The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1860-02-01

tenor of his simple happy life was DIES
troyed, and indignity and outrage fol
lowed each other fast. Hinch neve
forgave the unlucky skill which hat
robbed him of his proudest boast, tina
of being the best marksman on tn,
frontier and he swore, in base win
dictive hate. to dog him to death, o
make him leave the country. Soon af
ter this valuable horse belonging tt
a rich and powerful planter disappear
ed. He was one ofthose men who hat
compromised with the Regulators, pay
ing so much black mail for exemption
from their depredations, and protec
ton against others of the same stamp
and he now applied to Hinch for tn,
recovery of his horse, and the punish
ment of the thief. This Hinch, under
their contract, was bound to do, anG
promised to accomplish forthwith. Ht
and some Of his men went off on the
trail Of the missing horse, and, return.
ing next day, announced that they had
followed it with all their skill through
great many windings, evidently in
tended to throw off pursuit, and had
at last traced it to Jack Longs picket
fence, and there could be no doubt but
he was the thief! The planter knew
nothing of Jack, but that he was a new
conner, and demanded that he should
be forced to give up the horse, and
punished to the extremity of the from
tier code.
But this was not Hinch's policy yet
awhile. He knew the proofs were not
strong enough to make the charge
plausible, even before Lynch Court
of which he himself was both the pros
ecutor, judge, and executioner. His
object was to first get up a hue and
cry against Long, and, under cover Of
general excitement, accomplish his
devilish purposes without question or
mock trial even. So that, after great
deal of maneuvring, for eight or ten
days, during which time the charge
against Long was industriously circu-
lated by his myrmidons, so as to at
tract general attention and expectation,
as to the result of his Investigations,
he proclaimed far and wide that he had
found the horse at last, hid in timber
bottom near Longs! This, of course.
seemed strong confirmation of his guilt,
and, though the mob were most of them
horse thieves, to all intents, yet it was
an objectionable crime for any one to
practise professionally among them
selves; so that Long was loudly de-
nounced and threatened on every side,
and ordered to leave the country forth
with.
These proceedings Jack by no means
comprehended, or felt disposed to be
moved by but gave them to under
stand that he meant to remain where
he was, until it suited his convenience
to go, and that, if his time and theirs
did not happen to agree, they might
make the most of it. And Jack was
such an unpromising snagging-looking
somebody, and his reputation, which
had now spread everywhere, Of possess
sing such consummate skill with the
rife, that he thought it a condescen-
sion to shoot anywhere else but in the
eyes, was so formidable, that no indi-
vidual felt disposed to push the matter
to a personal collision He might still,
tho, have been left in quiet, but Hinch
had unfortunately taken up the i'm
preston, from Jacks conduct in the
shooting match affair, that he must be
a coward, and, if this were true, then
III ~ ,l,;ll o,oo,n+ o1 I = b,,+ E+4lo on1
like any other bloody wolfsh brute, he
followed him up the more eagerly for
this very reason, which would have
disarmed a generous foe. Besides,
Jack had given fresh and weightier
matter of offence, in that he had refused
to obey, and defed his authority as
Regulator. The very being of that
authority seemed to require now that
wholesome example should be made
of him for the awning Of all refractory
persons hereafter. The wretch, who
was cunning as ferocious, and had
sworn in bis inmost heart, to ruin and
disgrace Long, from the moment of
that triumph, now awaited himself re-
morselessly of all his influence, and
knowledge of the society around him,
to accomplish it. Several horses now
disappeared, and robberies of other
kinds perpetrated with singular dex-
terity, followed in quick succession.
All these things, he managed through
the clamors Of his scoundrelly troops,
to have laid. directly or indirectly, to
Jacks door.
TO BE CONTINUED.
40 mVs. nA~L~