Year: 1866

/
3 and be punished to the extremity of tn
!, frontier code. But this was not Hinche'
9 policy yet awhile. He knew the proof
7 were not strong enough to make th,
r charge plausible; even before a Lyncl
t court, of which he himself was both tb.
/ prosecutor, Judge and executioner. Hi
: object was first to get up a hue and cry
t against Long, and under cover of a gen
) eral excitement accomplish his deVlish
: purposes without question or mock tria
} even. So that after good deal of man


nBuvering, for eight or ten days, durins
which the charge against Long was indus
triously circulated by his myrmidons, SC
: as to attract general attention, and ex
} pectstion as to the result of his investiga
tions, he proclaimed far and wide that
, he had found the horse at last, hid in q
timber bottom near Long'sl This oi


course seemed strong confirmation of his


guilt, and though the mob were most oi


them horse thieves to all intents, vet il
was an objectionable crime for any one


to practice professionally among them


seleVs; so that Long was loudly denounc-


ed and threatened on every side and or


dered to leave the country forthwith.


These proceedings Jack by no means


comprehended, or felt disposed to be


moved by; but gave them all to under


stand that he meant to remain where he


was until it.suited his convenience to go,


and that if his time and theirs did not


happen to agree they might make the


most of 1t. And Jack was such an un-


promising, snagish looking fellow, and


his reputation which had now spread


every whereof possessing such con-


sumate skill with the rife that he


thought it a condecension to shoot game


anywhere else but in the eye-was so


formidable that no individual felt dis


posed to push the matter to personal col


lision. He might still. therefore, have


been left in quiet, but Hinch had unFor-


tunately taken the impression from


Jacks conduct in the shooting match


affair, that he must be a coward, and if


this be true, then all his skill amounted


to but little, and like any other bloody,


Woldsh brute, he followed him up more


eagerly for this very reason, which would


nave dlsarmed generous foe. Besides,


Jack had given Hesh and weightier


matter of ofense, in that he had refused


to obey and denied his authority as Reg


ulator. The very being of that authority


seemed to require that an example
should be made of him for the awing of
refractory persons hereafter. The wretch


who was as cunning as ferocious and had
sworn in his inmost heart to ruin and


disgrace Long from the moment of that


triumph, now availed himself remorse-


lessly of sll his influence and knowledge
OF the society around him to accomplish
it. Several horses had now disappeared
and .rbhn.soe, 6 L.. \
with singular dexterity, followed in quick
succession. All these things he manag-
ed, through the clamors of his scoundrel-
ly troops to have laid, directly or indirect
ly at Jacks door.


But in the popular estimation they
counted as nothing in fixing the charge
of dangerous malice npon poor Long, in
comparison with the other Incident
But at this time not only Hinch, himself
conspicuous by insisting on Jacks guilt,
but some of the other settlers, began to
lose every day some of their valuable !
stock, which was wontouly shot down,
sometimes in sight of their houses, and |
it began to be remarked that every ami. |
NAL lost in this way had been shot IN the |
eye! This was instantly associated, of |
course with Jacks well known and curl |
our prediction for that mark when hunt |
ing, and perfect storm of indignation |
followed. A meeting was at once con-
vened at the ''store," of which the plan
ter was the chairman and at it, a unan-
imous vote, a resolution was passed con-
demning Jack Long to be whipped and |
driven out of the country-and Hinch |
with his regulators was appointed to car
ry 1t into effect. He could hardly con-
tain himself for joy; for now, whatever
exteme his pitiless malignity might choose
to indulge itself in, he had no fear of af-
terclaps or questioning. The meeting
had been mere form at any rate. But |
these formalities are all powerful every
where, and unsettled, and elementary as
was the condition of society here, and |
the ruftian leader of the rufiaus felt the
necessity of acting under their sanction,
though he himself had dictated it. He |
would and could have consumated his
purpose without it; but the faint life of
conscience within him-bY a species of
logic peculiar to himself-felt relieved of /
the grieVous responsibility of participa-
ting in it with 50 many others. Many a
man has gone to the devil in a crowd
who Wonld have been horrifed at under
taking the journey alone.


1t was the third day after the meeting.
Jack, during all these prosecutions, had
deported himself with the most stolid in
difference. Avoiding all intercourse with
the settlers. he had continued to hunt
with even more assiduity than usual. and
was IN great measure ignorant of the
nOtoriety he was enjoying
lie had heard something of the charges
with which his character had been assail-
ed, but attributed them all to the jealous
enmity he had incurred at the shooting
match. He could understand perfectly
how one man could hate another who
had beat him in shooting, and thought it
enough but he could not uu-
aerstaud how that hatred might be mean
y and desperately Vindietive; and gave
himself no uneasiness about it.. He was
only anxious that his wife should not
hear and be annoyed by any of these
thins and maintained his usual cheer
fulness of demeanor.


He had just returned from hunting,
md laying aside his hunting accoutre-
nents; partook of the ample meal her
neat housewifery had prepared for him
hen stretching himself upon the buffalo
'obe on the floor romped with his two ro-
" checked boys. who rolled over his great
body and gamboled and screamed 10 riot
Jus JOY around him; but mother wanted
Iome water from the branch, and the
rolic must be given over while Jack /
would go and bring it. So jumping up,
he left the little folks pouting wilfully as
hey looked after him. and started The
tream was only about a hundred yards I
rom the hosue, and the path leading to t
{ was through dense thicket. 1t was S
.gainst Jacks religion ever to leave the C
louse without his gun, but his wife, 8
Vhom he loved above slI the universe of a
ointment and everything else, was in v


hurry for the water. and the distance C
Tas so short, so he sprang gaily out with .
he vessel in his hand, leaving the rife
,ehind. The wfter had been dipped up. f
nd he was returning along the narrow b
ath closely bordered by brush when he a
cit light tap on the shoulder, and his n
areer strangely impeded. He had just 81
ime to perceive that lasso had been 1t
brown over him, so as to confne his a
rms, when he found himself surround II
d, and was rushed upon by a number of y