, 1872-11-30

years had to go to the echoolhoueo with a pal
OF reyo1Ters and q double -barreled shotgun
literally teaching the young ioea how to shoot
Baker became such : terrible desperate tha
outraged; but the Justits. 81 the Peac
refused to act in t45 matter, an
the citizens sent an obsequious delegation to tn
villain, beaeeching him to behave somevha
He gave sort Of verbal promise to this effect
put excepted several whom he said he must kil
any WY" He was q great stickler for hi
reputation, and always hllcd any person o
either se1 who had told any story about him
Sometimes, when he would ki1l q man, he woult
kill two or three more for intimAting that he has
done it. He used, OF times, to hunt down hi1
enemies with pack Of hounds, and, when an
other party bid of his ferry, he defed him tt
bring boat to the place. Hearing that some o1
the citizens moaitated waylaying him, he swort
| GENERAL VENGEANCE
against the county, and al the people had tc
fortify their houses, and nobody dared mention
his name, even in the mildest terms. He pro:
ceeded to kill all the hogs IN that tregion; robbed
the stores VIXEN he liked, and, when he had
robbed 3 Mr. Rowden's store, and heard that
Rowden had spoken Unexpectedly Of him for
it, he called at his house one night, asked Row
den to come on the porch, and there shot him in
the left side 80 that he fell dead. Next he at
people to whom he was obligated,
| all shot. The Federal authorities
turned the military on the fellow IN the year
1867; but, for one year Or more, he bade them
defiance, took to the bottoms and had several
encounters with the troops, some OF whom he
shot. Some Of his encounters with the Gov
ernment troops gained him go great 1opnta-
tion amongst the old Texas Rebels that they
forgot his private crimes and called him the
"Bovie County hero" and the great Yankee
| Killer. At one time, Baker met q Government
| wagon, guarded BY several soldiers, and be,
entirely alone, shot the driver from his saddle,
ran off the guard, and seized the team. One
OF poor whites, al armed, to the resi-
dence OF Mr. Howell Smith, who had given
shelter to family Of freedmen, and they mur-
dered two-thirds OF all the people in the house,
stabbed his daughters, whom they accused Of
cohabitin9 with the negroes. In this fight,
Baker WAS wounded and closely pursued; but he
survived, and picked up two boon companions
Rames was caught and hanged by the Federal
soldiers. Baker then went off to Boston, Texas,
and assassinated Captain kirklshd, Freedmene:
Bureau Agent, and, returning to Kansas, killed
two Government officers named Andrews and
Willis. Governor Clayton ordered the militia
out against him. Then he slipped back to
Texas, and immediately decoyed some
freedmen to join his militia, under
the pretence Of being . Federal officer
hunting Baker. When ne got them 81 81 little
si1 we're instantly killed. Next they shot James
Salmon, taking him ont of bed and tying his
hands while they robbed his house. Salmon Was
shot on tho charge Of being implicated in the
proposed to treat with him, and he offered to
give bond OF 100000. With the best security
that Bowie County afforded, for good BEHAVIOR
knowing that no man dared to refuse to enter
upon his bond If he should ask it. Before the
bond VAS given, however, he killed tro negroes;
and, when he did offer it, he exempted three per-
SONS whom he said he should kill If they re-
manned On the earth.
DEATH or BAKER.
He next resolved to capture Little Rock with
north, he took them back to Sulphur River and
proceeded to assassinate such persons as he had
pi1ues against. He visited the house OF his
father~in-lnw, whore bis old enemy, Orr, Vas
sleeping by the side OF his wife, and be took the
husband and his other male connections OF, be-
sides some neighbors, all tied with ropes. Orr
was put On horseback behind one Of the gang,
and Cullen Baker held rope which was fasten-
ed around Orr's neck L little way from the
houee. the rope was thrown over limb, and the
other man rode out, leaving the pinioned victim
struggling in the air. Baker was go anxious to
hang one Of the other prisoners, however, that
he cut his brother-in-1aw down to get the rope
va Vas res 1esuscitsEed. Z I ~ few &C days after sr
this, the peraeyering or, accompanied BY three
other persons, pursued Baker go closely that
they caught him camping by the roadside, and
shot half-a-dozen pieces into him and his 1850
ciate, Kirby. Baker WAS armed at that time
with 3 double-barreled ahot-gun, four six-Bhoot-
ers, and three derringers; Kirby had double
barreled shotgun, two si1-shooters, and
knife.
suoh is the history Of one of the most des-
perate scoundrels who ever lived in any country
or any age and who was 9 terror both to Arkan-
saa and Texas.
TIE VENERABLE TRANSLATES.
In almost every county in Arkansas, there ex-
lists at this time some one pre-eminent desper-
ado. As left Little Rock for Memphis in the
latter part OF September, 1879, fell in with
young man from the town Of Washington,
Hampstead County, where the Confederate State
Government was revived in 1872. He was on his
way to college at Lexington, Va.
"What character Of county officers have you
in Eempsteed? 2" said
."su1Ey and worthless rascals,, who won't
oblge anybody. Our County Clerk is named
Martin, m imported Radical from Texas.
don't think much he's Northern man. He's
case!'
Glow so7"
sob! you can't get county scrip or money ont
the richest man in our county. I reckon he
don't know how much he is worth, he's got so
much property. He wanted some county rip
to Ply taxes With, and TIED to get it from that
So he goes to old Elijah Ferguson, and offered
him percentage to get it. Elijah vent over and
he says: Martin, I want you to pay up this
script Whose is It said Martin. sits An
drews'; but I've come for itr Martin took it
and Just paid it over without word"
"Why, said !, "why should Ferguson get it
any more than Andrews ?'
"Because Martins afraid Of him. He's Just
scared the money out Of him. We all use Old
Elijah Ferguson to collect debts. He's killed
his man, and he has got six boys, each OF whom
has killed two. # that family get down on
man, he's got to leave the country. Old Elijah
says, if he can kill two or three of these carpet
baggers, he'll rest easy in his grare."
All this Was calmly said to me by young Ar
kansan on the way East to be educated.
LIFE At THE FOOT OF TIE ozARKs.
Nowhere in America, except perhaps in Texas,
is life taken With go little compunction IS in Ar
kansas. A few instances will show this:
Some time ago, Poyuter and John Halle. the
two men who killed Hckox and Browne, in Pope
County, resolved to I'LL another person, about |
they eaw him go into d grocery, |
or, as it is called in Arkansas, "doggery," to