The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-11-21

saying tndt tney udu COtnO III uS pms
oners, meant business, wished to harm
no one, and that no one should be hurt
but the prisoners they would have i
they had to tear down or burn dowr
the Jail over their heads. They were
calm, resolute, well disciplined, and thu
orders of the leader were obeyed with
alacrlty. as he addressed them by mum
bers-the band seeming to be divided
into six parts. They would hear nc
remonstrance, but demanded at once
the keys. The Sheriff, as subterfuge
told the leader that Judge Dunham
fearing some demonstration OF the kind
had taken the keys to Jeffersonville.
The leader then addressed another mem.
Der of the band, Bring on the tools"
BREAKING OPEN THE DOORS OF THE JAIL
Promptly they obeyed orders, and ten
stalwart men passed through the prison
hall TO the jail door, followed by the
others with crowbars and chisels, and
commenced their work, like the sappers
and miners ofa beseiging corps OF q vet
eran army. The huge iron door, con.
structed OF wrought-iron bars, seemed
invincible, as blow after blow was
struck by the stalwaIt men, who SEEM
ed to drive the sledges with the terrible
force of tilt-hammers. They persisted
in their attack until bolt and hinge and
lock were shattered or crumbled off.
Then the inner door, against which they
could not secure a good purchase,
seemed TO resist their attacks, when the
tactics were changed, the cold chisel
soon severed the bars, and the Vigilants
were admitted to the inner hall OF the
prison. Here they caught sight OF
Taylor and DAVIS, and the sledge-ham-
mers were again brought into requisi-
ton to release them from their cells.
The ponderous blows soon smashed
these, and the prisoners were peremptor-
lily commanded 10 come out, and not
even waiting for them to obey, they
crowded in to hurry their progress.
THE PRISONERS
uttered no words Of protest, and ex-
pressed no signs Of fear, and silently
stood before their csptors, and submitted
to the terrible fate that awaited them
without murmur. The captain OF the
band then ordered the attack upon the
upper jail room. where johnson was
confined, and they had demolished one
of the hinges Of the outer door, when
the Sheriff, seeing that it was useless to
longer resist their progress, in order to
save the remaining portions OF the jail
as a place of security for the other pris-
oners, one of whom had already escaped
(but afterwards recaptured), he gave up
the keeps, and Johnson, by whose con.
fession a clue to Davis and Taylor's
participation in the Park tragedy, had
been obtained, was dragged from his
cell, and all three were then pinioned,
and the terrible death rope, with a hang
mans moose already prepared,
WAS PLACED ROUND THEIR NECKs,
and by this they were led forth from the
prison, escorted on either side by parties
vino answered to their number as called
by their leader to this duty. They
closed the door OF the jail behind them,
and ordered those who had been wit
nesses OF their work as prisoners to re-
main in the Jail, as they meant not to
be interlered with by alarming the
village, and they proceeded back by the
street and road in which they had come,
dragging with them the pinioned ne.
groes at double-quick pace.
CONDUCT OF THE vIGILANTs.
While the Vigilants were in the vii
lage, and at work at the jail, they used
no profane language, INDUCED in no
threats, and refused to say more than
was necessary to their work, and to
silence the protests Of the persons who
were present. Their work seemed to be
planned with accuracy, and they carried
it out without an incident Of any kind
to interfere Many OF the citizens OF the
village must have been awakened by the
terrible laundering blows against the jail
doors, but no one appeared in the streets
or offered to resist 10 fact it would
have been useless, unless an organized
party had prepared to capture the band,
which could not have been done with
out bloody fight. We were surprised
at the
GOODNESS OF THE OFFICERS OF TIE LAW
upon this trying occasion. Sheriff Bax-
ter once escaped out Of the back door
and shouted " fire. three times, when
he was oyerhauled in his attempt to
give the alarm with the tirmly-spoken
words, No more of that, and led back
to survey the demolition Of the prison
doors There were more than dozen
persons who witnessed these proceed.
ings, but were powerless to resist, and
were closely guarded. The family Of
Mr.. Long manifested an intrepidity and
frmness amid the exciting scenesaround
them that was remarkable. There was
no noisy excitement Of any kind, the
Vigilahts pursuing their work With
steadiness, and the parties present look.
ing on. powerless TO oppose the armed
men that held them prisoners. One
gentleman was observed 10 be giving
close inspection toone whose mask had
fallen, and was speedily discounted in
the attempt. The entire time, from the
entrance OF the party into the prison
until they departed with their prisoners,
was just an hour and ten minutes,
leaving the prison at forty minutes past
two.
no REPORTS ALLOWED.
Mr.. Reuben Daily, reporter for the
C0wier-Jour7lqi, who bad taken lodg-
ings at the Jail, begged to be permitted
to repair to the telegraph Office and re-
port the attack on the jail for bis morn
ing paper, but was refused. and ordered
to deslst, some OF the party telling him
they
did NOT Do BUSINESS THAT WAY.
/ nd he uoa onlv raIea ead O ftey the ra ri Y