Wilmington journal., 1869-08-13

4
| He makes Desperate Remittance
An account OF the recent deeds 90
| lence which have occurred at C;roioE.iG0' Ei0'
and Pekin, H., brief y referred to in eklllo tklo
4 columns yesterday, occupy consideraIS5eo
space in the Chicago journals of NTon%ooule
From these we gather the main fonty'
which are '''0 ths'A t- 4"ct8,
For some time past there has evi...,
at Clreleville, LII. :, near Pekin, a ponn t
desparadoes known as the Berry bpotES oi
| who, with their accomplices, have L,
the country in perpetual state of torN1pt nopt
One Of the gang, William Berry Voc 1or' VI
rested year ago for rnurderine, in o.T, Hr
blood, q man by the name of Peppers Col9 onl
was sent to the penitentiary, bnt La5 %a9
scarcely got inside Of lis walls befo,ln" l"u
pardon reached him, which set him ot
liberty. On Thursday noon, Ike Bn.sN at
and stranger were arrested withou. ws war
rant and brought hero on the charco" ""t +s
horse stealing, but as no one annoo,oi o1
against them they were released on FIJI. F.1ou
morning, and started at noon for Circio
vile. ..'-'
At o'clock William Berry came To C;s
cleville, where the party had by this timo
arrived, and told them to stand thaip
ground, as, by G., he had plenty Of ra.
voivers. During the day the desperadoCs
were parading the streets and threatcnin"p
every man, woman and child they met -"
Finally Squire Larrimore was prevailed
upon to come to Pekin after authority onJ
help to arrest them. He started back on
Friday evening, with Jailer Hinman, Den,
nty Sheriff Pratt, a man by the namo Of
kessler and Constable Copes After reach.
ing Circlevillo they saw. three men pass
lng-one OF thom armed with a gun. Some
one said, ''There they CO." and the Off.
GERS started in pursuit. Pratt calling ont to
them. Halt, boys I want to see you"
Tho three started to run, the officers fol
lowing on run. Pratt called again, say
ing, Halt, or we will shoot" They still
continued running, Pratt shooting IN the
air, when two of the parties stopped, the
man with the gun stin ruhning. Pratt and
Copes following in close pursuit and Keep.
ing up 4 fire.
The man lodged into the corner of the
fence, and, as Pratt camo up to within 20
feet of him, the man shot at thom, wound
ing Pratt mortally and barely missing
Copes, the shot going through, Pratt's lung
and heart, covering space larger than the
palm of the hand Hinman, the taller,
was following n few feet behind and soon
eame in range, when the desperate dis
charged the second barrel, wounding him
in the heal and shoulder, but not
seriously. Pratt, being on the run at the
time he was shot, staggered into the ditch
and ran entirely past the villain who was
shooting. Turning into the road and
gasping for breath, ho said to Copes, {"
AIN shot, and in answer to the question,
" Are you badly hurt ?" said "Ycs, am
shot through the heart" By this time
Deputy Marshal Kossler had arrived on
the spot, caught Pratt i'll lis arms and a.
sisted him to walk back towards their cal
ringe. He walked about fifty eteps and
then sank on tho ground and never after
spoke.
When the affair became known in Pekin.
terrible excitement prevailed. Ell. Pratt,
sheriff, brother of the deceased, and SIX
others, started to Circleville, arriving at Il
O'Clock, and brought back tho remains of
yonng Pratt.
Soon after daylight VIM, Borry camo to
Pekin and was arrested and placed in jail
A party OF fifty, accompanied by officer,
went to Circleville and arrested Josiah
Coombs, Sam Berry, Mcfarland, man
known as Daily, and another man named
Berry, and brought thom to PeLin
and placed them in Jail. John Berry
and Marshal Stono, Immediately after
this, started in pursuit of Ike Berry,
who was supposed to have shot
Pratt. They failed to find him, bnt found
one of the gang, named Frank, and al.
rested him. Returning to Pekin abont .
O'Clock a. 'm,, they lodged him in jail
During tho day Pel1in was the scene of in
tense excitement. Court street from ono
end to the other, was crowded. Many OF
these were from the neighborhood where
the Berry's lived, and, had been tho object
l,o1n Lot. y<,Rk frSn L., tha
man Peppers, murdered by VIM. Berry
last year, and many of them friends of the
murdered man Pratt. -
Toward evening the crowd had swelled
to hundreds. Mayor Edds, fearing an
outbreak, provided an extra police to
guard the Jail but when the time came for
the men to act, they were as chaff before
the wind. All night the excitement in
creased, and eliminated about 3 o'clock,
in the arrival of from fifty to one hundred
desperate men, among them some of tho
best citizens in the county, who marched
in military order into the court house
yard, and to the jail, when they broke in
the front door and demanded the keys
Sheriff Pratt refused to give them up, when
they Immediately procured blacksmith,
and, In the course of IN hour and half,
succeeded in battering down the doors
With a lantern they went to where
Berry was confined. who kicked out
the lantern, and with knife in his hand
made for the door, but, getting fright
ened, jumped back. A man by the name
OF Brownly grappled with him, and a des.
perate hand to hand fight ensued, until
lights were brought. Berry succeeded in
stabbing Brownly seven times and woun-
ded two others severely; one mortally, it is
feared. Drawing back his hand to strike
again, he broke his knife. Brownly ex-
"Thcre, you Cd ID son of a
b--h, we've got you now. Stand mp like a
man." Berry rose to his feet, and was
shot at FIVE times, one ball striking him
over the left eye. going entirely through
his head another ball going through his
arm and grazing his side. D...
The infuriated mob then dragged the
wretch to the nearest tree, placed "a rope
around his neck and swung him up. lie
was not cut down till this morning, when
an inquest was commenced, but adjourned
to Monday. ... ......
Officers are in pursuit Of Ike Berry, the
one who shot Pratt. If he is brought to
Pekin the place will be once more under
mob law. At present things are quiet.
Groot oraJ;f 10 Iua IN Sheriff Pratt broth