The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-01

deTers house-burners and hoTse-stealefs, who have
long kept the country m alarm and dread by their
atroclOus deeds. Tes4 men are known The
Sarrs," for whose merited fate sympathy and seri-
geance now invoked by "Boudinot," have been
dlst!n ushed the poters Of mischief and leaders
Of the gang. Having said thus much, | request YOU
topnbiish the following letter from William Ross
70 Mr.. John Ross, conveying the first ntslligenee
he received Of The late lamenlable events The
second part Of the letter is from Mrs Megs, Ross
daughter, who, with her children, Il will lie seen
narrowly escaped shocking fate.
. Pans HUI, Nov. S, lsI5,
DEAN UScLE; Excitement the most profound
reigns around US More aeeGs Of horror have been
committed. fhe torch and the deadly weapon have
wreaked the vengeance Of The dark and helish band
OF desperadoes who have so long infested our eoun-
Try. But; proyidentally, all our friends Immediate
ones) are spared Saturday, night lasi, half an hour
after dark, Ave or seven men approached the house
Of Mr. Meigs, (Ross's son-in-law,) who was alone,
excepting some negroes his wife and ldren having
come down to this place in the afternoon Of the same
day. They went TO the door, remarkng she is
heref' and demanding admission. Thinking Il wus
Colston's voice, he inquired II h wete he, when
some other name was given, and he threw open hs
window shutter, through which the muzzlss Of five
guns were thtas. rrd pointed at him He imme-
dIatey jumped behind the iaclEs Of the par-
tltlon door, when they insisted on coming in,
promising not 20 hurt him He told Them be
would let them In, IL they would set their
guns inside, which they refused. Some time
was spen. 10 perley---perhaPs ten miputes-dll-
ring which Mr.. Meigs had sueceeded IN getting his
double-barreled shot gun, and though empty,
threatened to shoot If they attempted 10 take his
life. lie finally consented to open the door, and
approached back one, through which he escaped
IN most astonishing manner, rs he had not taken
more than three steps with all hurry from the door,
when gun or pistol was fired at him without hit
ung, only eight or ten PAGES of. As the night was
dark, they did not pursue him, bu, entered the
house and searched and fired it. While ths was
gong on, Mr.. M. was not more than sixty yards
of, where he remained ull they left and ill ne saw
the flames bursting out through the roof and he then
came 10 this place sfpot wading the river aad thread
ing,his way In the dark. The hodse, and every
thing except two three trhing articles were con-
sumed. Throughout the affair he seems 10 have
displayed remarkable presence OF mind But this
is not all. On Tuesday evening last We RECEIVED
intelligence at Park Hill that dead man Md been
found not more than a mile from his house,
(Meigs's) A number Of us Immediately repaired
to the spot, where witnessed the most awful sight
imaginable There, upon rocky hillside, laid the
Iiieless remains Of Crawford Fos, commonly called
~ Cherokee Crawfsh and Ah-to-la-bee, who had
been Murdered IN the most cruel manner. The first
named had been shot through, and Stabbed below
the LEFT nipple with very large bowie or btteher's
L nc Olner hhu bcen dragged ABOUT nifty
yards. lie had his throat cut, a stab in each side
his bowels partly lei out, and a deep cash in the
forehead about the inside corner Of the len eye.
One Of them had also been severely whipped Their
guns, with locks off, empty PO@der-harn-, and n
horse were close by them. On the leaves Rid
ground for some distance around were traces Of
blood. These murders were committed by the
same men who went TO assassinate and rob
Megs, and who said to be--doubtless cor
rectly too--TOm Ellis, Washington and Young
Jim Starr, Samuel Bluford, and Ezekiel Rider.
One of the murdered men had assisted 20 guard
Washington Starr when prisoner for aiding 10
murder Thornton. They were both young men,
and lived near Meigs. They went out on Saturday
TO hunt hogs, when it is supposed they accidentally
fell into the hands Of the tends by whom they
were SO cruelty tortured to death. These villains
could have killed John Meigs, and would have
done so had they not wished to get hold Of him to
torture him to reveal his money, of which they got
not copper. Severalhundred dollars in certificates
were taken or destroyed when his house was
burned. The men have been buried at Tahlequah.
The council has taken no steps to arrest or hunt
down the murderers. Companies are however out,
and God grant they may take them. There is now
no security in the country. Daniel Coody ard
family, Megs and family, and a guard of six men
are here. This state of things is no longer TO be
endured, and must be ended by some means or
other. ... .. s..r..
. (The rest of this letter is written by the wife Of
Meigs, and daughter Of John Ross, and is in the
following words, rerbaim:) ..a..-.
s.... NOVEMBER I.
Cousin William Ross told me- in case he should
not return before the mail left to finish this letter he
commenced to you. / wished to have written q
whole letter. but the horrible scenes which have
been enacted within the last few days, leave me Sc
excited and nervous feared ! could not COMPOSE
myself long enough to write. We have met gre 4
misfortune; but, dear father the hand Of Providence
has been wonderfully displayed in the hair.
breadth escape Of my husband, and our absence
from home, intended to have paid my visit the Satur.
day before, bnt was deferred from so doing by the
illness OF my little Elizabeth; so delayed my visit
until Friday before the burning of our house. Nc
doubt, if we had been at home, we all would
have met the same fate the Vores family. 1t
being just after supper the negro men had left the
kitchen and went to an outbuilding $50 yards off
and the two girls left in the Kitchen, when the
banditti arrived. Some two or three men entered
and inquired Of the girls, where Meigss family were
she told them was away a visit; they told heI
she was telling lies. They then asked if was not up
stairs she told them no; they then told the girls If
they left the kitchen they would kill them, and
guarded Them until they got through searching the
house, and set it on fire. The men escaped when
they heard them fire the guns off, and cutting
the doors down. The girls succeeded in saving o
few triAing articles, but, placing them so near the
burning building, they were consumed. Though
our losses are great, Ifeel grateful that my husband
is spared, and feel as if can 60 to work with Joy
to relieve losses, if there was any inducement
The country is in such state Just now, that there
seems little encouragement for people TO build good
houses or make anything, for fear of being robbed
and murdered by these barbarous fellows. Tn,
next morning about 4 o'clock, after the fire, Mr.
Benge, Catnbell Meigs William, and some more
went up to the place and looked around, and go
on the trail, and sent a company on ten or twev,
miles. Well, they went far as Eagles, and wer,
still on the trail, but there they turned round anc
came back. 1t has been reported they have beer
seen in different parts of the nation since. II il
! thought they intended to rob and kill Mr. Murrel
| the same night What crime is there that thes,
| fends will not commit, after killing those poor in
offensive young men for nothing They were per
haps afraid they would tell Of their being seen a,
they were near our house and lived near by; they