The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1881-05-21

The latter was assassinated, while riding
along public road, near the Sabint
river. Stephens was arrested on thu
Sabine, by sheriff's posse, composed
chiefly of citizens of that neighbor
hood, and lodged in Jail here, from
whence, for safer keeping, he was con
veyed to Jail at Opelousas. lie broke
Jail there, and was soon afterward:
heard of on his old range on the Sa
bine, extending along the western
border of Calcasieu and Vernon pas
ishes. lie had six or seven sons, all
grown except two, and it was generally
believed that they were in constant
communication and sympathy with
him in his avowed determination not
to be retaken, and in his declared hos
tility to the posse by whom he had
been first arrested. Not long after he
rerained the Sabine swamps, member
of that posse, named Sherrod Smith, was
shot down in a skiff, bv some one who
Suddenly appeared on the bank, but who
disappeared in the bushes almost stimuli
taneousiy with the report of his deadly
rife Smith died in few hours. de-
ciarin- that Thomas ". Stephens shot
him, though the two men in the skiff
with him did not sec the assassin, and
Smiths back WAS towards the latter
when the gun fired. AT the late term
Of cur District Court Thomas W.
Stephens WAS indicted for this murder
aiso.
\ few days ago NC chronicled the
killing, on the Sabine, of one of lis
-rosrn sons, Robert Stcphens( by
ceastable's posse, while resisting arrest.
soon afterwards it was currently re-
ported that the Stephens family had
sworn vengeance on the slaycrs of
Robert, and on those who had once
arrested his father, and reign of ter
ror was inaugurated on the Sabine
river. Our sheriff, David II. Lyons,
was appealed to, on behalf of several
citizens on the Sabine whose lives were
considered in danger, and three days
before court adjourned he started for
the Sabine, with a warrant for the ar
rest of Thomas w. Stephens, and ac-
companed by small posse, which was
recruited at Bagdad, Big Woods, and
on the Sabine, until it numbered over
twenty men. Learning, when well up the
Sabine, that Thomas w. Stephens had
been in Vernon parish the day before,
the sheriff abandoned the Sabine river
settlements, as if he had given up the
search, and travelling rapidly through
the open woods, and avoiding the set
Elements, he campcd in the Anacoco
swamp, about one mile and half
from where he was informed Thomas
w. Stephens was camped. AT daylight
next morning the sheriff divided his
posse into two squads, taking com
mand of one, and giving deputy sheriff
Joseph Foster charge of the other.
Stephens camp was surrounded on
three sides By, and near to, heavy
swamp timber and underground. The
squads moved forward in wcdge-shaped
columns, to surround the camp on the
swamp side. Mrs. Stephens saw some
of the men, and awaked her husband,
who sprang from his bed and darted
into the underground of the creek
bottom, without dressing himself or
taking his gun. Finding himself headed
off, Stephens ran back to his fence and
called to his wife to bring him his rife.
She did so, little negro boy at the
same time bringing his pants. Selling
the gun and pants, Stephens again ran
into the creek bottom, followed by his
dog. He sent his dog ahead two or
three times, in different directions, the
intelligent animal, (which had been
trained to drive the woods every morn
ing, TO warn him of the approach OF
anybody returning TO him instantly
on his discovering member of the
posse. The men closed in, and ordered
Stephens to halt. lie paid mo atten-
ton TO the command, but lodged
about in the creek bottom, looking for
an opening in the lines of his pursuers.
Firing commenced, and very soon,
as Stephens was aiming his Winchester
rife at one of the posse, a
rife ball entered the back of his head,
and came out at his right eye. He
fell forward on his rife, stone dead,
with his weapon cooked and advanced |
IN shooting position, and with his
inger on the trigger, his pants lying