The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-08-03

ST.. PAUL, July 25.--Gov. Smith,
of Wisconsin, has ordered out the
Ludington Guards toassist tbeposse
OF 2OU men who are now hunting
down the Williams brothers, who
murdered the Coleman brothers at
Durand recently. 1t j. likely that
the two bataliions Of Vi. .io lal Guards
now on duty ut E.n, Claire in sup
pressing Il strike ol 200, lumber
men will be ordered on to partici-
pate in the hunt when they can be
spared at that point. The murder
ers are as desperate and dangerous
as the Youngers or the James
brothers, and are intrenched in the
Eau Gale woods, a dense forest of
pine, interspersed with limestone
formations, full of caves and lamar
ack swamps. Lon, one of the Will
liamses, was married to an estimable
Christian lady of that vicinity, and
had been leading a respectable life
for some time when his brotherly
love overcame his love for family
and scruples for law, and he became
outlawed in befrienG6ng his brother.
Ed is just out of Joliet prison, in
Illinois. While he was absent on
this mission his wife died in child
birth, and he did not dare even to
attend her funeral.
Shortly after her death he and
his brother came to Wisconsin and
terrorized the country until the Cole
man brothers met them in side
street in the suburbs OF Hurand and
attempted their arrest. No sooner
were the desperadoes challenged
than the shooting commenced. Sew
EN- or eight shots were fred from
Winchester rifles by the desperadoes
IN quick succession and several shots
from the revoIyers of the officers,
both of whom were killed and one
of the Williamses was wounded.
Nobody else witnessed the encoun-
ter but little boy, who gave the
alarm, The country was aroused,
and from two to three hundred
men have been hunting the fugi-
tives ever since. They have taken
refuge in the woods and every effort
to dislodge them has been foiled.
The neighborhood is friendly to
them and a band of fugitives from
justice have made common cause
with them against the officers.
There are three camps now estab-
lished in the woods and the place
is completely invested. Scouts are
out day and night after the fugitives
and raid every place where the band
is seen or traced. An Indian scout
from the extreme Northwest has
been employed to trail them. and ef-
forts have been made to, secure
bloodhounds to put on their track,
but they have not yet arrived.
In the party hunting down the
murderers are two brothers OF the
murdered oflic@y, who are crack
shots and brave 4nen. Seventeen
hundred dollars reward are offered
for the murderers, all of which. by
agreement, is to go to the wife of the
elder Coleman and the afiianced of
the younger one. The hunt is the
most exciting one in the history of
the Northwest since the Youngers
were run down after the Northfield
Bank robbery. The woods are the
widest and most rugged within
400 miles of this city, and every cave
and swamp is known to the murder
ers and their allies. One of these
fellows, fugitive with the Williams,
has horseshoe brand on his head,
the indelible stamp of some West
ern vigilance committee. Some of
these have been living in these wilds
for four years. When the military
shall Join in the hunt, which will be
tomorrow, the forests will be in a
state of siege, and scouting parties
will scour them in every direction
with decisive results. it is believed. |