New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-09-24
FROM THE Pixies GOLD REGION.

From Our Own Correspondent.
DENVER CITY, Pixies Peak, Sept. ii, 1860.
The series of wantOn murders and mysterious
escapes of the criminals which few weeks ago
excited the community, have been succeeded by
still more startling ard alarming developments.
The present condition of affairs is unprecedented
in the history of this region California or Austria
lia 1t is discovered that gigantic secret 0rgani-
eaton of horoO tbiOvca, acting under written
Constitution ar bylaws, bound together BY the
mc solemn oaths, employing complete system
of signs grips, and passwords, and extending In ts
ramifcatons to the Missouri River, has been In OPP
GRAFTON for several months past III mas succeeded
in running off hundreds of cattle, horses and mules,
committing murder when necessary to carry out
IFS designs and shielding its members from punish
ment whenever they have been detected. The pablo
has been astounded to learn that it embraced seye
raj prominent citizens Of Denver who bore an un-
suied reputation in the community. But while
these facts have been made known the people are
still in ignorance of the names of its members, the
details of its operations, and OF the means through
which they were discovered
On the other hand, secret Vigilance Committee
has been formed to ferret out the affair, and while
the names of its members, the times and places of
its meeting and the exact evidence upon which 1t
is acting are all unknown to the public, has brought
a
and violent death, captured and examined three
more, aud sent parties in pursuit of others STILL who
have fled from the country. Between these two
secret organizations the people at large are COM
pletely bewildered; the confidence of man in man
seems to be utterly destroyed, except in cases of
| long and intimate acquaintance, and the public,
having reached that point at which men are incapa-
bic of being surprised is anxiOusy awaiting further
Developments.
The leading events of the past two weeks have
been, briefly, these: An immense amount of stock
had been previously stolen during the Summer, in
| Guiding one hundred and three animals taken from
this vicinity in single night At last, upward Of
fifty valuable horses and mules were taken at
from rancho on the Platte, simultaneously with
| the wantOn murder of two men engaged in making
hay. An attempt was made to conceal the crime
by burning the cabin which contained the bodies of
the murdered men; and several arrOw-heads found
among the bones left the impression that the crime
had been committed by the Indians. But the
owners of the stock, who followed the thieves
eighty miles across the desert toward tine Arkan-
sas, and were finally compelled to return unsuc-
cessful because their horses gave out ascertained
! that the fuRitiyes were white men.
About the same time, two or three intercepted
letters from Gordon, the escaped murderer, gave
clew to the hOrse-stealng organization, and two or
! three Of its members were Immediately secured by
the Vigilance Committee. One of them, heavy
| property holder near town, was kept prisoner
five or six days, while the public altogether in
ignorance Of his whereabouts. At the end of that
time he again made his appearance, asserting that
he had been absent on business trip to the noun
tain; but he was peculiarly haggard and worn, and
seemed To have grown five years older in the terri
BILE ordeal TO which he had been subjected 1t
generally understood that he made detailed con-
tession in writing which cOrrobora,ed in every
| particular by two of his cOniederates, who We're
examined separately from him: and that the Com
mittee have RETAINED from giving these confessions
to the public until he has had sufficient time TO
settle up his business and escape from the country
Meanwhile, one of the tri-weesly stages to the
Missouri River, had just left Denver with five pas
seDgers, including A. c.. Ford esq, well-kaOwn
lawyer Of this city About three miles out, and
almost in sight OF Denver, it was stopped at 10
O'Clock in the morning, by eight men armed with
dOuble.barreled shot guns. They did not say a
single word, except to order Mr.. Ford to get out
and accompany them, and then to direct the driver
to go on, both of which iDjunctions were very
promptly ObeyCd The last that the driver or pas
sengers sew OF Ford he was standing near the road
side, surrounded by bis captOrs, and few days
after his corpse was discovered a mile from the
road, rddled b. eight buckshOt. The men who
took him were e tireIy undisguised and are under
stood TO be well known here, but Us all the paMen-
gers have gone on to the river, and the driver who
has returned TO towh, was afterward warned, at
the peril Of his life not to give their Names it s not
generally known, or even suspected who they were.
Ford was Well known here, having como TO this
region from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He has 40 esti.
mable family in that city, who have been sustained
for months by the charity Of neghbors, while he