Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-11-20


a deeply shaded hollow in the hills about
half mile distant going east from Scrub
mountain. Had the country been longer
settled it would have been christened by
some allowably profane appellation, with
Just enough dash of internal flavor to give it
spice. But there had been no time at Bull
Bar for such delicate standings In expression.
They went directly to the point and called it
'Helrs Hollow" Roughly described it was
hole perhaps half an acre In area, the wall
on three of its irregular sides being of over
hanging rock Their SUBMITS, thirty or
forty feet In height, were thickly screened
by bushes. Save in the direction by which
1t was entered, there Yves no sign Of the sud
den depression until one came to the verge
of lis cliffs overlooking 1t
| / said nothing while on the way thither.
Any appeal for justice or humanity, ! thought
then, would be wasted on men who were thus
taking the law In their own hands, more to
crafty their own brutality than aught else.
| Call dog mad, raise hue and cry after
him, and you furnish rare sport for class
glad of any excuse for stoning to death any
dog, mad or not mad.
That portion OF Bull Bar represented by
my six midnight judges and jurors were
hungry for ''little fun" A man had been
called, IL not mad, dangerous. They were
about the good work of relieving their COM
munity Of the terror, and having some needed
recreation beside.
| Howl By an outrage and disgrace they
proposed putting on me, verse than death
| itself.
Their first act on arriving at the Hollow
was to kindle fire. The effect Of the glare
on rock, brush and masked men was decidedly
dramatic ! think the COMMITTEES" were alive
to such impressions also, in their own crude
way, as gathered from gore-bespattered
novels or blood-stained plays, for their pro-
ceeiings were marked by certain delibera-
] ton and grotesque formality. They intended
making night Of IL also. OF this the surest
evidence was the gallon demijohn carried by
one of the COMMITTEES"
A kettle was placed over the fire. Shortly
resinous odor pervaded the air. Their In
tent then flashed on me-
Tar and feathersl
1t seems as if the spirit Of an event and its
results for year in advance can be felt by
one in single moment. So, as IL by a fash
of lightning, did see myself thus disgraced,
set adrift, wandering in that wretched, hui
initiating plight over the land, not daring to
enter village or town out Of pure shame pos
sibly compelled at last from physical ex-
haustion to throw myself on the mercy Of
some one and in the end to be pointed at
ever afterward as one so disgraced, and
LIABLE go where might, to be revealed by
some meddlesome tattler As saw this, one
instinct and emotion pervaded me-revenge
on these villains
said: "Now, men, II you do to me what
I see you mean to do you'd better kill me
first, for as sure as you disgrace me liz that
way, and leave me alive, just so sure will
spend the rest Of my life in getting even with
you. Maybe don't know you; but I'll try
and find out, and II do I'll have your
hearts blood, every one Of you. Now be
careful, for it's not such light matter to
start q man out for life with blood ON his
brain, ms you'll start me if you do this thing
to men
There was but one reply from the evident
master of ceremonies. That was, "Gagr A
wad Of cloth was thrust in my mouth.
guessed at the leader, from his height, despite
an assumed bend of the shoulders ! took
him for Long Mac"
+, The party then ranged themselves in line,
fronting mo, and one, in thick, mumbling
voice, proceeded to inform me that 1.-THE
Committee of Mighty High Binders had
thought it best for the good of Bull Bar to
start John Holder out of it, and also that
for the young mans good, and as token of
relnem orance the committee, in behalf of
the Bar, would present the aforesaid John
Holder with an entire new suit, which thoy
trusted he would long wear"
$50 mote it bel" cried all, simultaneously.
The next order was
Refreshments" And the demij john again
Travelled along the line.
The next word was "Businessl" was or
deled to take Off my clothes.
What are you going to do with that
manm Tha whoa wac that IF a woman II