Year: 1875

sailants he knew what to expect. H


had fallen into the hands of the Rec


dett gang, and the leader was abou


to "get even with him."


; Long was stripped and bound to
tree by order of the Captain. A sur


ply of hickory switches was obtained
and then the Captain took one @


them and began the whipping, an


nouncing with an oath that no maj


could beat him or his men at shoot


ing and stay in the country. Th


suffering of the victim was terrible
The flesh was cut from his back il
| strips by the blows, and when til,


leader of the ruffians had gratifieC
| his rage others of the band contin
Led the punishment. But one mar


among the number sh ,wed any mer


cy, and his assertion that Long haC


been punished enough was received


with derision.


+ Finally the hunter tainted under
ft1ie pain, and the ruffians, having


satisfied their grudge, departed, .leav.


ing the object of their spite still
bound to the tree.


In this position he was found by


his wife, who had become alarmed


for his safety, and who, searching for
him, had been attracted to the spot


by a faint moaning. She assisted


him to reach the cabin, which he did


with difficulty, and then nnrsed him


faithfully to recovery. 1t was weeks


before he was well enough to move
about.


Scarcely had Long recovered from


his wounds when his cabin was found
deserted, and members of the Red
dett band, thinking he had fed
from the country, boasted openly of
what they had done. At the same
time they became bolder than
ever in the commission of crime, al
ways hunting or travelling together
in company between twenty and
thirty and defying attack from any
quarter.


One day as they were engaged on
a hunt a member of the band became
separated from the rest in the excite
ment of the chase. He was found
lying dead, shot in the left eye. A
few days later one of the ruffians
riding alone, was killed. Again the
bullet was found to have entered the
left eye, but no trace of the slayer
could be discovered. A week or two
passed and another of the despera-
does was shot, the same terrible ac-
curacy being exhibited in a shot in
the left eye, proving all the shots to
be from the same source.


The robbers became alarmed and
kept always together in their raids,
but there was no escaping the death
which seemed always to be lurking
near them. One after another tell,
until ten men had died, each one
Pfcrccvs fT efro- e7-~--sEi.s uraa1Ie- pres,A
secured by the terrified men in vain.
On one occasion, when member of
the band was killed, the shot had
been heard, and once gaunt fellow
was seen running through the woods,
but pursuit failed to overtake him.
Accustomed to face danger rs the
desperadoes were, and possessed as
they were of brutal courage, they
trembled before this mysterious dan
ger. 1t could not be faced and it
could not be averted.


The result was that some of the
band deserted and fled the region.
There remained only the captain and
four of the more resOlute followers.
These five hunted and made their
raids together for some time without
harm. Among the five was the man
who had endeavored to save Long at
the time of the whipping from so Sc
we're torture. This man, one morn
ing, ventured out in the woods with
out his comrades. He was walking
slowly along, looking for game, when
the brown barrel ola rifle projecting
from bush beside him checked his
course. A tall, lank figure rose from
the bush, and the startled man rec
ognized Sam Long, the hunter.
Long raised the rifle then lowered it.


'You're the man who said a good
word for me an you may go, bad as
you are. l won't take your misera-
bic life. Coz


The man needed no second invita-
ton to go. He hurried to the camp
and told the story. The Captain and
the other three men started out in
pursuit of Long, and but two men ac-
eompanied Dick Reddett when he
returned! The third man had fallen,
shot in the eye, and no search of the |
underbrush revealed the hunter.


The next day another man was
killed in camp and again the hunter
escaped. On the next day the two
men fled the country, leav
ing the fierce Reddett alone. The
leader of the desperadoes dared not
remain where he was. He knew he
was the man whom Long sought
above all others.


Concealing himself until night, he
his horse and fed for the
nearest point on the Arkansas River
where it would be possible to take a
Two days later he
reached a small landing in the woods
On the bank of the river where the
steamer stopped for passengers when
here were any to take. He learned
rom the occupant of the only cabin
N the neighborhood that the boat
would be down in the afternoon, and
80, having put up the signal to secure
, landing of the boat, established
himself on the bank and waited. He
leemed himself safe enough from
pursuit, and took no precautions.
himself on the ground he
.lept until late in the day, when he