The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1855-06-30

would have taken the hint to beware OF
chatting the silently foaming boar any
longer.
This was an ill-starred day for ia k
though; from this time troubles began to
thicken about him. The even tenor of his
simple, happy life was destroyed, and in
dignity aud outrage followed each othet
fast. Hinch never forgave the unlucky
skill which had robbed him of his proudest
boast, that of being the best marksman on
the frontier; and he swore, in base Vindic-
tive hate, to dog him to death, or make
him leave the country. Soon after this, a
valuable horse belonging to rich and
powerful planter disappeared. He was one
of those men who had compromised with
the Regulators, paying so much black mail
for exemption from their depredations. and
protection against others of the same stamp;
he now applied to Hinch for the recovery Of
his horse, and the punishment of the thief
This Hinch, under their contract, was bound
to do, and promised to accomplish forth
with. He and some of his men went off on
the the trail Of the missing horse, and re-
turned next day, announced that they had
followed it with all their skill through n
great many winding, evidently intended TO
throw off pursuit, and had at last traced it to
Jack Longs picket fence, and there could
be no doubt but he was the thief! The
planter knew nothing of Jack, but that he
was new conner. and demanded that he
should be forced to give up the horse, and
punished to the extremely of the frontier
/ code.
But this was not Hinch's policy yet awhile.
He knew the proofs were not strong
enough to make the charge plausible, even
before Lynch Court, of which he himself
was prosecutor, judge and executioner. His
object was first to get UP hue and cry
against Long, and under cover of general
excitement, accomplish his devilish purpose
without question of mock trial even. So
that, after a great deal of maneuvring, for
eight or ten days, during which time the
charge against Long was industriously cir
culated by his myrmidons, so as to attract
general attention and expectation, as to the
result of Ills investigations--he proclaimed
far and wide that he had found the horse at
last, hid in timber bottom near Long's.-
This of course seemed strong confirmation
of his guilt, and tho the mob were most oil
them horse thieves, to all intents, yet it was
an objectionable crime for any one to prac-
tice among themselves; so that Long was
loudly denounced, and threatened on every
| side, and ordered to leave the country forth.
with.
These proceedings, Jack by no means
comprehended, or felt disposed to be moved
by;-but give them to understand that he
meant to remain where he was, until it en-.
tirely suited his convenience to 60; and il
his time and theirs did not happen to agree
they might make the most of it. And Jack
was such an unpromising snagging looking
somebody, and his reputation had now spread
every whereof possessing such consumate
skill with the rifle, that he thought it a con.
descension to shoot anywhere but in the
eyes-was so formidable that no indvidua
felt disposed to push the matter to pers on
al collision. He might still therefore, have
been left in quiet, but Hinch had unfortu
nately taken up the impression, from Jacks
conduct in the shooting. match affair, that
he must be coward and if this were true
then all his skill amounted to but little; anG
like any other bloody wolfsh brute, he fol-
lowed him up the more eagerly for this very
reason, which would have disarmed gen
erous foe. Besides, Jack had given frest
and weightier matter of offence, in that he
had refused to obey, and he defed his author
ity as Regulator. The very being of tina
authority seemed to require now that ;
wholesome example should be made of him
for the awing of all refractory persons here
after. The wretch, who was as cunning al
ferocious, and had sworn in his inmost hear
to ruin and disgrace Long, from the momen
of that trmumph, now availed himself re
merselessly of all his influence, and knowl
edge of the society around him, to accom-
plish it. Several horses now disappeared
and robberies Of other kinds, perpetrate,
with singular dexteriy, follwed in quicl
succession. All these things he managed
, through the clamors of scoundrelly troops
to have laid, directly or indirectly, to Jack
door.
8 But in the popular estimation they count
4 ed as nothing, in fixing the charge of dan
2 gerous malice upon poor Long, in compari
son with one other incident. About thi
y time, hot only Hinch himself, but every 9th
s er person who had made himself conspict
Gus, by concluding upon Jacks guilt, and tn
r necessity of furnishing him summarily bega
d to loose, every day or two, valuable stocl
. which was wantonly shot down sometime
!. in sight of their houses, and it soon bega
, to be remarked that every animal lost in th
d way, had been shot in the eye! This was ii
stantiy associated, of course, with Jack
d we'll known and curious prediction for tht
: mark in hunting, and perfect storm Of il
!. dighaton followed. A meeting was at ono
: convened at "the store," of which the Plal
/. | for ,vos tho chairman: and nj IL! hV n imam