The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-11-09
Bill LOngley Of Texas.

|
Bill LOngley Of Texas.
| William p. Longley, better known as
Bill Longley, who was hanged at Gid
dlngs, Tex, recently, was undoubtedly
the king of desperadoes, though he
lately protested to the writer that he was
innocent of some of the murders at
tributed to him. He was never able to
recall them all. Longley was one of
! the handsomest men | ever met. He
was little over twenty-seven years of
age, tall and graceful, with mild,
blue eye, ruddy complexion, Roman
nose, a dark mustache and goatee, and
a set of teeth like pearls. While talk
ing he occasionally rubbed them with a
faded silk handkerchief, and his voice
was low and gentle as woman's. He
wore the Texan sombero, the band of
which is made in imitation of the coiled
rattlesnake, and with his coat buttoned
around his shapcly waist, his hat tipped
a little TO one side of his well-shaped
head, he was the model of the rowing
desperate OF Texas.
Longley began his extraordinary ca
reer at the age of fifteen, when he and
a companion amused themselves by
mounting on horseback and firing. at
every negro whom they encountered
Those were stormy times, even for
Texas, when it was emerging from the
civil war, and civil law was virtually
dead in the greater portion of the
State. The immunity which Longley
enjoyed emboldened him to more dar-
ing crimes, until, before reaching his
majority, he was one of the most
dreaded men north of the Rio Grande.
While yet quite young, he started
through the Indian nation with a COM
paniOn, but was attacked by outlaws,
his partner killed, and himself put to
flight. When his horse gave out, he
shot an Indian and took his from him.
This he repeated several times, until
the Greeks and Choctaws gathered and
pursued him. LongTey's horse was
killed, himself wounded, and he took to
the bush. Here he was found by Il
squaw, who brought him food and
helped conceal him until the hue and
cry was over, when he got away. Long
ley subsequently joined party which
started for the Black Hills, but were
turned back by the Government troops,
and he enlisted in the service. He
made an arrangement with the quarter
master to swindle the Government, but
the two attempted to cheat each other,
quarreled, and Longley shot the quar-
termaster dead, and then took to the
mountains. He was followed, capt
ured, and sentenced to a long confine-
ment in prison, but escaped, as he de-
clared, through bribing the guard.
While tramping through the woods
in Arkansas one day he stopped at a
cabin, where he was welcomed by its
heavily-bearded man. While the two
were in conversation the cabin was
surrounded by vigilance committee,
that had come for the express purpose
of lynching the host, who was noted
horse-thief named West. Finding
handsome, graceful guest, they con-
cluded he belonged to the gang. Long
ley protested, and appealed to the
horse-thief, who grimly shook his head.
AS there was no help for himself, he
thought his visitor might as well bear
him company in the road to the sudden
gallowS. Both men were carried out
and hanged to the limb of tree, and
then the seven vigilants galloped away.
A brother of West was hiding in the
woods, watching the proceedings. AS
the horsemen disappeared, he ran up
and cut down the horse-thief. He was
already dead, but when Longley was
lowered, he was found to be alive.
The knot of the rope had caught in his
ear, and in the course of an hour he
was as well as ever. Longley straight
way devoted himself to "getting event.
with the vigilance committee. He
caught and hanged the man who put
the rope around his neck, and claimed
to have shot all the others, though it
is scarcely credible that such was the
case.
Some of Longley's murders were
particularly atrocious. He deliberate
ly killed the Rev. Mr. Ray of Arkansas,
because that gentleman attempted to
persuade young girl not to marry the
desperate. One night a soldier ex-
pressed an unfavorable opinion of
Texans, and Longley sent bullet
through his brain. His last crime, so
far as known, was that of walking into
field where man was blowing, and
firing one barrel of his gun at him.
The poor fellow fell badly wounded,
and asked Longley why he had shot
him. "For fun" was the answer, as
the young scoundrel emptied the other
barrel into his victims body, instantly
killing him. 1t should be stated that
Longley suspected this person of being
concerned in the staying of distant
relative of his.