The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-07-30
CHAPTER TX
SOME SYLVAN SURPRISES

yasseur gathered together his
slaves and his other personal property
and with them loaded two lngsers
and a small schooner. Mr.. Ferron
had warned him that it was 40 longer
safe to remain on the exposed coast
| Of Bay Saint Louis. To be sure, the
warning was scarcely needed after the
raid of the cavaliers; but Mr.. Vernon
did not refer to this danger; it was
the British fleet that was expected 10
appear in the gulf waters.
As q matter of fact the fleet did not
como Immediately; but the British
were sending emissaries to the Indians
MI through Alabama and Mississippi,
melting them to war against tho
whites. General Jackson had de-
feated the savages, after bloody fight
ing, on the 9th of March, at To-
| hopeka, and was taken steps to or
| ganize an army with which to gain
| possession of the Spanish forts along
the gulf coast.
Everywhere among the white settle.
ments the rumors had gone forth that
great military events were impend-
ing; that most probably IN English
force absolutely overwhelming was
about to be thrown into the country,
to ravage it far and wide.
The frontier people were mostly
poor, uneducatel and possessed "f
but limited knowledge OF the current
affairs of the world, ard it was 40
moro thsn natural that they should
receive & exaggerated impression Vi
the thres ;ened danger.
They , ere as brave as lions, how
ever, an | their patriotism know no
limit. indian haters from i'.eir
cradles up, it needed no more perfect
goad than the British coalition with
the savages to make every mau, wom-
an and child in the Southern settle
ments on implacable foo Of every.
thing English. Even the outlaws Of
Barata, ia and OF Pearl River, when at
last the test came. took the side Of
the United States in the struggle,
although justice had set a price upon
their heads.
Vasseur betook himself, with nil
his movable belongings, to a plar;a.
ton southwest of New Orleans, in
tho La Fourche country. He thought
that his slaves would be safe in this
wild, out-of-the-way place, and here.
in the care of an overseer, he left
them, while he, dreaming of nothing
but the recovery OF his jewels and re-
venge on Pierre Rameau, went back
to dog the tracks OF that intrepid aud
successful robber and pirate.
Mounted on a strong, sp.ritcIpony.
he made his way into the Pearl River
country and found little trouble i'll
associating himself, under m assumed
name, with some OF the frcc-and.
easy inhabitants, who were more at
ease on account of crushing defeat
that had bcfallen their enemies, tho
indians.
Like most Of that class OF men who
had sought the remote gulf-coast
region to h:Ge from justice, Vasseur
did not have tue least respect for the
legal methods of righting wrongs or
OF bringing to punishment those who
did him injury. His nature was re-
vengeful, and The only law he dreamed
os appealing to was tina. of which he
could appoint himself sole executive.
Small as he was, his strength was
great, and 10 wolf was more savage
or untiring. Cunning and full of ex-
reiients. sly as = fox and quick as q
cat, he passed from place to place. at
tracing little notice, but always
managing to collect, little by little,
Information concerning the where
:bouts and the doinGs OF the ccraliers
OF Honey Island.
(To BE coSTIEUED.l