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Show 220 ntCJI.\ RD IIURDIS. "You nrc unfortunate to }wYC Ji,,ed long enough to be wise. Let me enlighten you. 'rho :Mystic Brotherhood consists of a l)arccl of bold fellows, who don't like the laws of th.c state exactly, and of other societies, ::md who have accordmgly nssocintcd together, for the l)ln·posc of making their own, and doing business unclcr thcn1. As we luwc no moucy of our own, and ns we must have money, we make it legal to take it from other people. ' Vhcn they will 110t shut their eyes and sufl'cr us to take it without t rouble, we shut them up oursC'lvcs; n task for the proper doing of which we have a thousand different modes. One of these, the task of a striker, you employed. in our behalf, and very ctrcctua11y shut up for us, the eyes of that foolish you11g fellow, who lwclalrcacly given us some trouble, and, but for you, might have given us a great deal more. Having dmHl so well, we resolved to do you honor-to.makc yon one of ns, and give you all the Lencfits of onr institution, as they arc en· joyed Ly every other member. "\Ve have our brethren in all the stntcs, from Virginia to Louisiana, and beyond into the ter· ritories. Some of our friends keep agencies for us, even so far as the Sabine, and we send negroes to them daily." "Negroes ! what negroes-have you negroes 1" "Y cs ! when we take them. Vtl c get the negroes to run away from their owners, then sell them to others, get them to run away again, and, in this way, we probably sell the same negro half a dozen t imes. 'rhis is one branch of our business, and might suit you. "\Vhen the affair gets too tangled, and we apprehend detection, we tumble the negro into a river, :md thus rid ourselves of a possession that has paid good interest already, and which it miglLt not be any longer safe to keep." "'Vhat! you kill the negro 1" "Yes; you may say so. VVc dispose of him." <~And how many l?ersons l1avo you in the brotherhood 1" "Well, l reckon we stretch very nigh on to fifteen hundred 1'' "Fifteen hundred! is it possible \-so many 1" "Yes; and we are increasing daily. Let me gi\·c you the first s1gn, brother-the sign of a striker." "No!" cried rickctt, slLrinking bnck. "I will not join you! I do not know the truth of what you say ! I never h~ard the like befo1'C! I will have nothing to do in this business!" TIIF: 'lY~TI C BI!.OTI-IEIU-1000. 221 " lou must!" \\":lS tlLe cool r('joindcr-"you mu~t ! Nobody shall strike for us, without becoming one of us." "And supposu lrcfusc 1" said Pickett. "Then l denounce you ns a murderer, to the grand jury," was the cool reply. "I will prove you to I Lave murdered this youth, and bring half a dozen beside myself to prove it." "\VlJat, if I tell a ll tiLat you have told me, of your brother-hood 1" "Pshaw! brotlLer, you are drenmi11g. \VLnt, if you do tell; w~10 will you get to believe you-w1Lcrc's your proofs 1 But I will prOYC all lhnt I charge you with, by a dozen witnesses. EYcn if it were not true, yet could I prove it." The discomfited mmderer perspired in his agony. 'rhe net was completely drawn aro1md him. "Don't be foolish, brother," said the emissary of a fraternity, upon the borders of the new states, the history of which, already in part giycn to the public, is a dreadful chronicle of cl<'!:iperato crime, and insolent incendiarism. "Don't be foolish! you can't help yourself - you must be one of us, whether you will or not! \Vc can't do without you-we have bought you o~1t ! If you take our business from us, you must join partnerslH. P: or we_ must shut up your shop ! VVe can't have any oppos1tLOn gomg on. The thing's impossible - insufferaUlc! ~cre:-take your share of the money. lt will help you to bel L~Y<I 111 us, and that's a great step toward making you comply w1th my dcman_cl. Nay! don't l10ld back, I tell you, brother; ~ot~r~~l~S!~' go WLth us now, body and soul, or you lwng, by the B<~sc and_ '~retched as was the miserable Pickett, in morals nnd m condLtwn, he was not yet so utterly abandoned as to feel ~~tsy, under the ucccssit.y so imperatively presented to him. lhe ch.aracter of his wife, noble amid poverty and all its consequent forms_ of wretchedness, if it had not lifted Jds own standnrds of fechng and of .thouf?bt beyond his own nature, had the eif~c:, at .least, of makmg hnn conceal, as much ns he could, his dehc!e~c!es fro~1 her. llere was something more to conceal, and tlHs necessity ~vas,. of itself, a pang to one, having but the one person to confi~e m, and feeling so great a dependence upon that one. Tins step estranged him still fnrthcl· from her, |