Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-03-26


solved on all his pleading for life would be un-
ayaiIing, he concluded to die with as little pain
as possible, and therefore, to their great sur.
prise, drank the entire contents of the flask.
Fortunately, however, the liquor was not poi
soned; but the robbers thinking their prison
er had taken enough to answer all their pur-
poses, now left, after ordering him to lie down
in corner of the cabin.
M'Clelland was now alone. The incidents
of the morning clustered around his mind, and
his distress was indescribable. Within the
space of a few hours all his earthly hopes had
been blasted. He was not only beggared, but
in all Likelihood doomed to die, perhaps in few
moments, away from his friends and kindred,
where his body might become food for vulturcs
and wild beasts and his requiem should be
the winds as they passed bowling over his
bleeching bonesI He pictured to himself the
distress of his family consequent upon his sud-
den and mysterious disappearance, and their
fruitless eonjectures in regard to his fate, and
| then ran with his minds eye over the pages of
their future history, lamenting their desolate
! and forlorn condition Rs they should be drift
| ing without an earthly protector on life's wide
lgJeean, tossed by the waves and exposed to the
| tempest. But he felt adnonished to dismiss
these reflections and turn unto others. Every
moment he expected to feel deadly stupor
coming over him, and ever and anon he cast
| his eyes upon surrounding objects to assure
himself that all was not dream and that he
was still in possession of his reason. Such
was the intensity ofhis feelings that it coun-
| teracted the effects ofthe spirits which he had
| swallowed, and impelled by that love Of life
which clings unto man to his last moments, he
| yentured to ascend to the roof of the shanty
and then cast inquiring looks far into the for
est, anxious to ascertain whether the robbers
had actually taken their departure whether
| they were still lettering about, awaiting his
death. In slight opening in the woods at
the distance of half mile he at length espied
them, pressing on with all possible speed, ana
in a moment his resolution was taken to at
tempt his escape. Mounting his horse he ems
tered raEine near by, which he judged must
lead him in the direction of Reamer's and then
urging the animal forward as fast as the natur6
of the country permitted, he kept in the ra-
vine, leapng over rocks and fallen trees, and
in an incredibly short time reached the point
he was aiming for, where he gave the alarm
and urged immediate pursuit.
| We may here remark that among those back
woods men who employ most of their time in
hunting and fishing, Sunday is not generally
reyerenced as it should be, and it will there
| fore cause no surprise to learn that when NJ
| Clelland arrived at the tavern Just mentioned
he found there some half a dozen or more of
rugged mountaineers, who had called in for
their 'sbitters" preparatory to starting into the
woods in quest of game. No sooner were
| they made acquainted with the robbery that
had been committed than they volunteered to
| go in search of the robbers, and in a few mo-
mentS bad all things in readiness and set out
resolved to do their best.
| The hunters had general knowledge of the
topography of the mountains, directed their
steps toward point some distance beyond
that designated by M'Clelland as the one
where he had last seen the robbers; having
reached which, they divided into two parties
and moved some distance apart, and in this
order had not proceeded very far when they
espied the objects of their search, by whom
they were seen likewise at the same instant.
The robbers tried to escape by running, but
before they could get beyond the reach of the
hunters rifles Lewis was wounded by a bail.
and ono of the others killed, whilst the third
escaped unframed. Lewis was secured and
carried to Bedford Jail, there to await his trial,
but afterwards made his escape and was pnr-
sued, and whilst rowing himself across the
| West-branch of the Susquehanna in a canoe,
was shot dead by one of his pursuers.
While in prison, Lewis stated that he had
concealed a large sum of money under rock
Athe specie in vessel and the bank bills in a
bottle-near small stream on the west of the
Allegheny mountain and after his death dill
gent search was made for the treasure, by diff
ferent persons and at different places but it is
not known that it has ever been found, and the
probability is that it had been removed by
some of Lewis' associates.
Had Lewis mind been directed into the right
channel and subjected to proper course of
training. he might have lived an honor to him.
self and his family and been useful in his day
and generation; but having a peachaat for the
romantic and lawless, where lie could indulge
his passions without restraint, he became a.
flienated from society, an outcast and a by.
word, and in his death we have but another
proof of the truthfulness of the proverb that
ssthe way of the transgressor is hard.''
-----4->~
AN OFFICIAL return of the. Spanish debt has
just been published in Madrid. The total a.
mount of Indebtedness is Il, ,5sU, ,466, i reals.
Among the items is one Of subscriptions in
favor Of the United States, II, 900 900 reals.'
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