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

one class of men who ventured to assert that
they had actually seen with their own eyes
these wonderful sights, and that was consti'
tuted of those who had either suffered, or,
from their characters and pursuits, were
most likely to suffer persecution from the
Regulators the class of hunter emigrants
These men were most Industrious in embel'
fishing all the circumstances Of character,
feats, and relentless hatred to the Regulators,
as highly as the existing credulty of the pub
lie would bear. They never saw him ex-
cept in the vicinity of the homes of some one
of these hated tyrauts In their versions
this being was forever lowering around them'
waiting the moment to strike while they
were alone and far from any help.
They carried this thing so far as to attract
attention to it, and arouse in the cunning
mind of Hinch the same suspicion which
had occurred to Henry and myself, namely,
that all this was the result of a profoundly
acute and thoroughly organized scheme of
this class, headed by some man of peculiar
personalities and consummate skill, with the
object of exterminating or driving off the
Regulators. 1t seemed impossible, that,
without collusion with many others, the mur.
derer should have been able to so battle all
pursuit. Hinch and his band had been
thoroughly cowed and awed !; but the moment
this idea occurred to them, the reaction OF
their base fears was savage exultation. Here
was something tangible their open and uni
ted force could easily exterminate an enemy
who had acknowledged their weakness in
resorting to secret combination and assassina.
ton from the "bush !" They forthwith pro-
claimed "war to the knife, to the whole class
and during the next week several outrages,
so revolving that l will not detail them, were
perpetrated upon these men in different parts
of the country and the fact that, during this
general tumult, nothing more was seen or
heard Of the mysterious Rifeman, encouraged
them with the belief that they had succeed
ed in getting rid of him through the intimi-
dation of his confederates.
They had now been nearly fortnight in
the saddle-had glutted themselves with
vengeance, and, as they conceived, broken
down this dangerous conspiracy against their
power; and if they had not succeeded in de.
tecting and punishing, had at least frightened
off their singular foe. They now concluded
they might dsband That day, after they
separated, one of their number, name Rees-
almost as bad and savage man as Hinch
himself-was riding past thicket, in sight
of his own house, when he was shot from it.
His negroes heard the gun, and seeing his
horse galloping up to the house riderless and
snorting wildly, they ran down, and found
him stretched in the road dead. He suas
- onI kbo ho1 rocso1 OF tho
back of Of his head.
When Hinch heard this, he seemed per
fectly livid, his knees smote together, and
with horrible oath, he exclaimed:
"It's Jack Long, or his ghost, come back
for vengeance"
1t was now perceived, for the first time,
that all the men had been shot through the
eye, instead of in the back of the head, where
the ball had only passed out after entering
the socket. The other heads had been too
unpleasantly mutilsted for examination, and
this fact had not been before observed. Of
course everybody was satisfied, now, that this
terrible being was in one way or another
identical with Jack Long; for the notoriety
of his favcrite mark, aud his matchless skill
instantly occurred to all, as accounting for
much that was unaccountable in these occur
rences. This produced a great change in
public feeling. The better sort began to
conceive that they understood the whole
matter. The lynching Jack had received
was fresh in their memories. and they sup
posed that its severity had shaken his mental
balance and made him a monomaniac, and
that the disease had endowed him with the
marvellous cunning-the staunch, murderous
hate-and the unnatural appearance, which
had created such sensation. They could not
understand how a being so simplebearted
and sluggish as he was reputed to have been
could have been reused or stung to such
deeds by the mere depth and power of his
natural passions. But monomaniac or not,
such vengeance, and the daring conduct of
the whole affair, were very imposing to their
associations and prepossessions, and they
sympathized heartily with him. 1t was only
while the general uncertainty left every man
in doubt whether his own person might not
be next the object of this murderous aim that,
the public were disposed to back the Regula'
tors in whatever violent measures they might
choose to resort to, to drag the secret to light,
and the actor to punishment; but now that
it was apparent his whole hate was leveled
against the Rangers, and all that uncertain
ty was confined to them, be he devil, ghost,
madmsn, or Jack Long, the public had no
intention of interfering again. 1t was per-
sonal issue between him and them-they
might settle it between themselves! Indeed,
men felt in their inmost hearts that every
man of the ten engaged in the lynching Of
Jack Long deserved dozen times to be shot ;
and now they looked on coolly, rather enjoy
ing the thing, and earnestly hoping that
Jack might have the best.
And of this there seemed to be a strong
probability; for the Regulators made only
one more attempt to get together; but anoth-
er of their number being killed on the way to
the rendezvous, his body bearing that we'll
known and fearful signature of skill, the re.
naming five, perfectly unnerved and over
whelmed with terror, retreated to their hous-
es, and scarcely dared for several weeks to
put their heads outside their own doors.
The class to which Jack had belonged, at
least those of them who had managed to
keep foot during the relentless prescription
of the Regulators, now began to look up, and
hnted that they had known Of Jacks retarn
from the time of Stoners murder, and had aid
ed and abetted his purposes in every way in
their power furnishing him with fresh horses
when the noble animal he rode back from the
States became fatigued; assisting his flights
and concealments, and furnishing him with
information, as well as spreading the exag-
gerated stories about him. One bluff old
fellow remarked
"You are fools who talk about Jacks be-