The Washington critic., 1889-02-04
SHOT IN THE EYE


refers Shelby, In the latter part Of 1889,
was frontier county, and bordering upon
that region known as the Red Lands, was
the receptacle of all the vilest men who had
been driven across Our borders, for crimes
Of every degree. Horse thieves aud villains
congregated there In such numbers that the
open and bare-faeed effort hud been made
to convert II into sort of "Alsatia" OF the
West-a place of refuge for all outlaws,
who understood universally that It was only
necessary to the most perfect immunity in
crime. that they should succeed in effecting
an escape to this ncighborhood, where
they would be publicly protected and pur-
suit defled
The extent to which this thing was car
ried may be conjectured when IL IL known
that bands Of men disguised as Indians
would sally forth into the neigbboring dis
tricts with the view If visiting some OBJ
noxious person with heir vengeance-either
In the shape Of robbery or murder. Re-
turning with grert speed, and driving the
valuable stock before them, till they were
among their friends again, they would re-
band the horses aud mules, resume their
usual appearance, and laugh at retaliation.
Even single men in the face OF day commit
ted the most daring crimes, trusting to an
escape here for protection.
They seemed determined at any risk to
hold the country good against the encroach-
ment Of all honest citizens; and 1t came to
he notorious that no man could move
among them with any citlzen-likel and
proper motives, but ut tue expense OF his
personal safety or his nscience-for the
crime of refusing to take part with them
was in itself sufficient to subject all new
corners to series Of prosecutions which
soon brought them into terms.
We do not wish to DO understood that
the whole population OF the county were
cut-throats
There was one class Of wealthy planters,
another OF the old stamp Of restless,
migrating hunters, who first led the tide OF
population over the Alleghanies, and are
now leading IT across the Rocky Noun
tains.
These two made some pretensions to out
ward decorum, and IN various WAYS acted
as restraints upon the worse disposed;
while these last, with that utter intolerance
Of restraints which SO unbounded license
necessarily epgenders, determined to sub
init TO no presence which should In any way
rebuke or embarrass their deeds.
Most OF these bad men were a kind of
small land.holders who only cultivated
patches Of ground, dotting the spaces be-
tween the largest plantations. But they
kept very fine horses, and depended more
upon plumber than on any capacity of their
own for labor. They Were finally wrought
up to the last pitch Of restessness by this
closing around of unmanageable persons,
and organized into band OF Regulators, as
they termed themselves.
They proclaimed that the county limits
needed publication, and that they felt
called to the work.
Accordingly, under the lead of
man named Hinch, who
was himself brutal monster they
commenced operations. In this public
spirited and praiseworthy undertaking they
soon managed TO reduce the county to the
subsection Of fear, If not to an affectiouate
RECOGNITION of the prerogatives they AFRO
gated to themselves. The richer planters
they compelled to pay heavy blackmail
rent, In fee-simple Of right to enjoy their
own property and lives, with the further
understanding that they were to be pro-
tected In their immunities from all dangers
from without OF a similar kind. The
planters In return were to wink upon any
deeds whose coloring might otherwise
chance to be offensive to eyes polite. The
other class-a class of simple-hearted,
sturdy men--were goaded aud tortured by
the most aggravated annoyances, until
driven In despair to some act of retaliation,
they furnished their tyrants with the
shadow OF excuse, which even they thought
to be necessary, and were then either
lynched or warned to leave the country IN
so many days, or else shot If they persisted
in remaining ..,,.
So relentless and vindictive did these
wretches show themselves in hunting down
every one who dared oppose himself to
them in any way, that very soon their as.
tendency in the county was almost without
any dispute.
Indeed, there were very few left who
from any cause presumed to do II. Among
them was one Of this last class Of wandering
hunters, known as Jack Long, Jack had
come OF "a wild-turkey breed" as the
phrase is In the West for family remarka-
BILE for It's wandering propensities. lie had
already pushed ahead of the settlement of
two States and one Territory. aud following
the game still farther toward the South,
had been pleased with the promise OF an
abundance of 1t In Shelby County.
He had never thought IL at all essential
to ask leave of any Government as to how
or where he should make himself at home,
or even TO inquire what particular nation
put In its claim to any region he found
suited to his purpose. His heritage had
been the young EARTH with its skies, its
waters, and its winds, its huge primeval
forests, and plains throwing out their
broad breasts TO the sun-with all the
sights and sounds and living things that
moved and We're artculate beneath Gods
eye--and what cared he for the authority of
men
The first, indeed, that was known or
heard OF Jack was when he had already
built him snug log-cabn on the outskirts
Of the county, near the bank of o small
stream; slowed away his fair-faced young
WIG and twn Children qpgilV inn N for
"Dan Cupid" had found Jack out, with all
his rough shyness, several years before.
lie kept himself so much to himself that
for long time little was thought or said of
him His passion for hunting seemed to be
absorbing, lie did nothing else but follow
up the game from morning till night.
Beyond this he seemed TO have no earthly
pleasure but in that solitary hut, which,
howeverrude, held GEAR associations enough
TO NIL that big heart and quicken those
sluggish veins of his ungainly body.
Sometimes one of the Rangers would
come across him alone with his long rifle,
amidst the timber islands Of the plain, or
in the deep woods; and he always appeared
to have been so successful that the rumor
gradually got abroad that he was splendid
shot.
This attracted attention somewhat more
TO his apparently unsocial and solitary
habits, They had the curiosity TO watch
him, and when they saw how devoted he
appeared to his wife, the glbe became gen
eral, that he was hen-peckod pusband,
under petticoat government, and other like
gratifying expressions
lhis, taken In connection with his lolllng,
awkward gait, and rather excessive ex-
preston OF simplicity and easy temper, dis.
posed those harsh, rude men very greatly to