Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1856-05-08


yiiest men who had been driven across our Dor
ders, for Grimes Of every degree Horse
thieves and villains cengregated there in such
numbers, that the open and bare-faced effort
had been made to convert it into sort of Al
satia Of the West-a place of refuge for all out
laws, who understood universally that it was
only necessary to the most perfect immunity in
crime, that they should succeed in effecting an
escape to this neighborlood, where they would
be publicly protected and pursuit defied The
extent to which this thing was carried may be
conjectured when it is known that bands of
men disguised as Indians would sally forth into
the neighboring districts, with the view to visit
ing some obnoxious person with their vengeance :;
either in the shape of robbery or murder. Re-
turning with great speed, aud driving the val
liable stock before them, till they were among
their frieIds again, they would re-braud the
horses and mules, resume their usual appear
ance, and Laugh at retaliation. Even single
lnen would, In the face OF day, commit the most
daring crimes, trusting 70 an escape here for
protection. They seemed determined at any
FISK to hold the county good against the Gu
croaehhehtS OF all honest citizens !: and it came
to be notorious, that no man could move among
them with any cltizcn-t.ke and proper motives,
but at the expense of bis personal safety or his
/ consclehcc--ior the crime of refusing 10 take
part with them was in itself sufficient to subject
all new cencrs to a series of prosecutions, which
sooa brought them into terms or resulted in
their determination. We do not wish TO be un-
derstood that the population Of Tie county were
| avoWedly horse-theives and cut-throats There
was one class OF wealthy Planters, another of
the old stamp OF restless, migrating Hunters,
who first led the tide Of population over the
Aiieghanies and are now leading it across the
Rocky mountains. These two made some pre-
tensions 10 outward dccorum, aud in various
ways acted US restraints upon the worse dispos-
ed while these last, with that utter intolcr-
ance OF restraints which so unbounded license
necessarily cngehders. determined to submit to
70 presence which should in any way rebuke
or embarrass their deeds Most of these bad
men were kind vi small landhoders who only
cultivated patches of groand Gottng the spaces
between the larger Plantations but they kept
very hnc horses, and depended more upon their
speed for acquiring plumber than on any capa-
city OF their own for labor. They were finally
wrought up to the last pitch Of restlessncss by
this closing around Of unuanagcable persons,
and organized themselves into band of Regu-
lators, as they termed themselves They pro-
claimed that the county limits needed pnrifiea-
ton, and that they frl, themselves specially
called to the work. Accordingly under the lead
OF man who was himself IA brutal mostcr, nanl-
cd Hitrh, they commenced operations In this
pubc-spritcd and lnaisc-wortly undertaking,
they soon managed 10 reduce the county to the
sulicctDn of fear, if not to an afycctonate re-
cognition of the prerosatiyes they arrogated to
! themselves. The richer Planters they compel
ed to pay heavy biack-mai rent. in lcc-Smr!c
OF right to enjoy their own property aud lives,
with the farther understanding that they were
TO he protected in these immunitics from all
| dangers from without of a similar kind. The
Planters in return were to wink uron any deeds,
whose coic;ing might otherwise clauce to be
| offensive to ewes polite
| The other class--a class of Supplemented,
sturdy men--were goadcd and tortured by the
most aggravated annoyauccs until, driven in
despair to some act of retaliation, they fnrnish-
I'd their ,yrants with the shadow Of excuse,
which even they felt to he necessary, and were
then either ynchcd and warned to leave the
ccunty in so many days, or else shot if they per-
| sisted in rcma:nings So relentless and vindic-
tive did these wretches show themselves in hunt
ing down every one who dared oppose himself
to them in any way that very soon their as
tendency in the county was almost without any
dispute. Indeed. there were very few left Who
from any cause presumed to do it, Among
them was one of the last class of wandering
Hunters, known as Jack Long. Jack had
come of n wild-turkey BREED as the phrase
is in the west fer family remarkable for its
wandering propens.,ies, lie had already push
ed ahead of tie settlement of two States and
one Territory, aud following the game still far
Their to the SOUTH had heen pleased with the
promise of an abundance Of it in Shelby county,
and stopped there, just as he would have stop
ped at the foot Of the Rocky mountains, had it
been necessary to GO as far, without troubling
himself or caring to know who his neighbors
were. He had never thought it at oil essen.
tial to ask leave Of any government as to how
or when he should make himself at home, or
even to inquire what particular nation put i'll
its claim TO any region he found suited to bis
purposes. His heritage had been the Young
earth, with its skies, its waters and its winds
its huge prmeval forests and plains throwing
out their broad breasts to the sun-with oil the
sights and sounds and living things that moved
aud were art:culate beneath Gods eye--and
what cared he for the authority of men ! The
first indeed that was known or heard of jack,
was when he had already built him snug log
cabin, on the outskirts Of the county, near the
bank OF small stream slowed away his fair
} faced Young wife and two children costly into
it, (for " Dan Cupid" had found Jack out.
with ell his rough shyness, several years before
!. and he was basiiy engaged in staying the deer