The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-08-19

Immediately Mills, leaped from his
horse, and pulling the two repeating hol-
sters, handed one to Bill Diamond, at the
same time cutting the rope off his neck.
Then cooking his gun at the nearest OF the
menacing throng, he cried in voice that
pealed loud and clear as the tones Of q
trumpet above the noise and confusion :
I" Come on, if you dare We are now
good for dozen of you, at the least !"
i At the same moment, Diamond also
had presented the other Colts repeater
The Joint attitude of fierce defiance, and
awful determination which revealed it.
self in the iron rigidity of their muscles,
in the marble immobillity of their arms,
hands, and finger, sll pointing the road to
death, and in every feature of their face,
SO astonished and APPALLED, their enemies
that they retreated, or rather fled in utter
dismay, and left free opening for the
escape of the two friends who, getting
into their saddles the moment afterwards,
galloped away, shouting and yelling like
wild Indians and, strange to tell, not a
gun was fred at them, even when their
backs were turned, although hundred
lynchers, now their mortal foes, held
arms of every description, so great was
the general panic, so unaccOuntable the
terror which their desperate conduct had
inspired in some of the bravest men.
About week subsequent to the occur
renee previously mentioned, / visited San
Augustine, the principle village of the
Red Lands. Upon putting up at the on
ly tavern in the place, what was my sur
prise to meet the two friends whose awful
courage | had admired so much, as mani
tested in the bloody combats at Nacog-
doches, only days journey distant l
had supposed that they would fly hun
dreds Of miles away to escape the pur-
suit of the lynchers. But | was still
, more perplexed by the change in their
dress and general appearance. Their
apparel was elegant and costly. Rich
! Jewels glittered in all suitable situations
about their persons, and their whole as
pect was that of highly cultivated gen.
tlemen. From the full extent of this
mark there should perhaps be made one
abstraction. The younger one still wore
!; his vast masses of red beard. That,
, however, is only an affair of taste.
After supper, friend that | had known
in other lands and better days, but who
now a resident of the village, dropped
in, and inquired if / would not go and
hear Jack Mills, the celebrated orator.
!, "Jack Mills!'' l exclaimed, in amaze
ment; do you mean the person of that
name now stopping in this house?"
"Certainly," said my friend; 81 have
not heard him, but he is universally al
+ lowed to be unrivalled as declaimer.--
j He has tried both the pulpit and the bar
: by turns, and has never failed to melt
. congregations, juries, and even judges,
by the inimitable pathos Of his appeals"
/ Do You know what he did the other
7 day, in Nacogdoches inquired.
f "He only committed a homicide in
d self-defence," replied my interlocutor
"and no grade Of homicide is much of a
bar in this country, as there is scarcely
9 a man of note belonging to any of the
! learned professions who has not, at some
! period Of his life. been forced to shed
blood and ay to the Red Lands"
4 "What is to be the subject of the gen
tleman's lecture tonight / inquired
!, with increasing interest.
{ Temperance" he answered, adding
& with a smile, and the most curious
thing about it is, that he is notoriousl,
addicted to the fiery cup himself, and il
a that fact will consist the difficulty witt
. which he must wrestle before he cal
d make his usual impression"
a " Let us hear him then, by all means,
S said eagerly, and we forthwith proceed
II ed to the Methodist church, which wa
i already crowded with anxious expectant
Of the promised display.
! At length the orator arose and begal
i bis discourse by masterly endeavor t,
I. remove the unfavorable impression caus
9 ed by his known habit of inebriety -
Ladies and gentlemen" said he, in
e voice at once sweet and sonorous, G M,
Q theme is Temperance; but some will sa.
d what business have | with any such
f. theme What right have | to preacl
doctrines that | do not practicel M.
e. answer to such objectors shall be yer.
t. brief; for their fallacy is too gross 70
the labor Of illogical refutation. Trutl
is eternal takes no tinge of glory Of dis
t, grace from the poor and perishing lips Q
is clay that utter its sublime sentences
4 Do not the beams of silver planet shin
le with the same radiance, whether tie eye
le that discovered it floating afar in the sam
r, azure of infnitude, was that of saint
* or of the most sinful among mortals =
70 What matters it whether a thief or a
Of honest man was theinventor of the ploug
to or spade! DO the truths of the gres
le Constitution--that Of our native land
l. turn into falsehood if pronounced bv III
s tongue of a traitor Z would like
t,onx- &c amy. haiu,r of az rfl,lxrs x,.a,,l 4