Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-02-13

IOuSoS oHiOtacAe0 HSiRuoOtS, WAS oT4utttcC oi
the charge of murder by an examining justice. |
This was the beginning OF the terrible vendetta
that has run through the years that followed
cutting down the males of the two families in
the pride of their strength and manhood. The
two Johnstone lads vowed vengeance upon the
murderer OF their parent, and one of them,
James. worked night and day, with but one
object In vlew-tO accumu late the means to
purchase rife. AT length be became the
owner of one, and one S,bbath morning, with
his gun upon his shoulder, be approached the
house of Rogers. Tne latter sitting upon
his porch, and as he saw young Johnstons ap
preaching. probably divining his intention,
arose hastily and started toward the rack where
his own gun vas suspended. But the avenger
of blood upon his path, and he could
reach his weapon he fell upon the floor acorpse,
his heart pierced by the bullet of his foe.
Rogers left behind him young wife and three
childIen-one of whom was a boy. Among
the rough backwoodsnen OF Carter County,
young Johnstone's crime was looked upon with
satisfaction, if not favor-the Indian law of
retaliation being looked upon by them as the
very cream of justice. Aferward !ohnstone
married, and as the years passed he became
surrounded BY interesting and numerous
progeny. Tne boy William Rogers, in the
meantime, had almost reached manhood's es-
=
attention to his mother sisters, he left the
house with bis fathers rifle upon his shoulder,
as If he were going out to hunt, and IN less
than an hour griet-stricken mother aud chill
dren were weeping over the corpse OF a slain
husband and father. Young Rogers. in hi.
turn, had become an avenger, and Thomas
Johnstone fell beaea h his hand. ln time the
me mories Of these three murderers died away,
and those who were children then grew up to
L.l
taken to himself wife. and become the head
Of a growi3g family. One morning he rode
INFO Elizabethtown and as he did not return
trat NJ Zht-a circumstance that had never oc-
Cured betore-his wife became very uneasy,
and in the morning induced her brother TO
start to town in search of her missing husband.
About three miles from the house he came up
on the body Of his brother-lu-!aw, lying IN the
road, stit and cold in death. His brain had
been pierced by rifle ball. Although his
murderer WAS never discovered, yet tie COM
muuity quietly accepted the belief that Henry
JOhnstone, son of ThomaS, who was slain by
Rogers, the perpetra'or OF the deed.
Some years afterwards, in drunken moment,
in EGzabethtown, this young man ackno.l-
edged he had slain Rogers, and gave IS his
reason that the latter had killed his father
Johnstone was Young man, and only few
months before al been married to young
glri in the neighborhood Again the chart Of
time was unrolied, and at least ten years had
been added to the past, when young lad, a
son Of the murdered Rogers, engaged 10 an
/ alteration in the yard OF the court house az
/ Eizabethtown, with Johpstone, who was then
a middle aged man, and inflicted such wounds
upon him with a knife, that ne died on the
1 following morning Thus it went on for years,
now a Johnstone falling by the hands of a
Rogers ard then Rogers falling beneath the
aveuging hand of Jonnstone, until the war
! interviewed, and for time, at least, the terri
/ bic feud appeared 20 have ended The cessa-
ton of host Iiities brought the survivors OF the
warning families back to Carter County. These
survivors consisted of Randall Rogers and
Robert Johnstons, both ba batte-scarred veterans,
and both unmarried men. Ga the evening OF
/ the . n instant these two men met IN a gro
Gerry at E.zlbethtown, and soon became en-
gagged 10 alteration. Bystsnders nterfer-
ed and for an hour or TWO a collision was
averted. They were separated by friends anC
taken off in opposite directions. This occurred
about noon About three O'Clock, as Roger
was goiug up street he saw Johnstone C ming
down As They neaEed each other they drew
/ their reyo!vsrs and commenced simultaneously y
firing upon each other. and continuing to ad
varce as they fired. Finally, and when about
four feet distant from Johnstone. Rogers sauk
20 the pavement, and, as he lay, the last act o
his life was to fire the last charge in his plsto
into the abdomen of Johnstone, whose las
bullet, fired at the same instant, penetrated
his antagonists brain, causing instant death
Jehnstone reeled and fell across the body o
his foe, and. when bystanders rushed to where
they lay, he, 100, had passed beyond ali reaci
of mortal aid. Almost at the same instant O
time, their two blood-guilty souls had gone I
join the CORY ghosts OF their ancestors. Thu
ended feud that mad existed tor twenty years
in the course OF which fourteen men have die
violent deaths