Year: 1874

course was up the river, but now we must strike
IN and skuIk again. Damnation your impru-
dence will not only ruin yourself, but will end
in the destruction of every one::who mas any
thing to do with you.


Well, well, what have done now, Capt.
John.


WHY don't YOU do your work away from
home?


did no work. am clean OF the affair.


Am child?


No. neither am I a liar have not been
twenty years on the cross both east and west,
TO Kill man on my door step.


Whose work WAS it


Farrels Of Lee county. He was through
this way on run from horse strike, ana
took the matter in hand as he went along. lie
does not belong to our clan, and had no rlght
to call hum to account ne you know.


You took good care have no doubt to claim
yourself in the game.


1t was my right, after he had compromised
me by coming here, and by asking my Assist
ance. All made out of il was thirty dol
lars.


Which trail did he make?


lie crossed the river and took to the bushes.
think it was his intention to work his wav in
to the lower country.


Curse him, hopehe will stay there. He
has crossed me three or four times. and the
next time meet him at advantage, will dis
pose Of him for good. l wanted smooth
trail in this quarter and now it must be night
work and STALKING for me again. However,
the matter is past mending by talking. / am
nearly famished and my flask is empty. Let
us have something to eat and drink,


The manner in which this conversation was
conducted, betrayed the relation Of superiority
and inferiority between the speakers. The Wis.,
itor spoke IN a tone OF command, and the
keeper of the hut though he exhibited sufficient
independence to show that he bore a position
of moral equality to his guest evinced a defer
entail submission to his criticism and control.
There was, however a great disparity in their
ages, the visitor being vet in the flower Of ear
~ manhood. while the host was on the shady
side of prime Nevertheless there was in the
expression OF the younger man. that which
betrayed better lodged experience than resi-
ded III the elder, and read the history OF knowl-
edge put to thrift, in garden which had made
no refuse. HIS eve, clear, placid and steady
had a gaze Of weight, which when it met an
other, quietly bore it down, and received the
Difference which inferiority has no power TO
refuse. In anger, it flashed with terror, and
instead OF respect, inspired fear and pain
Under far circumstances, aud with good di-
recton might have been constructed into no.
BILE causist or a splendid military murderer,
but as il was, bis triumphs OF reason only SUBJ
dued the souls OF ruffians and elevated him to
no higher rank than an adroit robber and a
desperate assassin. His fate had been against
him. He was engendered in evil, of parents
who themselves had lived in crime, and like Q
reptile begotten IN PIT, though it may ascend
/ by vile ambition to a wider prey upon the
surface Of the earth, must be reptile STILL
His father, Owen Long, was native OF North
Carolina, and had pursued career Of vlllany
in the Atlantic States, which had been chequer.
ed by several terms of felonlous Imprisonment
and finally had fed to the West to escape a
pursuit for murder. His fathers brother, Hi



for the same reasons OF safety. and both sat
down in Owen county. Indiana, within few
miles OF each other to breed Williams TO repro
duce their wees. Owen Long produced two
sons. John and Aaron and Hiram Long two
sons named Hiram and Aaron, and daughter
named Sally. All the SONS OF these two broth
ers were taught to live by fraud and force, and
tI.o u-l,o u,a ~ Of apif fal n
age, was given to a professional thief, named
Shack Phipps. who was a partner and confed'
crate IN al! their atrocious schemes. This fam
lily had their immediate coniederates, formed q
nucleus which had its ramiGcations throughout
the States of Indlana and Illinois, and which
bore dependence in great circle of Williams
extended throughout the West.


In earlier times, and before the boys whom
We nave named had grown up, and the two
Felon patriarchs had been the satellites OF Muir
rill. the renowned land pirate OF the West
and when the vast confederation OF that arcl
leader fell, the fragment of his power shrunl
into MINOR circle in the two states we have
named. Owen Long had not the genus, or
perhaps, not the opportunity, hard upon the
shock of the dismemberment which followed
upon the fall of the great leader, to reorganizt
the huge fraternity, and Hiram died shortly af
ter the fall OF the Chief, bequeathing his share
of the dark ambition to his sons. John, how
ever, as he grew up and progressed in felonl
ous enterprise, and felt the keys Of the vas
machine which had sounded regulated terro
throughout an entire zone, conceived, by de
grees, the bold idea of reuniting them to 9
joint accord, and making himself the master
OF the music.


As vet he had progressed but slightly to TIM
end his depredations had been desultory, but
he had ravaged over wide field, and in every
quarter where he had performed an exploit o.
selected an associate, he hal left an impress
ion, and secured retainer His name had be
come popular, imperceptlbly, among those lep
erous socahques which were cognizant of hi
dongs, and he was in condition to receive tina
practical preemnence, from circumstances
which has so often been th) sudden and unex
pected reward OF those who have been th'
themes of favorable gossip. Many a man ha
thus been made great in a day, to his own sur
prise, as we'll as to the wonderment of those