Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-04-03

on "the bluff ofttimes looked down with
terror upon the wild bands of powerful men
who, having reached the terminus of thel
journey, were "paid off," and left without
restraint to indulge their capriccs in every
form of reckless 'rowdyism." Generally
they expended their animal prowess among
themselves, but they would occasionally
break through the acknowledged boundaries
of their own district, and carry the devoted
city, so beautifully situated, by storm. TAX
ing possession of the streets, with equal i'm
punity they rode over the law and every
physical obstruction; rare, indeed, was ii
that the police could make any headway
against these mighty men. Having gratifed
ed their humors, drank up, or otherwise des
troyed, all the whisky in their reach, with
yells and war-whoops, tLat fairly wakened
the aborigines sleeping beneath the walls Of
Fort Rosalie, they would retreat down the
winding road that leads to the plateau Gun.
der the hill" most likely to meet with a
number of their own set and engage in a
pitched battle, the Herculean force of which
finds no parallel, except in Homers descrip-
tions of the fabulous collisions between the
gods.
False, indeed, would be the supposition
that these men, lawless as they were, possess
ed single trait of character in common with
! the law-defying wretches of our crowded ci-
ties. They committed, it is true, great cx-
cesses in villages where their voyage termin-
ated, and when large numbers of them were
assembled together. If they dcfied the law
it was not because it was irksome, but be-
cause they never felt its restraints. They had
their own laws, which they implicitly obeyed.
With them "fair play was jewel" If the
crew of rival boat was to be attacked, only
an equal number was detached for the ser
vice; if the intruders were worsted, no one
interfered for their relief. Whatever was
placed in their care for transportation was
sacred, and would be defended from harm,
if necessary, at the sacrifice of life. They
would, from mere recklessness, pilfer the out
building of a farmhouse, yet they could be
intrusted with uncounted sums of money,
and if any thing in their possession became
damaged or lost, they made restitution to
the last farthing. In difficulties between per-
sons, they invariably espouscd the cause of
the weaker party, and took up the quarrcls of
the aged, whether in the right or wrong.
As an illustration of their rude code of
honor, is remembered the story of "Bill Nc
Coy" He was master-spirit, and had sue
cessfully disputed for companionship upon
almost every famous sand-bar visible at low
water In terrible row, where blood had
been spilled and dark crime committed,
Bill was involved. Momentarily off his guard,
he fell into the clutches of the law. The
community was excited-a victim was de-
manded to appease the oft-insulted majesty
of justice. Brought before one of the courts
holding at Natchez, then just closing its ses-
sion for the summer vacation, he WIS fully
committed, and nothing but the procurement
Of enormous bail would keep him from swel-
tering through the long months of summer
in durance vile. 1t was apparently useless
for him to expect any one to go upon his
bond; he appealed, however, to those pres
ent, dwelt upon the horrors, to him more es-
pecially, of a long imprisonment, and solemn
ly asseverated that he would present himself
at the time appointed for trial. At the last
moment, Colonel W, a wealthy, and on
the whole rather cautious citizen, came to
the rescue, and agreed to pay ten thousand
dollars if Mccoy did not present himself to
stand his trial. 1t was in vain that the Colo
nel's friends tried TO persuade him not to
take the responsibility, even "the Courts"
suggestion to let the matter alone was un-
needed. Mccoy was released-shouldering
his rifle, and threading his way through the
Indian nation, in due time he reached his
home in "Old Kaintuck."
Months rolled on, and the time of trial
approached. AS a matter of course, the
probabilities of McCoy's return we're discuss
ed. The public had doubts-the Colonel
had not heard from him since his departure.
The morning of the appointed day arrived,
but tire prisoner did not present himself
The attending crowd and the people of the
town became excited-all except the Colo
mel despaired-evening was moving on apace
the court was on the point of adjourning,
when distant huzza was heard; it was
borne on the wings of the wind, and echoed
along, each moment growing louder and
louder. Finally the exulting cry was caught
up by the hangers-nn about the scat of JUS
tice. Another moment and McCoy-his
beard loug and matted, his hands torn to
pieces, his eyes haggard, and sun-burnt to a
degree that was painful to behold-rushcd
into the court room, and from sheer exhaus-
tlon fell PROSTATE upon the floor.
Old Colonel W embraced him as he
would have done long.lost brother, and
eyes unused to tears filled to ovcrAowng
when Mccoy related his simple tale starting
from Louisville as ia hand on a boat" he
found in few days that, owing to the low
stage of water in the river I'd other unex-
pected delays, it was impossible for him to
reach Natchcz at the appointed time by such
mode of conveyance. No other ordinary
conveyance, in those early days, presented
itself. Not to be thwartcd, he abandoned
'thc fat," and, with his own hands, shaped
a canoe out of the trunk of fallen srce. He
had rowcd and padded, almost without ccs,
sation, thirteen hundred miles, and had thus
redeemed his promise almost at the exncnsc