Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1862-10-22
THE VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCES.
A TRUE SKETCH OF LIKE IN ARKANSAS.

A TRUE SKETCH OF LIKE IN ARKANSAS
"Auong the true,t friends of tie peop'c
of all in he present Convention, may he
named John Hill. of ST. Francs. His c!o
Quence and courage fully enti'e him 10 the
proud place he holds, and as we trust, will
long r-;ain-that Of leader of the Arkansas
Democracy "--LiH'e Roch. Gazcte in Tie
days Of the Conrealion.
"BLouDY ArFAlE.-A desperate rasconlre
occurred last week in S.. Francis. Tw" dis
tnguishcd ctizeus were killed and three 9th
ers dangerously wounded. The difficulty re-
suited from an attempt tn arrest John II II.
a member of the last Legislature. and for
mcrly of the STATE Convention, who, rs il i
alleged, is the notorious robber, Nixon Curry.
that committed such atrocities fifteen wears
ugn in the mountains OF Carolina. "--Littie
Roch, Gu=ats IF My, 1910.
We lave given the previous extracts
from the Oldest aud most respectful Jour
mi Of Arkansas III order to satisfy every
reader that the following narrative, extra
ordinary as some of its incidents may ap.
pear, is no tissue of fiction. Indeed,
while relating genuine events, and paint
ing, true scenes, we have been especially
careful to avoid all vivid colorS. Should
his short sketch by any chance, reach the
deem its 1ss5rpBssia5,. ss5Sr4pBsa5 's people there will
with inc deeds of the man. iie! Wr,,, rH".,
who has resided long Oh the frontier. has
no use for fancy in portrayiug its excl.
ting life. Simple memory will serve linn
Very well.
About fifty years ago there lived in
la'e'lt-H county, Fossh o"sust'.. ..r.es..y:
tcrian minister by the name of Curry. lie
was man Of easy circumstances, of ire
pfoachablc character. and had large fam.
lily in promising sons and daughters.
Among these the f!voritc WAS Nixon, dis
,ingui<hcd Nhen Il boy for his fearless
courage and the tenderness of his heart
al lie. He seems, from several anecdotes
Of his early days, to have been child
of impulse and intense eamestneSS and
passion. When only six years of age,
he had a combat at school with a bully
Of the play ground, nearly twice his own
weight, and after suffering dreadfully, at
last achieved victory, due almost entire
ly to the sheer power of his endurance.
From the time he was six years old,
that is to say, from the first session he
attended in The country school house, had
Nixon Curry been'in love. His idol was
3 little girl of the same age and under
the tuition of the Same master. The ut.
tachnent appeers to have bcua mutual
from the commencement. They stood
up in one class, and always manag. j to
stand together During the hours of
recess, when the other Juveniles were anu
sing themselves with boistcrms sports, the
precocious lovers would wander amidst
leafy groves, or BY the mossy margins Of
silver riils Forever, to eternity, and
whenever the soft spell of first loves
comes, it brings with it the bright spiri;
of poetry, scattering thick starred dreams
and divine visions Of beauty over all
things. Even then they exchanged plrdg.
es, and dscoursed in sweet sinless wills
pers of their future bridal
And thus they grow up nso one dc j.
oious Identity of fancy and of feeling.
Their bias for the society of each other,
while children, caused no particular re-
mark, Such attachments are common
among the youth of opposite sexes, inihe
country, and, rs usual. terminate e.brupty
Oh arrival a: mature years. Ear diilcr-
ent, however, was the cas. with Nixon
Curry and Lucy Gordon. Their passion
became SO evident at fifteen, that all fur. ;
her intercourse was forbidden by her pa /,
'ents-a.nong the weathicSt arStocracy
of CaroIiua Then followed stolen meet. ,
ngs by starlight, iirmer VOWS and wilder
owe, which always increased in prop,si |
ion to its crosses, and like the trees of
Lebanon, sends down its deepest roots :
nto the heart the more it is shaken by ,
torns. $
Finally at seventeen, when Luly's rcla- |
ives were endeavuring to force her into S
he arms of another, she fled with the ov $
r Of her childhood. They were pursued,
yer;skcn; and Nixon Curry shot his ri. i,
al and one of the proud Gordons dead
n the spot, and then escaped with his |
ride. although hotIy chased by more c
len, and fnnnd M asylum in the Allc. h
hal.f Mountains, near the source of The y
'stawba. Here, under the plea of ne il
sssiiy, he embraced the profession of h
obL.r, aud rendered his name famous BY y
lie number, and astonishing boIdncss of 9
is exploits. We may record it, not of o
matter of merit, perhaps, but for the n
Ike of historical truth-that the youth. s.
i bandit was never known to perpctratc II,
~ dcel of murder for the sake of plum.
er, though he did several to avoid arrest. W
length the rumor Of his daring tcIo- II
es ceased suddenly, and notwithstand. t.
g a reward Of FIVE thousand dollars was to