The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1876-12-14
CRIME AND CRIMINALS.

: An Interesting bG5get Ct News ffom
: Fort Smith, krkansas--Four-
teen murderers
en- Trial.
Some days ago a United States detsc-
tive from this city departed for Southern
Kansas, for the purpose of making the ar
rest Of eleven men charged with intimida-
tion, ku-kluxism, and several other crimes
, Of . minor character. 1t was reported that
the county of Butler and several other
. counties adjoining. were in state Of chaos
, and inquietude. the cause being that an
armed organization, composed of some
800 members, was securing the country,
i. NTInDATNG, WHIPPING,
and, in come cases, numbering those who
attempted to pre-empt lands in that section
Of the country. The rumor was. also cur
rsnt.that the county officers we're totally
unable TO preserve either the peace or pro-
tect the lives of the citizens from the on
slaughts of this bloodthirsty organization.
Upon arriving in Butler county the dt;ec-
tive made the arrest of the eleven indicted
individuals, who were charged, As afore-
said, with arson, intent TO kill, and the in
timidation and driving away Of sellers
who undertook to pre-empt lands down in
that section. All Of them gave the requir-
ed bail to appear before the U. s. District
Court, which convenes in Topeka next
April The
rkUR STORY
of the matter seems simply to be that this
90 called "Ku-Klux" organization 10 moth |
ing more nor less than . vigilance commit |
tee for the purpose of protecting the citizens |
from horse thieves, and which has little or |
nothing to do with the case before the |
court. Some time ago . man named |
Daniel Saunders pre-empted q claim in |
Butler county and erected house upon il, |
which he rented to . man named Wilson /
for one year. At the expiration of the year
Saunders called upon Wilson for the rent,
when he was informed by his tenant that
he had possession of the land and intended
to keep it, but Saunders, nothing daonted
BY the threats Of Wilson, quietly ousted
him and went to living in the property
himself. Wilson then, in company with
man named Jack Armstrong At whose house
he was living, and four or five others, went to
Saunders house one night and tried TO
drive him out, but the attempt proved
failure. Now comes the
SECOND PART
Of the story. Armstrong claims that q
short time after this party Of about TWEEN
~ persons surrounded his house one night
and fired several shots into il, smashing
the windows, breaking his thumb and
wounding him slightly in the side. He
thereupon had the Aforesaid eleven men AZ
rested, whom, he says, he recognized ~
among the attacking party. Three of those
arrested are justices of the peace. four are
csnstables, and four are farmers. The case
il somewhat mixed, and serves to show
what beautiful country that mutt be to
live in, where the only argument used in
. controversy is shot gun, and the prin-
cipal amusement is either serving on a Wig
lance committee or keeping out of the way
of one.
AHvKLY PLACE. Ii
AU. s. Deputy Marshal from this city
took charge OF W. H. Brown, under indict-
ment for cutting timber from Government
lands in the Indian Territory, and convey
ed him to Fort Smith, Ark, where the U.
s. District Court, Judge Parker on the
bench, is now in session. Fort Smith, at /,
the present time, is one of the liveliest
places in the country, and the excitement
is kept up by the various doings of the
thieves and desperadoes with which the
place 10 now crowded. A few day ago one
Barker, a notorious and desperate charac-
ter, now on trial for murder, made an at
tempt to escape, and was caught in rather
q queer and novel manner. He was then
on trial for stealing horses. and Just as tie
jury, headed by bailiff, WIS coming up
from supper, Barker was being taken by
his guard down into his cell. When about
half way down, he broke away from the
guard and made
RUSH FOR LIBERTY,
the latter firing twice at him but missing
him both times. As he was running down
the steps the jury was coming up, and see
ing the situation the bailiff grasped Barker
by his long hair just as he swept past,
him down and holding him secure
ly until help came.
Barker lisa white man, but claims TO be
. half-breed Indian. He is a tall, power
fully-built fellow, and courageous, having,
III une SkO, hePa hsc DePuy ". %. |
Marshals at bay who sought to arrest him.
He finally gave him.elf uP;,to the officers, but
was not taken. He is now on trial for
murder, end the probabilities are that he
will swing. He has long been the terror
of the border, and many will breathe freer
when they hear of his execution.
SHOT BIZ THE GUARD.
The day after Bankers attempt to es-
cape, another prisoner named Andrew Will
lisms broke from his guard and made q
run for dear life, but the unerring bullet
caught him before he had reached hun
dred yards, and he fell q corpse. He had
just been convicted of murder in the first
degree, and chose to accept the alternative
of the rope-the bullet. Fourteen muir
derers are now in Fort Smith awaiting
trial, and the prosecuting attorney seems
to think their chances for the rope couldn't
be better.
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