Saint Mary's beacon., 1874-01-08
DEATH IN THE EYE.

simo" eff the Texan Lynchers in the earl,
history of that State. He we'll deserved
the title which he had won by many q
desperate deed. He possessed such in
credible skill in the use of all sorts O.
murdcrous weapons. tha, it might be pre-
nounced virtual suicide to even think o
encountcring him. so rapid was his mo-
tion. so unerring his mortal aim The ter.
rible cognomcn death in the eye" told
truly the mark at which he always fired
"A mark he had neser once missed
while such was his astonishing quickness
that his antagonists usually fell ere they
pulled u trigger. An enemy stood no bet
ter chance by resorting to the sword OF
the bowie-knife agains, enc il whose hand.
:he fash cf f 49,, -:. was like iightning-as
swift. as mighty to s.ay-one who appear
cd 10 surpass al! other men as much in
strength as in ac.ivity--a giant in stature,
icnd in courage. His biography in IL
self was more thrilling than aoyel, viii
der than tho widest romance; and the
very first &C. of his dreadful daring re.
vcalcd, in all their force and fullucss, :hc
two essential elements of his character
the ferocious ardor Of his appetite for re-
venge. and the iron pertinacity Of his in
Gomitab!e will. AT the age Of twenty he
pursued the assassin Of his brother all the
way from Carolina to Canada. and shot
him dead Mt the dinuer-table of n tavern
in Quebec; yet such had been the cum
ming Of his previous arrangements for the
event. that, aided by numerous relays Of
swift horses. he effected his escape safely
to the South. The achievement. cost hin,
tel thousand dollars.
From this time foreward. his life was
one long war. Almost every month in
the year saw him engaged in some fatal
duel-fatal only to others, never hurtfu
TO him-while each week Witnessed the oc.
currence of casual afFrays. often as bloody
as his more regular combats. He wa.
the Napoleon Of the knife and pistol. Blu,
the truth of impartial history compels us
to record. that this man. so fearful in hi.
deeds. whose ight arm reeked with gore
to his elbow. was not commonly the az.
grcssor in his countless quarrel.. Often
the friends of those he had vanquished in
/ fair fight assaiiei him from motives of re-
verge. The fame of his prowess provok-
cd the vain jealousy of others. He had
acquired the perilous reputation of q
ma,chless hero-the ardent. the desper.
ate. the ambitious would win. if possible
his laurels. Every young Hercules longed
to kill the lion, So as to Ck,the himself in
his skin. and thus was Berlin forced "a
retain an inter,ninable. war 1t is so in
all professions. There can be no peace
in high places--storm, hail and thunder
mus; break around tie mountains brow.
| This duellist was ono Of the earliest in
eastern Texas, where he became the chiei
Of tie Lyuching party. In his own coun.
iy of Harrison. be possessed boandless in
tucncc; inlced. he would no, suffer 70:
to reside within its limits. Hence, he
might have openly deied the officers o.
the law, had such been his pleasure; bu
his shrewd and far-seeiug sagaeity adop-
ted wiser and safer course. After per.
petrating any homicide. he invariably sub.
mitted his own case to the Grand jury
sure of n triumphal acquit,al by his friend.
on trial; and thus, should public senti
ment ever turn agains, him in the future
he would be enabled to plead eifec,usl yer.
diets in bar of all past offences.
| At length the time srrived which the
Colonel had so long anticipated. \ veal
thy and Intelligent. class of ci,iaeus bera,
to change the current of opinion in Tlar.
rison, so that in the county election III,
friends Of order. hy Sigh. majority
gaiaed their candidate ser sheriff. Thi
was terrible blow to the I.yorhers. as i
deprived them of their secure vantage
gfouod in packing juries; and to increas,
;heir danger. st this unpropitious crisis,
new judge vas also appointed. Tie Old
faction. however. did no. despair. The,
were still numerous. thoroughly armed
and desperadoes to 4 man. and de,ermin,
cd at the FIRST court. TO muster all thei
strength. 50 as 10 control and ovcrawe tb,
proceedings.
Al niue o'clock la the morning Of IN,
second Monday in September. 1872. III,
new judge took his seat on the bench
He was a stranger from the West, who's
name alone had ,ranspircd. and whose an
pcararrc, !. first, inspired the dc<pcra