Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-11-10


a covered wagon, driven by negro, while
he lay stretched on the bottom in the straw
The barrel Of liquor was obtained-he got
into the wagon-lay down beside it, aud
started for home. All the way he neve.
raised his head until, near the mouth of his
lane, log had been placed on the side of the
road which tilted up the wagon in passing
over it, so as to roll the barrel on him. He
forgot his caution, and sprang up with his
head out of the cover to curse the boy for bis
carelessness, and at that moment rifle was
discharged. He fell back dead-shot through
the eve! The boy said that his master sudden
ly cut short his oaths, and exclaimed-"There
he is pat the moment the gun fired. He
saw tall man with beard hanging down
on his breast and dressed in skins, walking
off through the brush with his rifle on his
shoulder.
The next man, named Garnet, about two
weeks after this, got up one morning about
sunrise, and in his shirt sleeves stepped to his
door and threw it open to breathe the fresh
air. He was rubbing his eyes, being about
half asleep; and when he got them fairly
open, there stood the gaunt avenger beside q
tree in the yard-the fatal rifle leveled, and
waiting till his victim should see him distinct
| ly. He did see hm-but it was with his last
look The bullet went crashing through his
brain, too! Long is said to have told one of
his friends that he never, in single instance,
shot one of these men till he was certain the
man saw and recognized him fully.
All were gone now but Hinch and the two
youngest men of the party, Williams and
Davis. The two latter were permitted to es.
cape. Whether it was from relenting on the
part Of the dread avenger-or that he had
observed some triAng thing in their demeanor
on the OCCASION of the outrage he was thus
furnishing, which recommended them to mer-
cy, now that his resentment had so deeply
drank of the bitter delight Of atonement-or
that in his anxiety to secure Hinch, he con-
fined his efforts and watchfulness to him
alone-I do not know. They made forced
and secret sale of their property, and cleared
out during the night. But it was for Hinch,
he had, with passionless calculation, reserved
the most inconceivable torture. He had
passed him by all this time, while one after
the other lie struck down the tools and COM
panions of his crimes. He doomed him to
see them falling around him with the certain
knowledge that the avenging hate which slew
them burned with ten-fold intensity for his
life-that it must and would have it But
when would the claim be made? Should he
be the next one? MOI The next one? No!
But then each succeeding death, so sure to
take one of their number, drove away every
sophistry Of hope, and realized to him in bare
,,l 4l,k 70
fixed as theirs. As each one fell away the
circle of doom narrowed-slowly, steadily
closing in about him How could he call an
hour bis own? When could he feel safe q?
That relentless subtlety had bafled them all !!
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven strong
men had all gone before that fatal rife-eve-
ry one of them shot through the eye! God
of Heaven land the sharp agony would
spangle keen points of burning light through
his brain, as if the balls were already burst
ing through the sockets. 81, too, must be shot
through the eyeW 1t was worse than ten
thousand deaths, and he died them over in
lingering torture day by day.
From the time of Rees' death he looked
changed and stricken man. In few weeks
he had lost a great deal of flesh, and became
pitcously baggard--his eyes and gait and
voice were humble. His turbulent and fierce
animality faded before the narrowing sus.
pense of this fear. The bully and murder.
Gus rufian trembled at the rustling of leaf
His own imagination became his hell-hun-
cry remorse became stronger with feasting at
bis heart He never left his house for weeks,
until the escape of Williams and Davis in
spired him with some hope. He procured q
fine horse, and set off one dark night for the
Red River Everybody regretted his escape !;
for men had looked in quiet pectation upon
the progress of this affair, and in strong faith
that the sense of wild border justice would
be grati6ed in seeing this stern, righteous
and unparalleled vengeance consummated by
the fall of Hinch-the monster instigator
and chief actor in all the grevous outrages
which had reused the simpe-hearted Long
into demon executioner of doom.
Hinch reached the bank of the Red Riv-
er-sprang from his foaming and exhausted
horse, after looking cautiously around and
threw himself upon the grass to wait for a
steamboat. In two hours he heard one puff
fng down the stream, and saw the white
wreaths of steam curling up behind the trees
How his heart bounded Freedom, hope,
and life !-once more sprang from his shriv-
elled veins and to his lips. He signalized
the vessel she rounded to and lowered her
yawl. His pulse bounded high, and he gazed
with absorbing eagerness at the crew as they
pulled Justify towards the shore. A click
behind him He turned with a shudder,
and THERE HE WAS! That long rifle was
bearing straight upon him those cold eyes
dwelt steadily upon him for a moment; and
crash all was forever darkness to Hinch the
Regulator. The men who witnessed this
singular scene landed, and found him shot
through the eye and saw the murderer gal
Looping swiftly away over the plain stretching
out from the top of the bank. And so the
vengeance was contaminated, and the stern
hunter had wiped out with much blood the
stain of stripes on bis free limbs and could
now do, what was told he had never done
since the night of those fatal and fatally ex.
plated stripes, look his wife again in the eyes,
and receive her form to rest again on bis
| breast
1t was al awful deed. In view of all its
circumstances, the provocation, the charac-
ter of Long, the derauging influences Of the
outrage upon his brain, though no other in
dcation appeared of impaired sanity ; the
mind is lost in uncertainty as to the judg-
ment which should be passed upon it. He
did not remain in Shelby county but in
what direction he had intended to 60 after
returning to Arkansas for his wife and chill
dren. could never hear He is probably
living now his old quiet and good natured
l;Fo :, tbo boort Df tho rroon uildarness I.