The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1874-05-29
Tl,e Marietta s)uItrnal.
Marietta, Georgia May 20, 1874.
[From the Chicago Times, May 81
THE MURDERsRs CAVE.
A Blood curdling Revelation from South
ern Illinois

ern Illinois
For not many years back William
son county, Illinois, has been the
scene of many deeds Of outrage,
violence and murder, many of them
bloody, and nearly all Of them dark
and mysterious. Men have been
waylaid and murdered ON the public
highways; they have been cruelty
assassinated in their own yards and
on their own thresholds they have
been dragged from their beds at
nights, hung upon trees and their
lifeless and CHASTITY forms left sus-
pended in the air, to startle the trav-
eler and drive terror and apprehen-
sion to the hearts other friends
and neighbors. In nearly every case
the perpetrators have managed ia
conceal themselves from. the know.
ledge of the public; surrounded
by veil Of mystery which neither
the officers Of the law nor the just
revenge Of the surviving friends of
the murdered victims have beeu
able TO penetrate, they have man
aged to elude justice and escape
altogether the penalty their crimes
so richly deserve.
The Farmers Adsoeate, published
in Marion, Williamson county, dated
May 4, contains a communication
which throws an air of wild romance
around the desperadoes, who have SO
long been the terror of Williamson
county. The correspondent of the
Adoocate tells story, the substance
Of which is as follows:
Not long since party Of hunters
were out at night, in their rambles
they met another party, who they
were Mortified 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 behind. for perhaps a
mile, when the whole party, dead
man and all, suddenly disappeared.
The pursuers searched but could
find no trace nor sign of the party.
The no1t NJ the hillss-fs ssiurned
to the search, and were rewarded by
discovering cave, tie opening Of
which, large enough to admit the
body Of man, appeared in cliff
ofrocks overhanging a small stream
Of water.
The explorers procured lights and
Enlargement of three or four
other residents of the vicinity, and
retained to the cave. Just before
they reached it two men were obser
we'd running away from it in haste -
Two Of the party entered the cave
and found themselves in a large
room, csrpeted and furnished, and
showing evident signs Of the recent
occupation. Tho sides Of the room
showed openings which they felt
assured led to other rooms. The
possibility that they might be 0ccu>
pied made the searchers feel uncom-
Portable, and they quickly vacated
the place. The party concluded
they had come upon the rendezvous
of band of desperadoes, and on
their way home stopped at the
house Of an old farmer and told their
story. The farmer become excited,
left the room, and soon returned
with four men, masked and armed,
who made the party explorers kneel
and take solemn cath never to re-.
veal what they had that day dis
covered. The writer of the com
munication says the families of the
men who made the discovery are
leaving the country that others are
preparing to follow and that great
excitement exists on the borders Of
jackson and Williamson counties in
the vicinity ofthe cave.