Weekly Council Bluffs bugle. (Council Bluffs, Iowa) 1857-1860, 1858-10-27
R3Mm ~ Haasa 8@saFnaI,
TALES or THE SOUTH !!
~ i a6ursxnx xaa.
DEN OF TmE mOnBRRs,

b Soon after the close oa eg3a Less vel
sas between Great Britain aud the Unitt
pc SIatess Thomas Ssogdon. q sobao<
.iv planser living in the WsateFB part az VII
:. gaia, started on y journey Foe sha pus
Foss of agasasasElng soma private bnai
&c Eneass which required his ssseatiDn in an
D. OF the uoftheEn counties oa thai State
I'M dis route lay across oaa OF ths l0fsaea
= spurs Of The Bloc Ridge, she longsae am
Laoss pietareaqus nounaain range IN -
a. South,
90 As the times were trOublad, and Ii
xe passage across the mountains consider
- % dangerous an account Of the robbeYi
who infested thegas Mr. StogdOn wen
not only veil mounsed bat well armed
IA hEaes Of sTustY hprseaaen's pistols be.
ing carried, according 10 the custom oi
the day 10 erantf % the rider and assaeh-
/, ed 70 she forspaxB og the saddle.
The thlxa nsgszI after Leaving hona hs
stopped 81 d roadsiaa Inn distant aboua
! Eve miles from the base oa The mountain.
Z On disneuRting, he Observed THAI one Of
! | OF hIs horses sAoea had been fost, and
= directed another 10 be put on II the shep
! attached to the Inn. lie rose early the
nsxs morning and resumed his journey,
with viewof obtaining moEnsng pros
pest Of the maantain and the scenery Of
the subjaCens country, which ha had
heard was very 6ne.
His hoEse soon began to limp, and vas
quito lame when be Eeaeked tie base Of
the m0untain, Sgpposing that the shoe
had been unskilIfully put on st the inn,
as stopped at blackamiFh's shop neaE the
foot Of the ridge, and had the horses
foot exmniaed. After diligaRk sazutiRy,
d shu workman said that the lamansas was
not produced by the shoe, which was
properly adjusted and fAssansd 10 lhej
hoof. + q &ssE 4
I At the request Of Mr., Stegdon, tbs j,
smith exAnainsd all the shoes, bat eould
/ lind no cause for lalneneSs in the at or
make Of any one of them. Ills quick !
eye howegsr,f detected Eing Of gufied |
ox lifted hair running around one Of the !
hind legs Of the horse, jRst above theI
tet lock. Ba!sing the hair, hs.obssvVed !
| that the Resh waa blHody and much swol- |
len. On more careful examination be /
| discovered that small cord of silk had |
/ been tied 20 tightly around the leg thas
! It lad cut into the tiesh, producing inda.
nation ot the part and doubtless, also
| the horse,
The discovery nj oass excited the aus
| picion OF the Workman, who was both
honest and si1rswd. Calling the attsa~
ton Of sAe Traveller to the cord, wAieh hsi
speedily detached from the leg Of the
horse, he expressed his apprehension that
foul play Of come sort was medisatsd.
4 few years before, he related, rider
less horse had come down from the noun
talns and was found to ba laKe from q
similar cause, q tight silken cord having
oaL In almost 20 the bone Of the animals
leg. The owner had never been heard
Of, and it was believed that he had been
murdered and his body concealed IA the
mountain.
The smith suggested to Mr.. ssogdon
the prccaution of examining the pFin-
ing and loading Of his pistols. On ex-
anination ths hlRts and pFiming in the
pans were found 10 bo IN proper coudi-
lion, bat the loads had been withdrawn
from both barrels, and wads of cloth
substituted in their place. . s4
The suspicious OF Mr.. stogdon were
fully aroused by these proofs of pre-
ueditased design Of some sosSup8a himsi
lie was . bold, brave man, ,howsver, and 9
dad not 0asa thiuk either Of changing his !
route, or Of abandoning has journey a. .
cross the mountains. Carefully reload
ing and testing reliability of his pistols, q
be bade adieu to his honest counsellor, Y
after suitably rewarding him for his la \
Dor and advice, aud rode oG.
