Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-08-28

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customed to face danger rs the dcs
poradoes were, and possessed a.
they were Of brutal courage, they
trembled before this mysterious dan
ger. 1t could not be faced, and il
could not be averted.
The result was that some Of the
band deserted and fed the region
There remained only the captain
and four of the more resolute of his
followers. These five hunted and
made their raids together, and for
some time escaped harm. It clianc.
ed that among the five was the man
who had endeavored to save Long
at the time of the whipping from so
severe a torture. This man ono
morning ventured out in the woods
without his comrades. He was walk
ing slowly along, looking for game,
when the brown barrel Of a rife pro-
jecting from a bush beside him
checked his course. A tall, lank
figure rose from the bush, and the
startled man recognized Sam Long,
the hunter. Long raised the rifle,
then lowered it.
"Youre the man who said a good
word for me, an you may 20, bad
as you are. won't take your mis-
cradle life. Cop
The man needed no second invi.
tAtion to 60. He hurried to the
camp and told his story. The cap
tain ard the other three men start
ed out in pursuit of Long, and but
two men accompanied Dick Reddett
when he returned! !! The third man
had fallen, shot in the eye, and no
search of the underbrush revealed
the hunter. The next day another
man was killed in camp, and again
the hunter escaped. On the Iext
day the two remaining men fed the
country, leaving the fierce Reddett
alone. The leader Of the despera-
does dared not remain where he
was. He knew he was the man
whom Long sought above all 9th.
erS.
Conccaling himself un til night, he
mounted his horse and fed for the
nearest point on the Arkansas river
where it would I've possible to take
passage on steamboat. Two days
later he reached . small landing in
the woods on the banks of the river,
where the steamer stopped for pas.
ssugers, when there were any to
t~ke. He learned from the occu-
pant of the only cabin in the neigh
borhood thet the boat would be
down in the afternoon, and 80, hav.
ing pnt up the signal to secure a
landing of the boat, established him
self on the bank and waited. He
deemed himself safe enough from
purssit, and took no precautions.
Throwing himself on the ground be
slept, until, late iu the day, he was
awakened by the sound of the boat
in the distance. She would round
. point in q moment or two, and he
waited expectantly. AS suddenly |
as though risen from the ground, a
lank figure stood before him and the
muzzle of . rifle pecred in his face.
The terrified desperate had no diff
aculty in recognizing the man as
the one he had injured. With the
rifle still held steadily upon the face
of the startled Reddett, Long his.
sed out:
"rve got you You whipped me
me like dog! l swore
I'd kill you before [ call myself a
man again, and l am going to do it
I've cleaned out your band, and now
its your tnrn! Oh Pve got you
Thank God, I've got youw
The ruffian in abject fear pleaded
for his life, groveling at the feet of
.he hunter. He clung to his words
Is y drowning man clings to straws.
The boat was very near. Should
'he round the point in time he would
10 saved! Already her smoke.
stacks showed through the brush,
When the hunter pressed the trigger,
he sharp report rang out, and Red.
lett fell dead, shot to the brain
hrough the left eye. Long slipped
way in the woods, and when the
boat stopped in response to the sig.
lal, they found Il dead man, but no
me else. Harrison county was rid
brewer Of the worst gang of ruf.
ians i'm the Southwest.
"AR that stranger" said the old
nan in the Dallas hotel, sis true
tory of the way Sam Long settled
ccOunts with the black guards"