The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1859-03-23


length while writhing and twisting like
two raging serpents, the handle of Hills
huge bowie knife, unthought of precious
ly, protruded from beneath his hunting
shirt. Both saw it at the same time, and
attempted to grasp it. Howard sue
ceeded. Quick as lightning he drew the
keen blade from its scabbard. and sheath
ed it up to the hilt in the bosom of his
friend and his Mary's father. aa. ti4
''The dream is fulfilled" exclaimed
Hill with smile of strange sweetness.
that remained on his features even after
he was a corpse. He then sank down
and expired without groan.
Howard gazed on him there as he lay,
with that singular smile on his fsce, and
his glazed eyes open. And then awak-
ening with start, as if from some hor-
( rible vision of the night, the poor unhap-
py youth fell headlong on the body of his
friend, crying in tones that melted many
a hardened spectator to tears:--"Great
God! what have done?" He kissed the
clammy lips of the dead--tried to staunch
the bloody wound with his handkerchief
land then apparently satisfied that oil
was over, sprung upon his feet with q
shout, or more properly a scream, "Farc.
well, Mary y--your father is gone and !
am going with him." and turning the
point of the CORY knife towards his own
breast, would have plunged it into his own
heart, bad he not been prevented by the
bystanders. who had now crowded into
the room. ;s a.a III es.
~ The same evening Nose Howard dis
appeared, and was heard of no more for
nearly two years, when horse trader
brought back word that he had seen him
in San Antonio, Texas. sara f.
, When the shocking news reached Hills
family, the beautiful Mary burst into a
wild laugh, She is now in the asylum
for the insane, at New Orleans. sao
Had we been inditing tale of romance
we would have paused with the preceding
page. but literal truth compels US to re-
cord another fact equally characteristic,
both, as TO the chief actors aud the back
woods theatre of the main tragedy. '7'
4 1t will be remembered that the fallen
desperate had enjoined it on his son to
slay the slayer of his father on the day
he should arrive, at sixteen. Without
! any charge, vengeance would have been
considered by that boy as a sacred duty;
for, on the frontiers, the widows of the
slain teach vengeance to their chill
dren, and occasionally execute it them
! selves. h-s -s'
II Accordingly Bill Hill practiced witt
his fathers gun every day for two success
, siye years, and this before he had any ru
5 NOR as to the place of Howard's refuge
: He then learned that his foe was in Tex
, as, and two months before he was sixteel
e set out to hunt him up. -i..R -
: AT the end of four months, Bill Hill
came back, and hanging up the double
i barrels in their old buck horn racs, an
S swered his mothers inquiring look: 7l.
J., "Mother, Nose is dead-I let him hav
0 both loads: Though 1 cried before
done it, and afterwards, too-he locke
h SO miserable, pale and bony as skele
g ton."
e i, "Poor Mose!'' said the mother, weeI
n ing, !'but it could not be helped Th
son of such brave man as Nixon Curr
b must never be called coward, and be
i sides it was your fathers order"