The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-07
MURRELL REDIvIVUS.
ARREST OF MOST REMARKABLE GANG OF
ROBBERS.
Especial Correspondence Of the Inter-O Ocean.

r Especial Correspondence Of the Inter- Ocean
: SPRINGFIELD, Ill, March 1t passes con
L prehension that such a condition of affairs a
8 is described below should exist in a civillze
. community and this age of detective shrewd
t ness and remain undiscovered for period c
: over four years. The subioined is a brief &C
count OF the exploits of a gang of theve
II harborlng about Illiopolis. in this county.
y almost surpasSes the somewhat apochrypha
stories OF the exploits of the gang of robber
: Of which John \. Murreil was the leader an(
, which, during the primitive DAYS in oul
( Southwestern history, made life and property
A within It's ranging ground hang by a very I'M
; certain tenure.
IIliopolis is about twenty miles east of this
city, on the Toledo, Wabash and Western
Rail way. 1t is small village and station.
the shipping and trading.point for alarge sec
ton of country, and the farmers who reside in
the immediate vicinity are generally well to
do; they are largely interested in stock rails
ing as well as farming. When the rebellion
broke ont the people of Illiopolis township
rallied around the old flag, and many of the
mlddle-aged and young men enlisted
FOR To BE SOLDIERS.
Among the number who We're fired with
martial glory and patriotism were Francis Nj.
Green, Samuel Dickinson, Benjamin F. Crane.
John Pontzious. and Mitchell Havenor. They
enlisted IN the forty first infantry, Col. Isaac
Pugh, and when an election was held Green
was made a second lieutenant. His general
reputation being that OF a good man, on the
first occasion he was promoted to the cap
taincy of Company |. He served the full
term of three years, Dickinson, Crane, Pont-
zlous, and Havenor remaining with him and
all being mustered out together with honor.
Occasionally thereafter a report would
loose y,
the foraging line committed by Company
while IN service; but the impression being
that such things We're matters of course in |
the army. little attention was paid to the |
rumors
Captain Green, Samuel Dickinson, Benia-
min +. Crane, John Pontzious, Taylor Dick
lnson, Robert Pate, John RACER and Berry
Feel now languish in the Sangamon county
jail. Havenor is in the Macon county Jail
CAPTAIN FRANCIS NJ. GREEN,
the leader of the party, is about 40 wears of
age, has family, and has resided in iliopolis
since he came out of the army, having for
merry resided at Mount Auburn, Just over
the llne, III Christian county. SO far as
knowledge OF his earlier life has been cleaned,
1t IS all to his credit; and even during the war
be bore much better general reputation than
many OF his associates in commission Since
bis residence In llllopolis he has been a most
citizen. He has always taken a
ieep interest IN Christianity, teaching in Sab
oath school, and being a regular attendant
lpon the STATED preaching Of the gospel" :
lie is general firmer, and occasionally has !
engaged IN merchandising, buying and selling |
grain. stock, etc.
All of these men except two ben Crane and +
'ate) have tor years been known and respected !
IS honest, industrious men-livine in the /
anne community, trading, laboring and asso- >
hating with all its inhabitants, and not a a
'reath OF suspicion pointing to them as the
,ulity parties III a course of wholesale and {
'etty robbery that every citizen has known of
or tour years. One can readily imagine how =
n arrest OF such men on multitude of =
hfrSes would create CONSERVATION in quiet r.
ural community. "
The charges against the gang embrace al W
lost every species of robbery and their h
te4ngs viii aggregate tens of thousands of
ollars IN value; horses, mules hogs, cattle,
heat, corn, wagons provisions, clothing. "
cots ana shoes, liquor groceries everything "
l fact, that could be had either from railway m
ans or tarm-houses and fields. Some time hl
st March
THE FIRST SUSPICION by
as aroused, and the first clue to the guilty
artles was discovered. Two valuable horses 81
ere stolen from farmer in Iliopolis Town "
up. cEoIliy dllef"aTu, man by the name
HlDgate, formerly a resident OF Illiopois, tn
W and recognized the horses in Christian fol
unty. An officer went after them, and di
und that the man in whose possession they be
ere had traded a span of mules to Capt.
reen for them, and that Green had taken ~, ,io
9 mules to st. Louis and sold them. Be- We
re Green could be nabbed, however, he
ent to Kansas. A requlsiton brought him sis
OK, preliminary examination resulted in loo
lding him over, on which he gave bail
Joshua Cantrall, Esq, VIM. n. Streeter, and tai 3
:. Skeen, Agent of the Toledo, Waba- h and ore
estern Railway, at Iliopolis, did not let the am
alter rest there, however. The community Ne
d suffered from the depredations of thieves
long that these gentlemen and others de- 4
mined to follow up the clue thus put in pri
cir possession.
Other complaints were made, other warrants
ued, and Green was again in the fangs of iHn
; law. The bail on the several complaints oii
5regated more than Green could command, :
1 he was committed to Jail be-
ouiins the iast lour weeks arrests have ing
~ made until the number aggregates nine.
Tuesday night Sam Dickinson and several J
the gang were taken before the Sangamon mo
unity Grand Jury and tina
CONFESSED ALI. AND SINGULAR cal
charges preferred against them.