Show TH BARON OF TH PINES A Story of Fierce Outlaws by Everett Ev-erett T Tomlinson Tomlnson Copyright 1897 by Everett T Tomlin son James Wells was almost a mass of bruises His eyes were discolored patches were on his cheeks and he was carrying one arm in a sling And yet bruised as he was he was seated on a board thrown across the box of a lumber I wagon and behind a smart I team of horses was driving through I that portion of New Jersey which 120 years ago was known as The Pines On the seat beside him on that morning late in June 177S was Sergeant Ser-geant Brown of the Continental army and both young men were glancing keenly about them as they rode on Many invalids seek that same region today and find in the soft air tempered tem-pered as I is by the breath of the pines and the air of the sea a tonic for tired nerves and worn bodies but neither Wells nor his companion were searching for anything of that kind With them were two soldiers bu their presence could not easily have been detected I however you had stirred the straw that covered the bottom bot-tom of the wagon you might have found them beneath i and their muskets mus-kets also A strange load and yet they had been carrying I since the preceding I preced-ing day when they had left the camp I of General Lee at Monmouth courthouse court-house and at the command of the general gen-eral himself Its a desperate chase said the sergeant ser-geant The chances are all against us Nay not so replied his companion and If we succeed just think of the good done You dont look as though yoU could do much said the young soldier with a sympathetic glance at his friend Im not the only man who has received re-ceived the attentions of this outlaw You see I was on my way home from the mill with a load of meal The first I knew this Fenton and his gang were right in front of me in the road I knew I couldnt do anything so I gave In at once They thought I had some money but when they couldnt find it Fenton turned on me and I thought my last hour had come 0 hes a powerful power-ful man You know he was a blacksmith black-smith at Freehold before the war and I presume his work made him all the stronger I dont know another man his equal anywhere But General Lee is going to nut a stop to his tricks That story of yours and the one about his treatment of old man Far up at Imlaystown were too much You know I suppose how he and his gang behaved there The old man barricaded the door and kept the scoundrels back for a time but Fen ton smashed a piece of the door and broke the old mans thigh Finally they got into the house and murdered the old man and his wife but his daughter for all that she was fearfully fear-fully wounded managed to get away Yes I know about that but its only a sample of whats been going on tO two years I never saw General Lee so stirred said the sergeant as he was by your story And now that hes sent us after this outlaw well hope the end has come if we can only find him I This then was the expedition on which our little party had been sent No one can picture the sufferings of the whig of New Jersey during the early years of the revolution The British and Hessian pillaged and burned until un-til every family lived In a state of constant terror They barred their windows and double locked their doors at night but even such precautions were of no avail But there were others besides the soldiers who engaged In the vile work In this region through which our party was passing known then as The Pine Barrens six bands of outlaws had made their homes They were desperate desper-ate men and loyal to neither side though the whigs were the chief sufferers suf-ferers at their hands By night they started on their raids and murder and fire almost always followed them They had dug or burrowed under the sand hills and there made their homes and stored their plunder The most desperate and feared of all these men were Fenton and his gang of 20 ruffians Of late in his recklessness reckless-ness he had taken to himself the name of the Baron of the Plneswhether this was designed as a play upon tie name of the region where he had his headquarters The Pine BarrensI cannot say but the title he had assumed sumed was now familiar to all and whenever The Baron of the Pines was mentioned all knew that it referred ferred to Fenton the powerful outlaw blacksmith of Freehold Two or three days before this time he had fallen upon young James Wells a he has already described and had left him dead as he thought by the roadside road-side but the young man had recovered and made his way to the quarters of General Lee There he had related his story and the general had promptly dispatched our little party with Instructions In-structions to shoot the outlaw at sight i they could not take him prisoner The task was no slight one as it was more than likely that they would not find Fenton alone and If his comrades fnd comres were with him there was no doubt on which side victory would fall The party had started promptly at General Lees command with the soldiers sol-diers concealed beneath the straw and the sergeant and James Wells dis r < A guised as countrymen and seated on a I board box placed across the rough wagon 1 boxThey now had been among the pines t several hours Occasionally they passed a rude log hut from which a crowd of filthy children would rush and greet them But no signs of the baron or his men had appeared a yet Both men were watchful but if either felt alarmed he concealed his feeling from his companion The only sounds that broke in upon the silence were the murmurings of the pines and the occasional roar of the ocean not faraway awayWhats that shanty ahead there I said the sergeant at last pointing to a low house of logs In the distance I know the place replied his companion com-panion after a brief silence Its a low groggery Ive been by it a good many times Well be likely to hear something of Fenton there I think i The sergeant drew the rains a little more tightly and whispered a warning word to the soldiers Perhaps Fen tons entire band might be near or some of the followers of Fagan or Carter barons feared almost a much as Fenton himself If so the chances were desperate and the moment critical criti-cal but there was no appearance of fear in the young sergeants manner The horses were toiling through the heavy sand and as they drew near the house some one opened the door and approaching the road stopped and waited for the wagon to come near Thats Fenton Thats Fenton himself him-self said Wells excitedly In a low voice to his companion The sergeant was undecided Should he order the man to be shot without a word of warning He knew he would be justified In doing so but he did not know how many of his followers might be near or what danger he might bring upon himself and his companions compan-ions Hold on a bit called out Fenton as they approached Hold on I say I want to talk a bit with ye The sergeant halted and curiously observed the baron What a magnificent mag-nificent specimen of a man he was physically phy-sically Tall and broadshouldered he looked the very embodiment of strength His arms were bare and the muscles stood out on them in great bunches His flannel shirt was open at the throat displaying the knotted muscles of his chest Whew said the sergeant to himself if I met him on a street In a dark night Id give him all the road But he had no time for further reflection as the baron at once entered into conversation Whar ye goln he growled Oh were driving through the pines replied the sergeant Oh ye be be ye Well If I had my men with me ye wouldnt drive very fur Got any brandy with ye If ye hey hand it over I want it bad The sergeant handed him a bottle C he had bought and the outlaw quickly lifted it to his lips As he did so his glance fell upon young Wells and he at t once recognized him With a volley of oaths he stopped and shouted Oh f its you is it I thought I left ye dead up on the road the other day Ye must have as many lives as a cat but Ill take another of em now and he started for his gun which he had leaned against the side of the house The crisis had come It was their lives or the outlaws and with a quick word the sergeant called the waiting soldiers who immediately arose from the straw and fired With a yell which sounded in their ears for many days the outlaw fell A groan a struggle or two and then he was still The men quickly placed his body in the wagon and started to return re-turn There was no walking for the weary horses now Every bush might conceal an outlaw Every moment they fancied they could hear the sound of pursuers But on and on they went never halting for a moment The children rushed from the huts as they passed and called and shouted but received no response On and on till the border of the pines was reached and even they did not halt nor did they rest till at last the returning party was safe In the camp of General LeeThe The Baron of the Pines was dead and the Pine Barrens and the state of New Jersey at last had found relief |