Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-03-29
This seemed to be the most tsatisfactor!


4 toe, dark for us to do anything that night,
! we resumed our seats to discuss the mat
ter over and5o again, while the Squire
sent of, messenger summoning Hinch
and the Regulators to be on the ground
bearly in the morning. 49,,
Before sunrise in the morning, Hinch
arrived with six men. 1 was wakened
by his loud clustering and swearing. He
was raving, as I afterwards understood.
about Henry, calling his story about
meeting with this remarkable parsonage
a humbug-and asserting his belief that
ifa murder had been committed,s Henry
was the author. a.rst ..iI la-zf J7Dsii r-q
= Our host quieted him in some way,
and when we came out to join them he
greeted US with snarling ciyiity. He
WAS thick set, broad shouldered, iburly
looking wretch, with blood shot eyes;
and face bearing all the marks of riotons
debauchery. Our search was for several
hours unsuccessful, until Henry, by acci-
dent, found the place where he had en-
countered the bearded ghost, as some one
4 christeued him. Here one of the keen
eyed hunters found the Traces of large
moccasined foot These were pursued
several miles and lost, but in spreading
our line, and continuing the same general
course for some distance farther, was at
last found the dead body of Stouer. 1t
and been so much mutilated by the
wolves and ravens that little examination,
" made Of the bones. We gathered
them together to carry them home to his
family, and in doing this I noticed the
fracture of bullet through the back OF
the skull. 1t had beeu stripped bare OF
fesh, and both eyes were plucked out by
the birds, and was too shocking for close
examination. But wbatpuzzled all par
ties most, was the discovery, short dis
lance off, Of the trail of shod horse
Now, there was, perhaps, not horse in
Shelby county that wore shoes, and GER
tainIy not in our party. Shoeing is never
thought of, being unnecessary where
there are no stones. This was as perfect
a poser as even Henry's story, and there
was greater air of inexPiicabillty around
the affair. 1t was thought that this track
might be traced to any distance-but at
ter worrying about it for several days. it
was given up in despair, and the Reguls-
tors, fatigued and disheartened, scattered
for their respective homes.
But one of their number never reach
ed his. Being missed for two days there
was a general turnout to look for him i;
and as had been the case with Stoner, his
body was found torn to pieces BY the
wolves. The report was, that he, too
was shot through the back Of the head.
These murders, and the singular cir
cumstances accompanying them created
great sensation. Hinch and his company
secured the country in every direction,
arresting and lynching suspicious per-
sons, as they called them. One poor in
offensive fellow they hung and cut down
four or FIVE times, to make him confess ;
but nothing was elected, and they left
him barely spark of life.
That evening as they were returning to
their head quarters at the store, one Of
them named Winter, missed portion Of
his horse furniture, which had become
accidentally detached He said that he
had observed it in its place mile back
that he would return to get it and join
them at the store, by the time they, should
be ready to commence the spree they had
determined on going into that night. He
left them and never returned. They
soon got drunk, and did not particularly
notice his absence until some time the
next day, when his family, alarmed by
the return of his horse with an empty
saddle, sent 70 inquire after him. This
sort Of inquiries had become so signifi-
cant of late, that they were instantly So
bered, and mounting, they rode back on
their trail. Very soon swarm of buzz
yards and wolves, near line of thlcket
ahead, designated the whereabouts ofthe
object Of their search; and there they
found his feshless bones scattered on
every side. They were appalled,. The
reddest bloated cheek among them
blanched. It was terrible They seem.
ed to be doomed Three of their num-
Der torn to pieces in ten days; and yet
not the slightest clue to their relentless
and invisible foe, but the ghost story
of Henry's, and the tracks, which only
served to tantalize them. 1t must be
some dread supernatural visitation OF
their hideous crimes. They shivered,
while the great drops started from their
foreheads, and without looking for any
trail, or even gathering up the bones,
they started back at full speed spread
ing the alarm everywhere. The excite
ment now became universal aud tTemen-
dous. Nearly the whole country turned
out for the purpose of unravelling this
alarming mystery; and the suPerstI tious
phrenzy was In no small degree heighten'
, ed By the report, that this man had been
shot in the same way as the others, in h'
back Of the head!
These incidents were so unaccountable
that own l felt no little sympathy will
the popular association in their persecu
ton. Henry laughed at all this but in
sisted that he was maniac /; and 70 &C
: count for the peculiar dexterity of his es-
capes and the whole management, related
many anecdotes of the proverbial Gun