Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-06-27
BLOOD -CURDLING REVELATION FROM
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.

For not many years back, Williamson
county, Illinois, has been the scene
of many deeds Of outrage, violence and
murder, many Of them bloody and near
ly all of them dark and mysterious.
Men have been waylaid and murdered
on the public highways; they have been
cruely assassinated in their own yards
and on their own thresholds; they have
been dragged from their beds at night.
hung upon trees, and their ifeless and
CHASTITY forms left suspended in the air,
to startle the travellers and drive terror
to the hearts of their friends and neigh
bors. In nearly every case the perpe-
traitors have managed to conceal them
selves from the knowledge of the pub
lie; surrounded by a veil of mystery
which neither the officers of the law
nor thejust revenge of surviving friends
OF the victims have been able to pene-
trate, they have managed to elude JUS
tice and escape altogether the penalty
their crimes so richly deserve. The
farmers Ad,ocate, published at Ma
rion, Williamson county, dated May
4th, contains O communication which
throws an air of romance around the
desperadoes who have so long been the
terror of Williamson county. The cor
respondent of the Adrocate, tells story
the substance of which is as follows:
Not long since party of hunters
were out at night. In their ramb!es
they met another party who, they were
horritied to see, were carrying dead
man. The hunters, who had escaped
the observation of the others, concealed
themselves until the party with the
dead man had passed on, when they
followed, keeping at a safe distance be-
hind for perhaps mile, when the whole
party, dead man and all, suddenly dis
appeared. The pursuers searched, but
could find no trace or sign of the party.
The next day the hunters returned to
the search, and were rewarded by dis
covering cave, the opening of which,
large enough to admit the body of a
man, appeared in cliff of rocks over
hanging small stream of water. The
explorers procured lights and rein
forcement of three or four other resi-
dents of the vicinity, and returned to
the cave. Just before they reached it
two men were observed running away
from it in haste. Two of the party en-
tered the cave, and found themselves in
large room, carpeted and furnished,
and showing evident signs of recent oc-
cupation. The sides of the room
showed openings which they felt as
sured led to other rooms. The posi-
bility that they might be occupied made
the searchers feel uncomfortable, and
they quickly vacated the place. The
party concluded that they had come
upon the rendezvous of band of des-
peradoes, and on their way home
stopped at the house of an old farmer
and told their story. The farmer be-
came excited-left the room, and soon
returned with four men, masked and
armed, who made the party of explorers
kneel and take q solemn oath never to
reveal what they had that day dis
covered. The writer of the communi-
cation says the families of the men who
made the = discovery are leaving the
country-that others are preparing to
follow, and that great excitement ex-
lists on the borders Of Jackson and Will
hanson counties in the vicinity of the
cave.-ChicdQO Times.