The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-08-09

Semb1oc one HIS nails Were Ike
talons. his flesh covered with hair.
and he had the door of a Gagged
panther
My second adventure with an outlaw
lasted much longer A half-breed
Choctaw named John Flint who Was
a resident of DoaksEille. / t. and
who had killed several men in the
year after the close of the war. was
run out of the neighborhood by a Tigi-
lance committee, and he took up his
lair in the mountain spur TO the south
and swore that he would never be
taken alive nor make friends with a
human being He WAS ontlawed and
price SET upon his head. but il was
hoped he might be taken alive aud
hanged Our agency was offered
81 900 more TO capture him alive
than TO furnish proofs of his death.
but it was AT the same time admitted
thai over dozen men had spent weeks
in vain in trying 10 either kill or capt
ure him Three of the number had
been killed while pursuing the enter
prise.
As is the case with every outlaw.
Flint had his friends and admirers i'll
The country about him i reached
DoaksTille TO learn thai he was around
with Winchester and two reTolvers
and that the people for twenty miles
around were inundated by him He
levied toll on the farmers with a high
hand, obliging one 10 furnish meat
another -four. a third cartridges. and
snch Was the terror his presence in
spired that no one dared beftav him.
though all yearned 10 hear of has death
Or capture He Was put ON his guard
against HE On my arrival, and he semi
the country he would have my life.
When ! finally got ready 40 begin my
I hunt for him, he was hunting me AZ
well When | had secured such par
ticulars as | desired. | bundled up
what necessity demanded and cGi
loose from civilization That i.
/ headed for the mountains determined
10 pursue the man day and night unfil
4 had run him down IT Was no use
/ 10 plan TO CATCH him about an OF the
farm houses as he knew that 1 Was
after him. and he would. as Il measure
of prudence forsake his Old haunfs for
the time being. Ii seem d 10 me the
best way 10 hunt for his lair and
! r. L,
ground
For the first three days ] got neither
track nor trace OF Flint III was like
bunting for a needle in a haysfack. AS
the mountain was thickly covered with
yerdur'e and split up with many ra-
vines and clutches Nobody ever
found his hiding place. but from some
remarks dropped once when he had
liquor in him il was supposed 10 be q
cave In the rocks. and TO be ap-
preached only with the greatest diff
Guilty If met him abroad ii would
be entirely by accident so | carefully
avoided crossing any bare places
where he might espy me from his LOOK
out About mid-forenoon on the
fourth day came across snare set foi
rabbits by some human hands An in
vestigation proved that it had been I'D
use for some time. and had held several
victims although empty at this time
\ This must be the work of the outlaw.
since bis presence on the mountain had
driven all hunters away Two hours
later and mile away / discovered a
snare from which partridge had Late
ly been taken l felt then that ] was
In the neighborhood of the outlaw
den. but had to move slowly and ex-
ercise the greatest vigilance / built
my fires in raFines AMI with The laasa
possible smoke and whenever nigh
came down | crept under the pines and
rolled myself in a blanket On thu
fifth and sixth DAYS | did Los cover
over two miles of ground and mosi o.
thai distance was covered on hands
and knees
On the evening of the sixth day
had 10 descend the mountain 10 rruew
a
what was my chargin 10 learn from :
negro that Flint had visited the place
for the same purpose only the nigh
before He gave me the direction lax
EN- by outlaw hunted for him
another week without finding further
trace than third snare he had sci .oa
game fsn the thir1oerth day INV hum
came 10 an end IN . singular manner.
| was following up dry ravine. SO full
of bushes and loose rocks that 1 had
10 creep most of the time, and was
resting under some very thick bushes
when heard a movement on the bank
OF the ravine directly over my head.
and after minute or two | heard the
sqneal of rabbit Ii was Flint then,
and he was taking the game from a
snare We could not see each other
but he had the advantage in being
above me- The bank was too
steep 10 climb and 1 was inst
Ng1ning 10 creep back TO a spot where
could ascend when there Was sort
OF crash shove me- a suppressed shout
of alarm and next instant earth rocks
| and bushes were falling all about me-
sprang up. and As | did 50 The spread
eagle form of . man struck the bushes
Al my right and broke through them
with grea1 crash l made leap 10
get out of the ray. but the body had
scarcely come to : stop before l Was
n hand 1t was the outlaw Is / saw at
q g}anoe- The fan had stunned him