The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-10-02
Death IN tuc Eyer OF tho DuoI on
Horseback.
Rr cmARIEs suMngrRlKLp.

~ CIAH.Es suaMRmIELp,
Col, 1911 Borland was the generaiis,imo Of
the Texan Lynchers, lie we'll deserved the
title he had won by many desperate deed
llo possessed such incredible skill la the use
Of oil sorts of murderous weapons, that Il
might be pronounced virtual suicide 10 even
think Of encounterng him, 40 rapid was hi,
motion, 50 uneHing his mortal aim.
Death In the eye told truly the mark at
which he always Gred-a mark he had never
once misscd-while such was his astonishing
quiekness, his antagonist usually fell without
pulling the trigger, An enemy stood no bet
ter ehannc by rosorting to the sword or bowic
knife, against one in whose hands the fash
of steel was like lightning-as swim as might
to slay-oEe who appeared 10 surpnss all
other men as much ia strength as in activity
"A giant in stature, gladiator in practice,
fcnd in courage.
His biography in itself was more thrilling
than a novel wilder than the widest romaneei
and the very first act Of his dreadful daring
revealed, in all their force and fullness, the
two essential elements Of his charActcr-thr
fcrocious ardor of his appetite for revenge.
and the iron pcrlinaeity Of his indomitable
will
Al the age of twenty he pursued the rs
sassin Of his brother, alb the way from Caro-
lima to Canada, and shot him dead at the din
ner.tahlc of a tavern in Quebec yet such had
been the cunning Of his previous arrangement
for the event. that aided by numerous relays
Of swim horses, he effected his escape safely
to the South.
The achievement oost him ten thousand
dollars. From this timt forward his life W :
one long war. Almost every month in the
year saw him in some fatal duel-ftal 10
others onlyi never huuful TO him--whilc
each week Witnessed the occurrence Of casual
affairs, often ns bloody as his more regular
combats. lie was the Napoleon Of the knife
aud pistol. Hut the truth Of impartial his.
tory compcs me 10 record thnt this man, so
fearful in his deeds, whose right arm was
rrcking with gore to the-elbow, was not com
monty the aggressor in hiS countless quarrels
-0ften the friends OF those he had vanqushed
in fair fight assaulted him from motives Of
revenge. The fame Of his prowess provoked
;ko-taif tsaisHzs of stissrE, IT. aeguffeyi ttft
pcrlous reputation of matehless hero--the
ardent, the desperate, the ambitious would
win, if possible, his laurels. Every young
Hercules longed TO kill the lion, so as to
clothe himself in his skin, aud thus was Bor-
land forced to maintain an intcrminable war.
II is so in all professions. There can be no
peace in high placos-storm, hail aud thun-
der, must break around the mountains brow.
This dueist Was one Of the earliest settlers
in Eastern Texas, where he became the chief
OF the Lynching party. In his own county
OF Harrison, he possessed boundless influences
indeed he would not suffer Il foe to reside
within its limits. Hence he might have
openly defed the law, had such been his
pleasure but his shrewd and far-seeing sa-
gacity adopted IA wiser and safer course. AZ
ter pcrpetrating any homicide, he invariably
submitted his own case to the grand jury
sure Of n triumphant acquttal by his friends
on trial and thus, should public sentiment
ever turn against him in future, he would be
enabled to plead cfrectual vcrdicts in bar of
past offences.
At length the time arrived which the
colonel had 40 long anticipated. A wealthy
and intelligent tiass of citizens began to
change the current of opinion in Harrison, so
that in the county election the friends of or
der by slight majority, gained their cand- |
date for sheriff. This was n terrible blow to
-. I Il 4 r a. -
secure underground in packing juries and
70 increase their danger at this unpropitious
'riss, new judge was appointed They |
we're numerous thoroughly. armed, and des-
,oradoes to man, and determined at the
irst TO muster all their strength, so as to
control and overnwe their proceedings.
At nine o'clock in the morning of the I'd
Monday of September, 1912, the new judge |
COX his seat on the bench. lie was a stTan-
yer from the West whose name alone had
and whose appearance at first in
pired the desperadoes with hope, and the
riends of order with doubts and painful ap-
,rehension!@
Charles Evans was young man of twenty
extremely handsome, and
dressed with the most fnical taste-hi'
ingers flashing with rings and his person
Idorned in the most gaudy manner. His
ong hair of bright golden color, waving in
urls around his shoulders, and a sweet
mile of complacent vanity beaming on his
caturcs, gave him an aspect almos; ludicrous-
y feminine.
Col Bill Borland gazed on this appariton
With ineiTable contempt, and then whispered
o his comrades---
we will have it all our own way, as Hous-
on has kindly sent us Miss Nancy
If the Colonel had paid more attention to
he man, and less to the clothing, he would