Prescott clipper., 1877-07-07
If Our Laws Cannot Be Enforced, It Is High Time to Organize As
 VigilantS.

be shocked to learn of the coldblood ed murder of one of her best below ed and most favorably- citi- zens, near LeWiSville, the county seat of Lafayette county, about forty-five miles south of Prescott, on the old Shreveport road, on the evening of July 3rd-laSt Tuesday.
 THE FACTS IN THE CASE.
 so far as We have been able to glean them from parties who were eye witnesses to the terrible tragedy are about as follows, but in order that our readers may have a full under standing of the case, we must re- vert back to occurrences which tranSpired near here about the first Of June last past: It will be re- membered that at that time our cltlzenS made a raid on a gang of horse and cattle thieves, who have nTeSted the county for years, and captured several, who are now in custody, "a full account of which was published in the CLIPPER) and that one Of the ring leaders a man named Jim Thomson, was shot, but managed to escape, and he has Suc- ceeded in eluding the vigilance of the officers ever since We'll, last week, it became known to our sher- Ill that this Thomson was skulking in some of the Red River Counties, both In this state and in Louisiana, and accordingly on Saturday last, three tried, trusty and true men, MeSsrS. w. B. White, deputy Sher- Ill, pr. T. M. Milan, a Dentist and well known citizen, and the lamen- tea Parson Flemon Sanders, armed With warrant, clothed with all the authority the law can give, imbued With patrioic and praisWorthy ob- Ject of bringing to justice a man who had treSpaSsed against the law, set out in search of the offender.
 THE SEARCH
 Alter many weary and toilSome hours of fruitleSS search through the dazzling burning rays of a mer- clleSs southern sun, through swamp and highways and hy-Ways, and with a full determined resolve ito do or die" the officers learned in Louisiana, that at the house of one Lewis, living in the confines of Ar kansas, man of bad character, a man who had been known to harbor thieves, man who had been known to operate in thieving and other dis reputable transactions in the Peli- can State, and man whom the of ucerS of Louisiana had often tried Tn vain to bring to justice living seven miles south of LeWiSville, the missing Thomson might be found.
 HE SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY
 Arriving at the house of Lewis 1t was agreed by the trio that Milan and Sanders should demand admit tance, and that White should keep watch outside. When hailed, Lewis refused to make light or give ad- mlttance to the officers of the law, but, after considerable barley and excuses that he had nothing with which to make a light (during which time the murderer of Par son Sanders was doubtless making preparations for his damnable deedO the old man Lewis finally consented to make use of a candle and matches furnished by the off cers After some hesitation upon his part, he then consented to con- duct the officers to an inner room of the house. The house was a double frame one, with hal Tor en- try-Way extending through the cen- ter and containing large room on either side.
 THE BLOODY DEED
 Taking the candle in his hand, old man Lewis, a man whose head has been frosted by some seventy winters, heSitatingly and trembling ly conducted Milan and Sanders to the right hand room where the SUD- posed criminal Thomson was con- cealed. ct would be well enough to state here that although the off cerS were not certain of securing their prey the suspicious actions of Lewis, confirmed them in the belief that Thompson was concealed there, l. e. after having heard what they did concerning the character of LeWis) This fact, probably taken into connection with their zeal and hopes of securing Thomson after, more than three days fruitless search, and emboldened to such an extent that they not only lost their discretion but become so unWary as to be almost entirely thrown off their guard. In the dim flickering light of the candle they followed their conductor to the fatal cham Der of death. UnSuspiciouS, true, but be-brave to raShneSS, the lamented Sanders entered the room, followed by Milan. Almost hidden in a dark corner near the entry with shot gun in hand, cooked and ready and with murder in his heart, stood
 THE MURDERER.
 Upon discovering him, poor San- ders, not being familiar with the face of Thomson, demanded a sur render without even attempting to raise his gun, whereupon the sup posed fugative Thomson, without a word or note of warning, standing less than six feet from his victim, fired, the whole load passing en- tirely through Sanders bowels.
 The murderer was not Thomson but a son of the hOary-headed old