The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-07-27

forty years ago. IL was published
originally in the Democratic Rcriom /:
My word for it, reader, should
never have vcntured to construct 4
professcd romance out Of incidents so
wild and strange as those Of this mar
ration. IT is only with the hope that
you will accept in good faith the as
surancc given in the same spirit, that
these things reul2y did occur while |
was III the country, and most Of them
within my personal knowlcdge-that |
venture to relate them at NIL. Re
member, the scene is laid in = frontier
county Of Texas, and if YOU have even
II remote conception Of the history of
that Republic and the general charac-
ter of social clements, you will be pre-
pared for good deal.
Shelby county, lying in Western
Texas, on the border of the "Reh
lands" was rather thinly settled in
the latter part Of '39. What popula-
ton it had was generally the worst
caste of border life The bad and dca-
pcratc men who had been driven over
our frontier formed n rallying ground
and headquarters here = seemingly
with q determination to hold the coun-
y good against The intrusion Of ali
honest persons, nnd as sort of cal
sati;i" OF the West, for the protection
of outlaws and villains of every grade.
And indeed to such III extent had this
prescription been carried that it had
become notoriously as much rs Il mans
conscience or life was worth who set
tied among them with any worthy pur-
pose in view for he must fall into their
confederacy-lcavc-o die! This Was
perfectly understood; and the objects
of the contedcracy may be readily ap-
prcciatcd, when it is known that every
now and then party Of men would
sally out from this settlement, painted
and equipped like Comanchcs, with
the view of carrying of the horses of
some marked man of IL ncighboring
county; then returning with great
speed, they would Icbrand their plum
der, resume their accustomed appear
ancc, and defy pursuit or investigation.
Not only did they band together for
their operations in this way, but sin
gle man would carry oil fine horse
or commit murder with the most
open nudacity, and if he only succeed
cd in escaping here, was publicly pro-
tcctcd. | do not mean to have it un-
derstood that the whole population Mt
this time were men of this stamp
avowedly.
There were somo few whose wealth
to degree protected them in the OBJ
scrvances of more sccmly life
though they were compelled ut least
TO wink Mt the doings Of their rufiianly
and more numerous neighbors; while
there was yet another, but not largo
class of sturdy, straight forward cni-
grants, who, attracted solely by the
beauty of the country, had come into
it, settled themselves down wherever
they tooll IL fancy characteristic
recklcssness, neither caring nor asking
who were their ncighbors, but trusting
III their own stout arms and hearts to
keep Il footing. OF course NIL such
were very soon engaged in desperate
teuds with the horsc-thievcs and plum
derers around them; and rs they were
not yet strong enough to make head
way etticiently--wcre one after another
finally ousted or shot. 1t was to ex-
terminate this honest class that the
more lawless and brutal of the others
associated themselves and assumed the
name Of Regulators" They num-
bered from eight to twclve-and un-
der the organization Of rangers, COM
manded by n beastly wretch named
Hinch, they professcd to undertake
the task of purifying the county limits
of Mi md and suspicious characters ::
or iii other words, Of MI men who re-
fused to be rs vile as they wcre--or if
they were, who chose to act indepen-
IDENTIFY of them and their schemes.
This precious brotherhood soon be-
came the scourgo of all that region.
Whenever an individual was unfortu-
nate enough to make himself obnox-
ious to them, whether by n successful
villainy, the proceeds Of which he re-
fused to share with them, or by the
hateful contrast of his course-he was
forthwith surrounded - threatened
had his stock driven off or killed wan
tonly-and if these annoyances and
hints were not sufficient to drive him
away, they would publicly warn him
to leave the county in certain num-
ber of days, under the penalty of be-
ing scourgcd or shot. The common
pretext for this was the accusation of
having committed some crime, which
they themselves had perpetrated with
view Of furnishing charge to bring
against him. Their hate was entirely
ruthless and never stopped short of
accomplishing its purpose; and in
many n bloody fray and cruel outrage
had the question Of their supremacy
been moo.ed, until at last there were
few left to dispute with them, and they
tyranized at will.
Among these few we're Jack Long,
as he was called, who neither recoc-
nized nor denied their power, and in
deed never troubled himself about
them one way or The other. He kent
himself to himself, hunted incessantly,
and nobody knew much about him.
Jack had come of "wild turkey
breed" as the western term is for 4
rowing family; and though still n
yonng man, had pushed on ahead of
tho settlement Of two territories, and
hid at last followed the game towards
he south, and finding it abundant in
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