The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1869-04-21
Texas Items.

!
from Van zandt county, through portion of smit
=. county, rebbing and plundering as they went. W
= copy as follows:
We have been Informed that the party surrounde,
the store of MeSsrs. Section & Holt about daylight
broke open the door, arrested the clerks and proceedet
to search the house. They took with them such arti
cles they desired to the value of about $780, Mr.
Ampllas Smiths store was entered in similar
His loss is estimated at s75 Or 500. From Mr.. Rich
. ardson and his clerk, Mr.. Williams we learn that The
same party surrounded his store at jordan Saline, al
night, and broke down the door, entering and demand
ing the money, which they received. They intim
dated the clerk and took such articles they desired
worth about $500. They went to the house Of Mr r.
whose wife in bed sick, with child but few
days old and acted in most rude manner thrusting
knife into the bed clothes where she was lying great
ly terrifying her They then went to the house of Dr.
Lindsey one Of the citizens of Van ZaRdt held in
custody by the military at Canton, there being
at home but his two little boys under ten years of age
They paged the house, destroying the furniture and
obbing it of gold watch and other trinkets, const
tutng the herooms Of the fam y-at time prepar-
ing the torch for the house. Other outrages re-
ported but shall await fuller information before
giving them. We understand women grossly in
suited and threatened with violence by these men.
4 We believe Major Jewett, in command at Canton,
will hold bis men responsible for such conduct.
There were, We learn several citizens of Van Zandt
county with the party and we have little doubt they
instigated most Of the mischief. We hope they will
be looked after.
Gammase, just in from Van Zandt, that few evenings
ago men, i'll army Clothes went to the house of
Judge b. Hubbard, Of that county, and arrested him.
informing him that Major Jewett had ordered his
rest which was false. He consented willingly to 90,
aud carried off. The next day his body was found
one mile from his house, pierced by many bullets. The
hellhouuds are certainly loose in Van Zandt Judge
| Ii. was most estimabe citizen. There prose-
| cuton pending in the District Court of this county
| against him. i'll which he charged with completely
i'll the hanging Of three men during the war; but he
has never any disposition shrink from a full
investigation OF his conduct by the courts, either mill
taFy or civil This is most shocking affair, and fore
bodies future troubles in Van Zandt.
ANOTHER TEXAS OUrRAGE.-We copy as follows
from the Waxahachie Argus Extra of the 9Th inst:
Ben Bickerstaf, universally known in Northern
Texas the associate Of the late Cullen NJ Ba
ker and Thompson, latterIy the most active energetic
and fearful accomplish of the former, met with hor
rble and unexpected death at Alvarado, johnson
county, yesterday evening, 18th inst about sunset
The particulars of the tragic recounted
to us this morning by Mr.. j. A. Earnes in the pres
ence of Mcssrs. David and John Myers, all of whom
are citizens Of Alvarado, and participants in the
terrible affair. Bickerstaf and Thompson had been
residing for some months Avarado, and it was
their custom to visit that place late in the evening and
during the night to institute carnival of robbery and
other crime. Bickerstaf had assumed the name of
Thomson and was known to the of the commu-
nifty by that name But it appears that few indivd- !
uals knew his real name. Time passed. and the Grim |
nals became holder and their outrageous acts grew
be more uubearab!e. Consequently, the fatal
ing mentioned, the good citizens Of the village pre-
pared themselves with shooting apparatus for the pur
pose of Kidding their community of these, the great
est pests they had known. The hour at which
the desperadoes usually visited them approached and
with it came the parties for whom they so anxously
looked 4 feeling no. unmixed with anxiety and pain
depicted upon every face. The men rode up to
tie horse rack and dismounted and so soon as they
had alighted shower of death dealing leaden balls |
directed at them. Thompson killed instantly
aud BckerSaff was struck in three places. Notwitll
standing his trghtful and mortal wounds one of which
either burst the ball of his right eye, confused it
to render it entirely sightless, he fred two we'll
aimed shots at his adversares one ball passing through
the clothes of one of his antagonists, and one shot
striking gun III the hands OF another. lie then fred
several shots at random, showing, while even in the
clutches of death, the desperate aud unconqnerabe
spirit which had attended him all along through his
career Of crime. When he PROSTATE upon the
ground, and his advcrsares were gathered round be
exclaimed " You have killed as brave a man as there
is in the South" lie was disposed to be communica-
tive but he failed to get any interested or attentive
auditors THUS passed from earth who had
doubtless, stepped himself in crimes henous and
foul as are known in the annals Of this country and
the instances of his awessncss are perhaps only sec
ond in number to those of his former chief and
spirit Cullen NJ. Baker; and that merely by reason
that the latter more inveteate in the business
Thompson had been citizen of Avarado having lived
there, we believe, respected citizen for about two
years. He seduced into the vicious career upon
which lie had entered by Bickersta who was then
already well advanced on the highway Of crime We
learn that arrests Of citizens Of Alvarudo have
been made. it being suspected that they acces.
series of Bickcrstatf and Thompson We forbear to
men AS he hnv phI
spected and there is not yet proof positive of their
connection with the deceased.
MARION CoUSrY.-We copy the following items
from the jefferson Times of the 18th inst:
Escoped-John Bishop who was for sometime past
confined in the stockade at this place, charged with
various crimes committed in Caddo parish, La, while
outside of the enclosure, under guard, last Friday
evening, took the tide of his fortune the flood and
made his escape. Jefferson has lost and some other
locality has gained IA horse thief.
AJTested-Mr. John Green, one of the suspected
party engaged in hanging the five negroes in IIender
son last week. for their cold-booded murder of Col
Green, of Rusk county, a few days previous ar
rested by the military and brought to this place on
asst Monday, and confined in the stockade.
The prisoners in the military camp this place are
exported well. There is much talk OF a speedy trial
Dy military commission. This is only current rumor
We hope the majesty of the civil law will yet be &C
lnowledged.
BLOODY WORK GRAND GULF, Miss.-We copy as
ollows from the Memphis Avalanche of the Sth:
The steamer Richmond, which passed>up from New
Orleans yesterday, learned at Grand Gulf the particu
ars of Of those tragedies of passion that appear
more like romance than reality. In the country, at
some distance from Grand Gulf reside two respectable
antilles, those of Cushing and Andrews. Miss An
lrews lovely girl of seventeen well accomplished
md of unusually fascinating manners. Dir. Cushings
on youth of twenty, had been attached to her from
heir early childhood, and as he grew older his afec
ion became ardent, absorbing passion. A short
ime ago he made formal offer of his hand, when to
lis intense disappointment and modification, his offer
was firmly, though courteouSy refused. He brooded
over his rewarded passion and became prey to
ealously and at length left the neighborhood vowing
nadly that he would come back and take his revenge.
On Sunday last he returned, and riding up to Mr.. An
lrews house, he begged to see Miss Andrews at the
loor without alighting. She out, when he sud
lcnly produced pistol, fred shooting her through
lie body and she fell her face and died without
struggle The infatuated murderer rode franticaly
away, but Miss Andrews brother, breathing fury to-
wards the murderer of his sister, sprang a horse
and followed. He came up with Gushing as the latter