The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-11-18

suspicion. He determined to attend
their rsceting and give them a fright
to which the devils handshue"
would oisly serve as prelude As
this meeting Was the last 4 he ssbhers
held in Somerset County, il vas H.
ting It s,ccasion should be marked
one. la Ill their ruflianly and adven-
turous lives. il is doubtful il any 9th
er was 30 deeply impressed upon
their minds. We regret that we
must condense a scene 80 full Of thrill
ling interest, but the editor is an auto
cratic and inexorabie being, specially
in regard TO space.
The robbers met at their usual
place, early in the evening, but not 10
their usual manner. Well armed, as
they all were, with deadly weapons,
and intending to travel all night, they
were literally supplied with that foe
to cewardice and low spirits, the
pure whiskey of the mountains,
which at this day lears a value that
would have seemed fabulous to them.
Plenty Of food that would have
eheered the souls of hungry men in
the face of ''foes unnumbered. Lights
were burning brightly, and fires of
mountain wood were blazing and
swapping cheerfully and making that
rocky cavern seem very palace Of
delight. fit for the royal residence OF
0beron and Titanis, the joint mon
archs of the fairy realm. All these
substantial comforts and cheering in
auences were lost upon that scoundrel
band. A heavy gloom seemed to
enshroud them. A pall-like gloom
which all their boasting courage and
bravado were powerless to resist.
The robber-chief made frequent and
determ ned efforts to rouse and cheer
them, be tested and tried to make them
joke and be jolly. He sang and tried
TO make them sing and be happy, He
drank but had no need to force them to
drink, but for once the potent spirit
tailed and they found, not without
awe, that they could not be merry.
Some two or three hours were passed
in these ghastly attempts to make it
merry meeting, when even the
most sanguine saw teat there was
not the ghost of hope of succeeding
All were inclined to close the melan-
choly symposium and try the effect
of violent exercise in the open air Is
relief to the moodiness that oppress-
ed them in the cave. As it was some
distance to the main road or pike,
they gave that as a reason for wan
ting to get away-not daring to &C
knowledge the reason. even to them
selves.
You see my honest friends
these would-be heroes, like nearly all
their class, were arrant towards; they
lacked moral courage, which is the
only reliable article. Having before
provided themselves with torches II
the night should prove TO be q very
dark one. they,lighted a couple at the
rapidly sinking fires. Sallying forth
into the open air a last attempt was
made to get up at least o show Of
spirit, bidding the old den goodbye
aud swearing that they would be all
right when they returned Their
spirits seemed to sink and with wild
ily beating hearts they hurried on
their way They had not gone far
till one said
Whats that ?''
Nothing! A night bird"
A little further on another said +:
Hold on boys, I thought i saw q
| light"
You're fool" grufily said anoth-
er. Come on meni"
Every few yards some disquieting
remark was made or act done, until
the nerves Ct the whole party were
effectually shaken, as yet without any
apparent cause. Uneasily expectant
they passed on and had just crossed
a tiny brook or runlet, when one Of
them with yell os horror called:
"Look! lookl therei behind you
Oh Gcd behind you "
All quickly turned o. hearing that
fearful, tnat blood-curdling cry.
/ For a moment they seemed rooted tc
the ground, only for moment. The
devilish apparition, thousand times
more appalling than that which
froze the blood and blasted the eye
sight Of Tam 0'Shanter at" Alloway's
auId haunted kirk This ghost, de
mou, devil, or all combined in one
was fifty feet high. One robber af
terward, in dying, ayerred, it was 8
combination OF all they could imagin.
of the ghastly, grim, frightful. danger
Gus.
"Great God have mercy Hav,
mercy, oh God"
They had no good mare Meg" to
bear them from The fends, and how
they fled. Dashing against trees
plunging into ravioes, falling ovel
rocks! Where they run or TO what the,
ruu, no matter Onl on ! awayl
One poor devil was killed will
fright or by the violence of his fall
Ali were sorely bruised, some wsr.
lpermanentIy crippled. But, on ON
away. any here from this spotl Dan
: ger aud darkness before. He'll snd
Is hor rors behindI
When the field was cleared, which
was not long in doing how
ever tedious in the telling, a tall anC
really frightful figure, leaning agaips
tree not far from the well-worn patl
of the robbers, burst into peal after
peal oflaughter. more sardonic thar
mirthful. After briefindulgenee Of hi
humor the figure unstrapped the stilt
from It's feet, threw down considera
bly, more material than is general,
devoted to male attire, and swing
ing down from one Of the loves
limbs ONTO the ground, appeared no
altogether demon nor yet quite human
The head-piece was more tenderll
dealt with and carefully placed upoI
stump. There nothing elm. an
eanny or demoaiac was discernible
Nothing. 10 fact, bnt part of goo'
wholesome pumpkia as ever grew il
eornheld. And our solitary, saturnine
and reticent Dolph stood confessed
Il is wonderful bow mach depend
on combination. There is nothing
, frightful in red clothes, pumpkins Of