Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1883-09-06

"My instructions we're to call on a
gentleman named Harvey. / learned
that he lived about fifteen miles from
the station, and when night came on |
had considerable trouble in pursuing
the right course. Hurrying clouds OBJ
scured the moon, and I could only get
an occasional glimpse of the narrow
and detecting road. Suddenly my
horse stopped and snorted. | urged
him, but he would not proceed, l dis
mounted to ascertain the cause of his
fright, when l was seind, and, despite
resistance, bound and gagged, There
seemed to be quite a number in the
party of captors, for while bound to 4
horse and hurried along. | heard nu-
merous suppressed voices. We must
have travelled several miles over a
country rough with ravines and al
most precipitous with hillsideS. When
we stopped l was rudely lifted from
the horse and taken inside log house
built so close TO the mountain side shat
an immense rock formed side wall of
the structure. | was placed upon Il
bench and my hands were united.
saw around me ten or twelve rough
looking men, heavily armed. They
were fierce in action and determined
in expression. l had pleaded with
them, ere they put the gag in my
mouth, but now they had restored to
me the use of articulation, / sat mute
and almost stupefed.. At every
turn / saw great copper vessels, and
off to the right, where my eyes inadver-
tently wandered. saw a rude corn
mill and pile of corn.
$50 you've come out here to take
us to the penitentiary, eh?' said a
large, grizzly-bearded man, stepping in
front of me.
mo replied. never heard of you
before l came to this country to buy
mountain cattle
can l reckin you've foun' more of
'em than you can buy
"'I don't understand you. l don't
know why L was brought here. L
never harmed any of you, and why
YOU should inhict punishment on me is
something | don't understand
"'Oh, he's powerful innocent eX-
claimed a. fellow, who looked at me
with an expression of blood-thirsty re-
venge. He don't know what we mean
now because he amt got his crowd
with him
"'That's the way he's tryin' to work
it. exclaimed a man who leaned
against one of the copper vessels, but
turn him lose an he'd show us
Gentlemen, you
Gentlemen repeated score of
voices. Did you hear that? He's git
tin powerful meek
"'Young feller,' said the grizzly
bearded patriarch, we're goin' to put
a mighty tellin' lesson afOre your eyes
We're citizens of this here Amerikin
government, and don't want to be pes
tered in the exercise of our natr1
rights. Our forefathers fit an bled
fur the establishment of this Newnited
States, an we think we've got right
to make whiskey when an whar we
please
"'Now you're talElin'; put it to him.
chimed the chorus.
"'You may be a brave man, cOntin-
ued the patriarch, AN may be discharg-
in your duty, but it's our duty to see
that you don't. We could have killed
you easy enough without putin our
selves to the trouble of fetchin' you
here, but we wanted to furnish an ex-
ample to young feller that turned
traitor. We want to hang you rite
afore his eyes an then hang him.
"a groan arrested my attention, and
looking around, l saw young man
bound hand and foot, stretched upon
the floor.
"'That young chap continued the
grizzly leader, went down to Little
Rock some time ago, an as we found
out by your raid, turned traitor on us.
Eff it hadn't been for him you wouldn't
now be so close to whar the revela-
tions of the gospel ends an whar the
real work of eternal punishment be-
gins. Hold the young feller up an let
the sinners look at each other
Gentlemen, l never saw the young
fellow before, declare. There must
be some mistake here. What do you
think my business is, anyhow? For
Gods sake do not act until you know
what you are doing! Heaven knows
[ did not come here to harm anyone
""That talk mout amount to good
deal afore Judge an jury, but afore us
it only amounts to what it's worth
"What am 1 charged with. Give
me chance to defend myself
"'It want expected that you'd want