The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-06-30

anu oOholNlCs Oub VI
and at present apparently terribly in
earnest. I..lEt-
Usually among new settled portions of
the country in such excited gatherings of
peOple,a few individuals assume control.
So in this case; a truce was called, the
parties brought face to face, charges
re-stated in plain words, were neither
denied, defended or admitted. For the
nonce, the shooting exercise was aban-
doned; in its stead the intended victim
was to receive the scriptural stripes,
''forty, save one" well laid on the barred
back under regulated rules by complain
ant in person. At the conclusion of the
penance the culprit would leave the
country forever, be seen there no more
More than mere surmise was being
entertained, that facta2d truth had come
together. Scarcely family through all
the region, loyal or rebel, so called, that
had not suffered to its distress from mer-
cenary activity of marauding bummers
of the revolutionary era. Suspicion
oftimes enacted available and luminous
points for detective observation; dark
ness of night, fears of arson and the
shotgun shut the eyes of the people, but
the trend of events left thrall of long
memories.
Mr.. Wright walked to piece of wood
land few rods to the rear of the bnild-
ing, returning shortly with three or four
nicely twisted timber hickory withes, a
CLEAN of satisfaction illuminating every
lineament. By the time he reached the
theatre of operations committee of
arrangement had rolled a cask to the
foreground, the man stripped as per
agreement, securely tied upon it, an
umpire chosen to tally and publicly an
nOunce the lashes. With sturdy activity
the embryo executioner took position,
the incipient blow leaving crimson
mark across the victims body. A dozen
or fifteen follow, each serving to vie with
its predecessor in rim and accomplish
ment, simultaneous with hapless cry
of writing, tortured human being.
As the twenty-fifth blow, a decided
advance upon previous ones, was being
bulletined, the well-used dripping instru-
ment was laid aside for another. 10.
Out door silence had become painful,
no sound was heard save the rhythmic
swish of hickory and the monotonous
tally of the scorer. Shrieks of agony,
writings of torture had given place to
low despairing means and quiverings OF
lacerated flesh. 5-t ..-......0l ....-.... '......
At this juncture the doomed man real
izing the near-the inevitable-with a
desperate effort much to the discontinue
of the principal operator, became loosed
from his bands and in the stolId general
surprise of moment, buried himself
within the Businesses of II now plying
assemblage. If he had perponal friend,
acquaintance or helper in that concourse
of people the fact was not apparent; but
somehow he was spirited away, and from
that day to the present his whereabouts
is believed to be unknown. ..i
Lieutenant Wright arraigned the COM
mittee on the spot for breach of contract.
In extenuation of seeming bias toward
mercy, they replied: IF the determine
ton had been fully completed we are
fearful you would have killed your
MANI He only rejoined, "Well,
meant tol' but he lived to be devoutly
thankful for the timely escapade. i
The day WAS done; the Cooks started
for their home with Moses intensely hor-
rifed and grieved by what he had seen,
suggesting to his father that it was all
wrong; should not have been allowed
To all of which the elder. altar lapse of
time and thought as if under enbarrass-
ment replied, Yes, my son; it was
cruel, indeed cruel! Perhaps, however,
he was served rightly after all; am
thinking he was! His face is the
one saw under the gunpowder fash on
the dug way many years ago, Of which
have often told you'll"
The writer has good reason to believe
that thereafter the son till his demise in
1875 was in the matter in accord with
his father. 1H f.
The name of the principal parsonage
in the foregoing narrative has been pre-
erved but for prudential reasons is for
the present Withheld from the public.
Whether the martial end of Lieutenant
Wright's' name was the gift of his
mother or by favor of Hail-Fellowship OF
the times or as indicating correspond
ing degree of military rank, is not known
neither has the writer any knowledge
that he was progenitor or in any de-
gree of kin To Sidney o. Wright, a wagon
builder and estimable gentleman, who
occupied portion of the barn-raising
premises about fifty years ago.
The Cooks were a prominent family oil
the vicinity, and doubtless Asaph Cook
Esq, had something to do in turning
the days programme, but that he at
the time was aware that his brother
Samuel had any personal interest in the
affair has never been apparent.
he was good example of an old-time
justice of the peace,
With Elv'a Creau Rain a chiId car