Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-04-17

inmate this honest class that the more law
less and brutal of the others associated them,
selves and assumed the name of Regulators.
They numbered from eight to twelve-and
under the organization of rangers, command
ed by beastly wretch named IIinch, they
professed to undertake the task Of purity
ing the county limits of all bad and suspi-
cious characters; or in other words, of all
men who dared refuse to be as vile as they
were-6r if they were, who chose to act in
dependently of them and their schemes
This precious brotherhood soon became the
scourge of all that region. Whenever an in
dividual was unfortunate enough to make
himself obnoxious to them, whether by a
successful villainy, the proceeds of which he
refused to share with them, or by the hate
full contrast of his course-he was forthwith
surrounded Threatened his stock driv-
en- off or killed wantonl y-and if these an
noyances and hints were not sufficient to
drive him away, they would publicly warn
him to leave the county in certain number
of days, under the penalty of being scourged
or shot. The common pretext for this was
the accusation of having committed some
crime, which they themselves had perpetra-
ted with 4 view of furnishing charge to
bring against him. Their hate was entire
ly ruthless and never stopped short of accom-
plishing its purposes; and in many bloody
fray and cruel outrage had the question Of
their supremacy been mootcd, until at last
there were few left to dispute with them,
and they tyrannised at will.
Among these few were Jack Long, as he
was called, who neither recognized nor de-
MED their power, and indeed never troubled
himself about them one way or the other
lie kept himself to himself, hunted inccs-
sanity, and nobody knew much about him.
Jack had come of 'wild-turkcy breed, as
the western term is for rowing family and
though still young man, had pushed On a.
head of the settlementOf two territories, and
had at last followed the game towards the
south, and finding it abundant in Shelby
county, had stopped here, just as he would
have stopped at the foot ofthe Rocky Noun
tains, had it been nece. ;ary to pursue it so
far. He had never been in the habit ofask-
ing leave of any power where he should set
tie, and of course scarcely thought of the
necessity of doing so, now; but quietly set
to work--built himself nice log cabin, as
far off from everybody as he could get. And
the first thing that was known Of him, he
had his pretty young wife and two little ones
snugly slowed away in it, and was Staying
the deer and the bears right and left.
The honest brotherhood had made several
attempts at feeling Jacks pulse and ascer-
tanning his availability; but he had always
seemed so impassively good-natured, and
put them off so pleasantly, that they could
find no ground for either disturbing Or quar-
reling with him. What was more, he was
physically rather ugly-looking customer
with his six feet four inches of Drawn and
bone though the inclination, just discover
able in his figure, to corpulency, together
with broad, full good-humored face, gave
an air of sluggishness to his energies, and
an expression of easy simplicity to his tenn
per, which offered neither invitation to graf
uitous insult nor proyocation to dislike. lie
was the very impersonation of iuofensive,
loyal honesty, slumbering on its conscious
strength and these men, without exactly
knowing why, felt some little disinclination
to waking him. lie had evidently never
been reused to knowledge Of himself, and
others felt just as uncertain what the knowl-
edge might bring forth as he did, and were
not specially jealous of the honor Of having
it first tested upon their own persons. So
that Jack Long might have been left for
many day in quiet, even in this formidable
neishborhood, to cultivate his passion for
workmanship, at the expense of the dumb,
wild things around him, but for an unfortun-
ate display he was accidentally induced to
make of it.
Happening to fall short of ammunition,
he went one day to the store for fresh
supply. This cabin, together with the black
smiths shop and one Or two other huts, con-
stituted the county town." and as powder
and liquor were only to be obtained there,
it was the central resort of the Regulators.
Jack found them all collected for a great
shooting match, in preparation for which
they were getting drunk as fast as possible,
to steady their nerves. Hinch, the Regu-
lator captain, had always been the hero of
such occasions; for, in addition to being
frst-rate shot, that was known that it
would be dangerous exertion of skill for
any man to beat him-for he was furious
and vindictive bully, and would not fail to
make personal affair of it with any one
who should mortify his vanity by carrying
off the prize from him. In addition, the
band Of scoundrels he commanded was en-
tirely at his service in any extreme, so that
they made fearful odds for single man to
contend with
Everybody else in the county was aware
OF this state of things but Jack Long, and
ne either didn't know or didn't care. After
they had fired several rounds, he went loung-
ing listlessly into the crowd which had gath
cred around the target, exclaiming in ad-
miration over the last brilliant shot of Hinch,
which was rather triumphantly the best
TIE bully was, as usual, clustering vehe-
mently, taunting every one around him, and
when he saw Jack looking very coolly at the
famous shot, with no grain of that deferen-