Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-12-22

O A ""NA c"-it" NhouO a uOSpoAato iunE
y at me with his knife. ot
As l hope for salvation hereafter,
q bad no murderous intention, orth
> thought of Staying the rufiian when b
I, thus assailed me. thought to defen,
y myself without killing. Leaping asid
y and avoiding the fellows thrust, as quicl
: as thought, gathered the helve OF th,
, hatchet in my hand; my intention wa
g to hit him with the weapon on the side o
the head, and beat him to the earth.
1T is probable that in my excitement
smote with my whole might, and hi
wide Of my intended aim for the fiat Of
the Ratchet with the edge downward, fell
on bis jawbcne the helve turned in my
hand, and the keen blade sunk to the
very eye,in bis throat, severing cartilage,
and sinews, wind pipe and jugular veins
the bot blood spouted in CORY jet into
my face, and over my person. The bid.
eons looking wretch stood there before
me brief space of time, his under jaw
fallen, tongue lolling out, his eyes glaring
and the horrible cash in his throat gap.
ing wide-and then with spasmodic
shudder, Jack Smith, the outlaw, plunged
forward into the sand at my feet-dead.
have an idea that / must have been
mad or very near it, just then; though
every movement of those about me, is as
clear and distinct in my memory to-day,
as anything that ever occurred within my
sight or hearing.
Confronting the astonised and startled
spectators Of the terrible scene, and ut
tering wild defiant yell, laid hold of
the dead man by the wristband of his
duck-trowsers, and swinging him clear
from the ground as If he had been but the
weight of dead kitten, | sprang away
towards the beach, and actually carried
the body at leasttwo hundred yards going
upon the full run, and followed by the
whole yelling pack of motley islanders,
headed by Thorpe and English Bill, and
all in full cry-yelIing like devils incar-
nul MN XIII him rut your
knives into him! Cut the bloody luff
into fish bait p
A very pleasant predicament to be 10
don't you think so ?
At first had nearly hundred yards
the start of the yelling devils; but my
carrying such weight was fatal clog
to my speed ; and is was only when they
were almost upon me that ! happened to
think the carrying off thus OF dead man
the sheerest folly in the world and l ac-
cordingly dropped the corpse at the very
instant that Thorpe, who was now within
two strides of me, raised his hand o
plunge knife, which he had snatched
from one of the wreckers, into my back.
The assassin stumbled over the corpse,
and plunged hesdlong forward, pitching
his weapon past me ten yards or so.
caught it up by the point of the blade,
] Z
and turning instantly, hurled it with all
my might at my pursurer. 1t was
heavy Spanish blade, full fourteen inches
in length, and striking Thorpe, point
foremost, exactly over the heart,
driven home to the very bait in his broad
chest With a horrid yell of mortal
agony the rutiian leaped high into the air,
and went down grovelling in his terrible
leath throes. .....-. ....f... ..f.
Again there was brief respite for me /.
IS I b e human wolves, half paralyzed, 4,
,alted for few moments over the body {
# my second sacrifice. Bnt soon they
'sme on again, yelling more hideously
han ever; while English Bill and !,
Iozen Of the most feet of foot among the !,
SANDERS, bad taken to the sand ridge
,ack from the beach, with the intention !
{ heading me off from the boat by
bort cut across a little promontory that .
between myself and the land- :,
ng. gos,aIs ,,. l.
| had distanced all those who pursued g
ne direct, and began o breathe with
ope again, when on rounding the point :;
{ the projecting promontory, a hundred
ards from the boat, | saw Brastow fifty .
ards in advance Of all his party, and full a,
birty yards nearer the boat than | was. a
( by any means the fellow should be APP n
rized of those revolvers being in the "a
,cker of the boat, and he should reach p
er first, / had stood my last watch, and Ii,
Iritten my last log. aff a.
Great God the miscreant did know CO
+ the revolvers being in the locker, or hl
uessed il from the circumstance of my m
OF using any during the running fight. til
nd the wretch would secure them, for fs
hen he gained the boat was still TWEEN he