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

| their power and that if his death had been re-
solved on all his pleading for life would be un-
availing, he concluded to die with as little pain
az 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 20 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 few hours all his earthly hopes had
been blasted. He was not only beggared, but
in all Likelihood doomed to die, perhapsin a few
moments, away from his friends and kindred,
where his body might become food for yultures
and wild beasts and his requiem should be
the winds as they passed bowling over his
bleeching bones! He pictured to himself the
distress of his family consequent upon his sud-
den and mysterious disappearance, and their
fruitless conjectures 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 ms they should be drift
ing without an earthly protector on life's wide
ocean, tossed by the waves and exposed to the
tempest. But he felt admonished 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
| xroc fba int ifu ofh
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
| ventured 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 or 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, and
| in moment his resolution taken to at
tempt his escape. Mounting his horse he en-
tered ravine near by, which he judged must
| lead him in the direction of Reamer's and then
urging the animal forward as fast as the nature
of the country permitted, he kept in the ra-
vine, leaping 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
reverenced as it should be, and it will there
fore cause no surprise to learn that when NJ
| Cleiland arrived at the tavern just mentioned
he har 1,oIc -
rugged mountaineers, who had called in for
their "bitters'' 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 tho robbers, and in few mo-
ments had 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 ball,
and one of the others killed, whilst the third
escaped unharmed. Lewis was secured and
carried to Bedford Jail, there to await his trial,
but afterwards made his escape and was pur-
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
the specie in a vessel and the bank bills in a
bottle-near a 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 penchGnt for the
romantic and lawless, where be could indulge
his passions without restraint, he became A.
lienated from society, an outcast and by
word, and in his death we have but another
proof of the truthfulness of the proverb that
esthe way of the transgressor is hard"
AN OFFICIAL return of the Spanish debt has
inst been published in Madrid. The total a
mount of Indebtedness is 13, ,5S0, ,466 10 reals.
Among tho items is one of subscriptions in
favor of the United States, 12.oOO, 900 reals"