow concluded they might safe
lily disband. That day, after they
separated, one Of their number
named Rees- almost as bad and say
Iage as Hinch himself-was riding past
a thicket, in sight of his own house,
when he was shot from it. His ne
groes heard the gun, and seeing his
horse galloping up to the house rider
less and snorting wildly, they ran
down, and found him stretched in the
road dead. He vas shot IN the. eye,
and the ball passed out at the back
Of his head.
When Hinch heard this, he turned
perfectly livid, his knees smote. to-
Igether, and with horrible oath, he
exclaimed, It's Jack Long, or his
| ghost, come back for vengeaeen 1t
was now perceived, for the first time,
| that all the men had been shot thro'
the eye, instead Of in the back of
the head, where the ball had only
passed outafter entering at the sock
ct. The other heads had been too
unplea sanity mutilated for examina-
Etion, and this sct had not been be
fore observed. Of course Everybody
was satisfied now, that this terrible
being vas in one way or another iden-
tilted with Jack Lon g; for the noto-
nety Of his favorite mark and his
matchless skill Instantly occurred to
all, as accounting for much that was
unaccountable in these occurrences.
This producedNa great change in pub
lie feeling. The better sort began to
conceive that trey understood the
VIII hole matter The lynclfing Jack
had received was fresh in their mem
ories, a nd they supposed that its Sc
verify had shakerhis mental balance
and made him lhonolnaniac, and
that the disease had endowed him
with the marvellous cuming-the
staunch, murdercusI hate-and the
unnatur al appearance, which had Gre
ate ID sue h sensation They could not
understand how a being so simple
hearted as he vas reputed to have
been, could have beenroused or stung
to such deeds by the mere depth and
power Of his natural passions. But
monoma aniacor not, sucha vengeance,
and the daring conduct of the whole
affair, were very imposing to their
associations and Prepossessions, and
they sympathized heartily with him.
It was only while the general uncer-
tainty left every man in doubt wheth-
er his own person might not be next
the object of this murderous aim,
that the public we've disposed to back
the Rangers in whatever violent
measures they might choose to resort
to, to drag the secret to light, and
the actor to punishment; but now
that it was apparent his whole hate
was levelled against the Rangers, and
all that uncertainty was confined to
them, be he de&l, ghost, lnadman, or
Jack Long, the public had no lnten-
ton of interfering again. 1t was a
personal issue between him and them
they might settle it between them
selves! Indeed, men felt in their
ininost hearts that every man of the
ten engaged in the lynching of Jack
Long deserved d dozen times over To
be shot; and now they looked on
coolly, rather enjoying the thing, and
earnestly hoping g that Jack might
have the best Of It,
And Of this there seemed to be a
strong probability; Tor the hegulatqrs
made only one more attempt to get
together; but Another Of their num-
Der being hlled d on his way to the
rendezvous, his body bearing that
well known and fearful signature OF
skill, the remaining five, perfectly
unnerved and overwhelmed with ter
ror, retreated to their houses, and
scarcely dared for several weeks to
put their head outside their esTn
doors. { "