Year: 1875




not engaged in the sport, but when Long
had vanquished all the others he came
forward with the assurance of an easy VIC
| tory. The shots we're made, and, to the
surprise of all, Long gained the day.
| The rage of the leader of the ruffians
knew no bounds at thus being defeated
inpresence of his followers, and, although
refraining from any violence on the
spot, he intimated darkly to the hunter
that he would yet /" get even with him. +"
Long paid little attention to the threat,
and soon afterward returned to his
cabin.


At just dusk, some days later, SAM
Long having come in from long hunt,
was lying on the floor of his cabin and
playing with the child, while his wife
was getting supper. The wife, busy
with her cooking, asked Long to go to
an adjacent spring and bring some wa
ter, request which he promptly COM
piled with, leaving his gun in the house,
a somewhat unusual course with him.
He had reached the spring and was just
STOPPING to fill the pail he carried, when
he was borne down by an attack from
behind, bound securely and dragged
some yards into the woods. When he
recognized his assailants he knew what
to expect. He had fallen into the hands
of the Reddett gang, and the leader
stripped and bound to tree by order
of the captain. A supply of hickory
switches was obtained, and then the cap
tain took one of them up and began the
whipping, announcing, with an oath,
that no man could beat him or his men
at shooting and stay in the country. The
sutferings of the victim were terrible.
The flesh was cut from his back in strips
by the blows, and when the leader of
the ruffians had gratified his rage, others
of the band continued the punishment.
But one man among the number showed
any mercy and his assertions that Long
had been punished enough were re-
ceived with derision. Finally the hun
ter tainted under the pain, and the ruff
fans, having satisfied their grudge, de-
parted, leaving the object of their spite
still bound to the tree. In this position
he was. found by his wife, who had be-
come alarmed for his safety and who,
searching for him, had been attracted to
the spot by faint moaning. She as
sisted him to reach the cabin, which he
did with difficulty, and then nursed him
faithfully to recovery. It was weeks
before he was we'll enough to move
about.


Scarcely had Long recovered from his
wounds when his cabin was found de-
serted, and members of the Reddett
band, thinking that he had fed the
country, boasted openly of what they
had done. At the same time, they be-
| came bolder than ever in the commission
of crime, always hunting or travelling to-
gether in company of between twenty
hi ~ nd lafx 81
quarter. One day, as they were en-
gagged on a hunt, a member of the band
became separated from the rest in the
excitement 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 discov-
cred. A week or two passed, and an
other of the desperadoes was shot, the
same terrible accuracy being exhibited
in 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 an
other fell, until ton men had died, each
one pierced in the eye. The woods were
secured by the terrified men in vain.
On one occasion, when q member of the
band was killed, the shot had been heard,
and once gaunt figure was seen run
ming through the woods. but pursuit
failed to overtake him. Accustomed to
face danger as the desperadoes were,
and possessed as they were of a brutal
courage, they trembled before this mys-
terious danger. 1t could not be faced,
and it could not be averted.


The result was that some of the band
deserted and fed the region. There re-
NAMED only the captain and four of tie
more solute of his followers. These
five hunted and made their raids to-
gother, and for some time escaped harm.
1t chanced that among the five was the
man who had endeavored to save Long
ut the time of the whipping from so
severe torture. This man one morn
ing ventured out in the woods without
bis comrades. He was walking slowly
along, looking for game, when the brown
barrel of rifle projecting from bush
beside him checked his course. A tall.
lank figure rose from the bush, and the
startled man recognized Sam Long, the
hunter. Long raised the rifle, then low
cred it.


"You're the man who said good
word for me, an you may go, bad as you
are: 1 won't take your miserable life.
Go -


The man needed no second invitation
to go. He hurried to the camp and told
his story. The captain and the other
three men started out "a pursuit of
Long, and but two m"u accompanied
Dick Reddett when he returned The
third man had fallen, shot in the eye,
aud no search Of the underbrush revealed
the hunter. The next day another man
WIS killed in camp, and again the hunter