The Cairo evening bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1868-1870, 1869-11-15
RIVER PIRATES.
An Organized Band Operating on The
Lower Mississippi.
DARING ROBBERY AND SWIFT RETRI-
BUTTON.

ea. @
AT frequent intervals since the close Of
the war, we have heard Of daring rob.
berries, OIL the riv er between Cairo and
Memphis. Flatboats have been boarded,
by desperate men, and the captains and
crews riied Of m oney, watches, and such
other valuables as could be conve nient.
ly carried away; and when inquiry has
been instituted with q view of bringing
the freebooiers to justice, no clue what
ever could be gained as to their where
abouts. Less than a year ago, q store
boat was robbed Of nearly half It's con-
TENT, ut point some thirty miles below
New Madrid, the owner and his assistant
being bound hand and foot, while the
plundering process was going on. Al.
though this outrage was com mitted in
the broad glare Of day, the robbers made
good their escape.
One Of our exchanges brings US the
following particulars Of q "bold opera.
ton" and It's quick and fearful punish
msnt, that took place week before last,
~ Island is, about one hundred miles
below Cairo. q Mr.. y. w. Lester IA the
proprietor ola wood yard on this Island,
and had sold q fat load of wood to the
steamer Lady Gay. The boat being up
bound, took the wood Fat in tow, and
when the deck hands b id smptied It OF
Its contents, and Mr.. Lester had received
his pay. II was cast of, with Mr.. L. on
board OF II. The steamer was vet In
sight when skiff containing two m en-
shot out from the shore aud rowed di.
rectly toward the fat. As Mr.. L. had
made the same trip hundred times,
without medication, he, OF course, an.
ticipated no hostile vislt from the stran.
gers, and was not undeceived until, with
q pistol at his head, one Of the two de.
manded his money.
Approaching the folly OF resistance,
Mr. L. handed over tie money he had
Just received for his wood, about 800
glad enough that the scoundrels did not
elect to murde.' him, while they had
him Al sue n an advantage. Pocksting
the money one ofthe robbers got into hi.
skiT, and the other was about passing
over the gunwale OF the fat, when Mr..
Lester drew his revolver, and shot him
through the breast, the body Of the des.
perado falling back into the fat, llfeless.
Mr.. Lester knew there was no time 20 be
lost, and turning upon the other william,
who was In the act of drawing his pistol,
fired upon him, striking him in the hips
and bringing him down In the bottom
OF the Skin 4 finishing shot was uii.
necessary, a. the wounded rascal begged
most Justify for mercy and az an earnest
Of his sincerity threw his pistol into the
river. ...-
The conclusion OF the affair We give in
the language ofa -. Louis contempory:
Mr.. Lester now took the skifr In tow
and proceeded on his way down stream
TO bis woodward and delivered the
wounded prisoner to the authorities who
confessed that he and his partner In
crime were part Of a gang Of robbers who
have been carrying on theirdepredations
for years between Cairo and Memphis
and that he had by his own hands muir
dered four men and thrown them over
board for resisting his demands. His
name was Moore and resided near Com
merce, and the one killed was called
Burns and lived at Cairo.
The Importance. of the above facts are
not trivial, as they will serve 10 explain
many disappearances which have been
called mysterious. One instance In par
ticular Is that In which the sudden dis
appearance ola young man under simil-
ar circumstances, with $500 In his pos
session, gave rise to unpleasant rumors
aiectlng his honesty, 1t being limited
We trust that the con fession of Moore
will be the means OF breaking up q
theiving, numbering gang OF robbers,
who stop AT nothing TO accomplish their
ends. We have no doubt that many q
person who has been supposed drowned,
while attending TO their business SINH
lar TO that OF Mr.. Lester, has been foully
dealt with. rr
Evansville Is building the Evansville
Carmi and Paducah railroad, Chat Is
"wipe Cairo Off the maps") with hur-
rah and rush! Coming into Illinois for
assistance, she first applies to White
county for 100000 White county un-
herself, refused 20 give a
dollar, by very decided majority OF her
voters and property holders.
We are informed by q gentleman who
makes Evansville his Headquarters,
there is no purpose on the part OF the
manipulators of the project to extend
the road to Paducah. They seek connec-
tion with the Cairo and Vincennes road,
and that secured their efforta " in ceasa