Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-03-18

dies in the street, gazing ahead Of her
as if pursuing some flying object from
which she dared not turn her eyes.
And there was indeed a call for her
utmost power of fight if she would be
of any assistance to Long Hair, who
even then stood bound to a stake in the
forts area, while a platoon of rifiemen,
those unerring shots from Kentucky
and Virginia, were ready to make a
target of him at q range of but twenty
yards.
Beverley, greatly handicapped by the
fact that the fresh scalp of a white
man hung at Long Hairs belt, had ex-
hausted every possible argument to
avert or mitigate the sentence promptly
spoken by the court martial of which
Colonel Clark was the ruling spirit He
had succeeded barely to the extent of
turning the mode Of execution from
tomahawking to shooting. All the Off
GERS in the fort approved killing the
prisoner, and it was difficult for Colo
mel Clark to prevent the men from
making outrageous assaults upon him.
SO exasperated were they at sight Of
the scalp.
Oncle Jazon proved to be one of the
most refra Glory among those who de-
manded tomahawking and scalping as
the only treatment due Long Hair. The
repulsive savage stood up before them
stolid. resolute. defiant, proudly flaunt-
ing the badge which testified to his
horrible efficiency as an emissary of
Hamilton. 1t had been left in his
belt by Clark's order as the best justi-
fication of his doom.
"L me hack is headr Oncle Jazon
pleaded. 81 jes' bankers to chop a
hole inter it. An, besides, l want is
scelp to hang up wi mine an that n
. the Injun what scelped me. He
Kicked me in the ribs, the varmint."
Beverley pleaded eloquently and well,
but even the genial Major Helm laugh
ed at his sentiment Of era titude to a
savage who at best but relented at the
last moment for Alices sake and con-
cluded not to sell him to Hamilton. 1t
is due to the British commander to
record here that he most positively and
with what appeared to be high SINGER
| ity denied the charge of having offered
rewards for the taking of human
scalps. He declared that his purposes
and practices were humane, and that,
while he did use the Indians as militia
they must forego cruel modes of war
fare and refrain from savage outrage
upon prisoners. Certainly the weight
of contemporary testimony seems over
whelmingly against him, but we enter
his denial. Long Hair himself how
ever tainted him with accuse tons OF
unfaithfulness in carrying out some
very inhuman contracts, and, to add a
terrible sting, volunteered the state.
ment that poor Barlow's scalp had
served in his turn in the place of Bev-
erley's.
With conditions so hideous to con-
tend against, Beverley, of course, had
no possible means of succoring the con-
demned savage.
Him a-kickin' yer ribs clean inter
ye, an a-makin' We run the gantlet an
here We air a-tryin' to save is lifer'
whined Oncle Jazon. "W'y man, ]
thought ye he'd some senterments! Dast
lis Injin liver, l kin feel them kicks
what he guy me till yit. Ventrebleu
Que diable voulez-vous"
Clark simply pushed Beverley's
pleadings aside as not worth a mo-
ment's consideration. He easily felt
the fine bit of gratitude at the bottom
of it all, but there was too much in
the other side of the balance. Justice
the discipline and confidence OF his lit
tie army and the claim of the women
and children on the frontier demanded
firmness in dealing with case like
Long Hairs.
mo, no." he said to Beverley, 81
would do anything in the world fol
you, Fitz, except to swerve an inch
from duty to my country and the de
fsnseless people down yonder in Ken
lucky. / can't do It There's no use to
press the matter further. The die ID