The morning vas already far advanc- !
cd when he began 10 ascend the moan- Y
tain. The road, FOR miles, wound along 2
lss southern side, midway batwean the
base and the summit. The prospect was
grand and beautiful beyond bis most Y
sanguine anticipations. To the right .
the mountain sank down BY degrees, ab- y
-upt or regular, to the margin of the Y
country below, whieh stretch y
cd oat aS far rs ghs eye could reagh, and Y
was covered with tSbaesa farms, corn 2
fields, dwellings, and all tbs diversified 2
objects peculiar to Virginia Landscape. .
On the left the Blue Ridge rose up like .
q mighty arch SpringIng 20 meet and sup .
port the sky, exhibiting, Ia rich profR- I
sion, all thR grand aad most of The beau =
tiful features OF mountain scenery.
Delighted with tho scene, and absorb !
ed with the emotions which is inspired. q
Mr.. StogdOn rode slowly forward, re- P
calling only occasionally, and fer a mo- q
m0nt, the suspiei0ns excited by she 2
events Of the morning, After running q
for nearly Ave miles along the side of .
the mountain, the road by an abFaBs q
tara, struck towards she suHaaaik Ehuo' g
deep goEgs, wheso jagged aides slaatedI =
upward 70 gFsak heights on either hand. y
Shut out from the prospect Of the sub
jaeent country, and hemmea In by steep g
activities. Mr. Stogdon reverted more y
to the mysterious Develop \.
nenEs which had come to light al the. 9
shop, and become both. \
alert and cautious in his movamsnts.- q
his pistols 50 that they soaid !
be easily withdrawn from tha holsters, q
be urged his horse 10 a quicker pace, as Y
as entered tAs gloomY avenue Of the +
barrow gorge. uss 5...r y
He had goaa about q mile when no
Saw, some fifty yards ahead of him, y
large boulder or eaFthy ridge, shooting g.
nearly across tbs avenue, and leaving g
only . space broad eneagh foe the road Y
bed between It's edge aud the steep side Y
of the gorge. IG was spos favorable 4
for an attack by surprise, sud Mf. Ssog- II
don surmise al oHss, thai one vas med. u
ltated upon him, il would be be made at Y
shat point. Checking tbs pace of his Y
horse, therefore, he rods aluwls forward g
and entered the narrow pass. HaA had q
reached the middle OF the dgRIs Y
whieh vas about 20 yards In length. {
when two men rushed from behind the e
farther eide Of the boulder into. the road L
and stood with IsVeaied guns, only q Few Il
wards distant from Ms. Stogdon. His =
horse. frightened at the sudaen appear u
anca Of the Een, whose blackened fases . 2
and shaggy clothes made them look hid Z
eous enough 10 stagtle both rider and y
sseed, shisd aad refused to 30 forward. q
Tha robhsEa adgaaoad and demanded, y
"a they approached, tho purse and the Y
nE &ha sgaseaeTs promising 80
spare hia Itfas il be wnala sugranasr q
them withoht noiss or Teaissaasees- p
vi tisoms maaking any reply. ssegdbn y
Qaiekly drew foTsh D pistol fran ths holxs y
sex. A derisive smiIa passed Dseg She d
faces ak kis5 aasaaaanks at ssgAs ef the b
Weapon. lswas Iayeliad and hTad ct The =
nearest rohber, who feli dead upon che q
spos. The ether, started aE tha report, 4
and fsgriRed BIZ kha fall uf his eoEnpau-
ion, instead og arfng bEa gna, dropped N Y
Hsd in the direction fraaa which BE- bad !
coma.
Bslors Mf. sssgduh couIa assw and !
present his pistol, ths rohher had snxned 2
she aawner ug the honI Der assss wa@ auk Of y
asahk Kmmfeg hia hmwMa Harvard zsstA d