Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-11-28

way, and might as we'll be hus
tied out of tn. world at once -
The two men, whose teeth were
chattering with fear and cold, bu
dared not approach the fire witbou
permission, stood In silence while
he munched bis breakfast and vi
tered his CHASTITY jokes. lie a
last finished mis- meal, picked VI
his rifle, placed it across his knee,
as he seated himself in front of
the fire, and gave them permission
to approach. They drew up
chairs and seated themselves Oh
each side of him, and again urged
him to give them horses and arms,
saying that it could afford him no
qualification to kill two miserable
devils like them, and that they
would be forever grateful TO HIM
for assistance. Burton told them
to stop their talk and he would
lei them know what he would do
with them after be had smoked "a
pipe. Drawing his pipe from his
pocket, he slowly whitfield some
tobacco from a hard twist and
filled the bowl. Thomas, who
was at his right hand, reached
out, and raising the heavy iron
poker in his hand, poked an en-
Der out Of the fire for him to light
his pipe with. Burton stopped
down to put it in the bowl, when
Thomas, with the spring of a
panther, gained his feet and dealt
the ruffan fearful blow across
the back of his head with the po-
ker. His companion at the same
instant grasped the muzzle of the
rife and snatched it from his lap.
Burton pitched forward on the
hearth, but, although stunned,
still endeavored to clutch at his
rifle-stock. Thomas had ro ill.,
tention Of allowing his advantage
to slip from him, and while Bur
ton was still on his hands and
knees, sprung on his back, and
using both hands, showered blow
after blow upon his head, crush
ing his skull in at almost every
stroke. When satisfied at last
that the wretch was dead, Thorn
as dropped the poker, and the two
men, completely unnerved with
the terrible struggle, laughed hys-
terically. The woman, who had
been a terrified spectator of the
scene, and who had. after the first
blow, wrung her hands and cried,
"For God sake, don't let him get
up or we are oil lost" fell to tie
floor in q dead faint. The soldiers
dashed a part of the contents of
the water bucket over her and
soon restored her to consciousness.
They then took Burtons rifle and
side arms and started for the camp,
leaving The body on the hearth.
They had proceeded about il quar-
ter of a mile when they heard the
woman scream, and, turning. saw
her beckoning to them to return.
Not knowing what she wanted,
they ran back and saw the most
horrible sight they had ever wit
messed. Burton, whom they had
dead, still had spark
of life in bis ugly body, and after
they lett had gained his hands
and knees and endeavortd to
crawl away.
His eyes were pounded from
their sockets, and, as his head was
beaten to a jelly, he Of course
knew nothing, although he had
CROPPED around until he found the
door, and on his hands and knees
was crawling away over the dead
grass. !
Thomas and his companion gazed
on the blood,curdling spectacle
moment. and seizing the axe at
the woodpile, hewed the head from
the trunk, and anxious to get "a
way from the spot, dropped the
weapons, and still bearing the CORY
head, ran toward their camp; they
reached it in about two hours
time, and exhibiting the head re-
lated the story to their Colonel.
Several of the soldiers recognized
the head as that of Burton, and the
two men had no difficulty in OBJ
tanning the reward.
Thomas, accompanied by some
soldiers from his company, and
under the guidance of the boy
who had summoned Burton for
them, visited the robbers cave
day or two after the adventure,
and found a large pile of arms of
all descriptions, number of
watches, quite large sum of
money, and over fifty suits of
clothes the monster had stri ped
from the bodies of his victims.
In the breast of almost every
coat was fonnd bullet hole, and
in the heaps Of garments the