South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1880-08-27

You sec l was sheriff Of - 90,

Z.
and we had some of the hardest kind
of characters to deal with. Horse
thieves, renegades, outlaws and high
waymen roamsd over tile State. and
when they struck into my county we
tried to make it hot for them. Ihad
a number Of deputies who were
bound to enforce the law at any cost,
and when we wanted help there were
score of citizens who could be had
at moments warning.
hadn't served out my first term
before our county had the reputation
OF being one OF the safest aud most
orderly counties in the State. Des-
peradoes at length passed US by and
there were weeks at u time when not
even IN arrest was made.
was jailor, of court. The county
being poor, we had q wretched apol-
ogy for a jail; in fact, any man who
did not wish to remain could easily
work his way out OF it. 1t was for
this reason that very few Of the known
despcradoes found their way into the
Jail. When run down they would be
taken into the woods and left there
and no one ever heard of them again.
One day while L was serving on
my last six months an outlaw called
Bloody Tom murdered farmer
within a mile of town, robbed the
body and took to swamp. and sent
me word by u negro that l couldn't
raise enough men in the county TO
take him. | summoned posse, sur
rounded the swamp, and within four
hours after the murder the outlaw
was hanged to limb. lie made a
hard hight, killing two men ana
woundlng third, and the affair str
red up n good deal Of excitement
Bloody Tom had a brother who went
by the name of Red Jack II WAS
Il wicked, cruel rascal, on whose head
there was dozen county rewards,
and he lived mostly in tho swamps
and forest. People said that lie would
be rsvenged OH me for the death OF
Tom, and I was advised to look out
for him.
When they said look out in those
days it meant business, and for a
whole month l kept both eyes open
watching for Jack. One day when |
was out of town he rode into the viii
lagc, shot two men, tried to set fire
to the jail and rode out again, no ono
daring to follow him. He even
litched his horse at the tavern and
took q drink Of whis,Iey while the ex-
element was greatest, and he left
word with the landlord that he might
be expected back within the next
Slonth.
Upon returning homo I secured
the country for miles around with q
force of men, bat Jack had made
good his escape. [ think the reward
for his capture dead or alive, footed
up fifteen hundred dollars. 10 WAS
outlawcd and his death would be a
public blessing. We therefore plan
ned to effect it. There Were four
roads leading into the town, and fog
the next three weeks two men station
ed III tho bushes along each road pre-
pared to shoot Jack on sight.
The fellow did not @ppcar. lie
might have received warning, or he
might not have been ready; az any
rate, the watching all went for moth.
ing, and after the fourth it was the
general impression that he had fed
from that part OF the State, and be-
gan TO relax my vigilance and TO grow
careless. About this time Il young
white boy, some twelve years OF az
wandered into the village His uarac
was Daniel Smith, but everybody
called him Dan. lie worked at odd
jobs for few days. then employed
him to assist in keeping the jail III
order, take care Of horses and render
other useful aid. He was very aed-
ate lad, having little to say to any ono
and the most / ever got out Of him in
relation TO his family history was that
he was an orphan and had lived n
Vicksburg oil his life lie was
prompt and obedient, and when not al
work was sure TO shoulder my shot
gun and take a hunt in the woods
lie never came back without som.
sort OF game, and finally hc BEGAN,
a fixture in the family.
| think it was three months after
Red Jacks raid on the village tia
l one morning received n letter ask
ing my presence at the Thornbush,
village six miles away. But when
told Dan TO saddle my horse it wa
discovered the horse had jumped IT,.
fence and taken to the woods. D
shouldered the gun and went on h
search for him. II WAS in August. O.
~ warm weather, and ] had no con-
on. 1 did not intend TO go far, but ge,
ting down to the edge of the woods
found that the horse had passed tina
way, discovered Dams tracks in th,
mud, and 1 kept on. There YVES a.
| L 4 4 Il 4 n Z