Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-03-14

But now this uncertainty was dissipated,
and as the phantom only threatened the
sanguinary band, they were more disposed
to rejoice, and, instead Of aAording help to
the Regulators, to wish good success TO
Jack from the bottom Of their hearts. They
might have acknowledged that each Of
these wretches deserved death thousand
times and though it might be Jack him
self, his spirit or the devil, it was an affair
to be arranged between him and his enc
mics, and none felt the least inclination to
interfere
Those who pretended to more logic than
others, said it was surely Jack in flesh and
bone; but their conclusion was that the in
iuries he had received had deranged bis
mind, and that he was indebted to the fe-
yer of insanity for that marvellous shrewd-
ness, and that innexibiity of design Of
which he had gwen such terrible proofs
They could not understand how disposi-
ton as simple and mild as his, could be ex-
cited to such frightful acts only by the en-
ergy of his character which had slumbered
until then.
Those of Jacks class who felt themselves
freed from the exterminating violence OF
Hnch's hatred, began to hold up their
| heads and come out Of th, ir retreats. TEey
laughed at all the current rumors about
Jack, and gave it 10 be understood that he
was as calm as May morning, and his
head as clear as bell. One of these old
hunters did not limit himself to insnua-
tons; he said to group of men collected
before the grocery, and who were talking
of the affair:
"You are a set of fools to believe it to
be either ghost or madman. tell you,
that man is as much alive as a snake $
tongue, and little more venomous. AS
to being crack Drained, he speaks his
thoughts as clearly as If his long carblne
spoke for him. You must know that Jack
was born Of race that are enemies to to-
ries and fighters of Indians it is difficult
blood to cool when once it has been set to
boiling. Those strokes of the lash ruified
up his hair, and it requires blood to smooth
it down again"
Hinch heard of this speech, and bes'ta-
ted between fury and fear, and made a
desperate effort to collect the rest OF his
troop. The Regulators now dreaded to 90
forth alone those who lived nearest TO
each other met the evening before the ren.
devious, and the following morning set out
in companies of two or three, escorted by
their negroes.
Two of them, Nixon and Davis, rode TO-
gether, looking with fear behind every tree,
and in each bush and thicket they came a.
cross where a man could hide. They had
10 cross stream, which flowed at the bot
tom of deep and narrow ravine, whose
steep banks were bordered with bushes
nearly SIX feet high. 1t was at least half
mile from their county town; and. as they
had not yet seen anything 10 excite their
suspicion, they began to believe they would
reach there without meeting with any mo-
lestation.
Whilst they stopped for moment and
were leaning upon the shoulders OF their
horses, who were drinking in the stream,
the latter suddenly raised their heads, sort
Ing and looked to the top OF the ravine.-
The borsemen trembled, and looked up in
the same direction. There was the dread
ed enemy His head and hairy shoulders
were above the tops of the bushes, and the
black barrel of his terrible carblne was
pointed at their faces
The chill which ran through Nixon's bo-
DIV ended in the shiver Of death. The gun
vomited flame, and the wretch fell head
foremost in the current. Almost at the
same instant Davis who was terror-strlck-
en-, heard the galloping of horse.
Leaving his companion in the water,
with one eye crushed, the other sightless
ball, turned towards the sky, Davis clam
bered up the steep on his horse, and saw
the lean profile Of face which soon disap-
peared behind the trees through which hIs
courser carried him with wonderful rapldl-
Davis arrived at the town. his lips pale
with the intelligence they were about to
communicate. The Regulators Immediate
" dispersed, prey to indescribable terror,
and never assembled again. They shut
themselves up in their houses, and tor flf-
teen iavs not one Of them dared to place
his foot beyond bis own door.
In the mean time Jack sometimes SHOW
ed himself in public, and was beheId with
curiosity mingled with terror; 1or not
withstanding the blood be had already
poured oui 1t was known that his mission
was not yet accomplished all watched
the progress of his work with great interest
the hunters more than any the latter began
openly TO express their qualification.
AT last one the Regulators, named White
in his case an inappropriate cognomen'
who was so given TO drink, that he cecame
impatient of so long an abstinence, and re-
solved to brave Jacks carbine rather than
refrain any longer from liquor. He set out
in covered wagon in order to get his bar
rel filled at The grocery. He esconced
himself in the bottom of his wagon which
was driven by one Of his negroes. Having
provided himself as he wished, he had
nearly reached the lane which led to his
house, without once exposing his head,
when the wheels passed over large log
that had been laid across the way, just
where it passed the thicket.
The Jolt was so great that the barrel rolled
AGAINST White, who forgot his prudence,
and put out his head to rpreimand the ne
GRO for his bad driving. The negro heard
him exclam: "Ah! there he is at last p
a torrent of blasphemies accompanied this
exclamation; then came the reverberatlng
sound of the carbne from the thicket.
The Regulator fell down heavily in his
WAGON. and the driver saw tall hairy man
going off through the woods, with a gun up
on his shoulder. White also' was shot IN
Eight days afterwards. one of the Regu-
lators whose name was Garnet, having kept
himself scrupulously shut up in his house,
rose from his he'd one morning about sun