Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-03-05

1 Iilducc, IL puUiiSnoQ, SalQ M
: Pinkerton, as he swallowed swi
of Bourbon. Eight or nine yeal
ago l met Col. Kiersted in Men
phis, Tenn, and was talking to hif
/ about thief named Matt Maginll
/ alias Pittsburg Matt, and he said h
had a picture of him in his CALLER.
here in Cincinnati. The Coione
kindly sent home for the picture 70
my use. 1t had been taken fifteel
or twenty years before. when tn
thief was younger than he was a
the date of my receiving the photo
graph. Nobody could recognize it
so / painted the mans beard white
and had some copies taken. 1t wa.
then that everybody who knew
Matt instantly recognized it.
wanted this Pittsburg Matt for al
express robbery that had been done
in Memphis. An express company
detective, named Pat Connell, whom
/ had given to the company, and
! myself started out to Montague
county, Texas, to get Matt. as I'VE
traced him by the aid Of the Col
onel's Photograph in that dire ton.
We had to go out into the very
wilds of the state, and employed a
big, stfapping fellow as a guide, be-
cause we couldn't find our way our
selves without the company of a
person acquainted with the country.
At last we reached farmhouse
where our man was sai,i to be living
We waited around until we saw
him come out of the house and start
for spring after wafer. We then
hailed him and asked him to come
over where we were. He came,
and Connel made him throw up his
hands by pointing a shotgun at
him, while / attracted his attention
away from ConnePs hiding-place.
The old man gave in, and out came
acoupleo his sons-big, stout young
devils, used TO the toughest kind Of
life, and ready to kill anything.
They instantly proposed to rescue
the old man, and told him that if
he would say the word they would
soon get away with us. The pris-
oner replied that he did not want
any trouble. He said that he had
known me from nay boyhood. and
that he would t,ust himself in my
hands. We would have been beaten
by the boys had they attacked us,
for they would have been free
handed and were a great deal better
shots than we were. Old Matt had
deserted his family once, and in the
meantime his wife had married an
other man. The boys didn't like
the new husband, so they murdered
him. A short time before we got
to the farm, Matt had returned and
made himself solid. When we
searched the house. we found only
about $4,000, but it was in small
bills and made ii big roll. We had
into it, as he still insisted on having
no trouble. But when we started
back, we found that the internal
rascal we had for guide was crazy
over the sight of the $500 and
wanted to get it, thinking it was a
much larger amount than it really
was. The 'tarnal cuss proposed to
Matt to kill Us and escape. He
pointed big, self-cOcking revolver
at Connel and also at me, stating at
the time that he could kill us and
not have to suffer for it in that state,
as he had plenty of friends there.
Old Matt, however, wouldn't have
it that way, and I tell you. I-felt
mighty kindly toward him for it.
Once while ConnelI and | were
washing our faces at a spring, Con- |
mel said to me that we had better |
settle the guide, and declared that |
if / would turn him around he |
would put a bullet in him. He |
that that was the only way |
to save our lives, as he felt sure he |
would do us for the money we had |
recovered. / told Connel that if we |
did that we would have tu hang for |
it, as we had no friends in the state, |
and that we had better try and con-
ciliate the guide until we got back /
to civilization. ! promised the guide /
300, and told him l would put him
on the police force when we got to
Memphis, in order to keep him in
bounds. At length we reached
Sherman, Texas. There our guide
AN against monte game and lost
he 5000 | gave him. He came to
ne for $25 more, and / asked him
Why he didn't put up his big six
shooters for money, if he wanted
'unds to gamble with. / wanted to
zee if he had the villainous guns
With him before | sassed him, be-
.ause he had declared his intention
If going to Memphis with US, and /
wanted to get rid of him. He told
ne that the monte people had won
lis pistols. [ couldn't hold in any
onger. All of my pent-up wrath,
which had been bottled down for
,Ieven days, burst forth, and |
mashed him Il stunning blow on :
he nose. AS he picked himself up
md went away, he vowed ven
,eance on me the next time he
aught me out in the wiles of the I
tate, but l never propose to have
hat happen"
PLAYING KU-KLUX.
There was another interesting epi- {
ode connected with this case. Mr..
learned that a negro
Iamed Green, residing in hut in
he outskirts of Memphis, knew the
of another negro, {
lamed John Woods, who was sup
'osed to be in the robbery. One {
light COnnel and Pinkerton got 5
Iack, driven by man who knew
he country well, and repairing to '
ireen's cabin, they all donned
masks, in order to frighten the ne
'rO. A knock at the door brought
ireen himself out, who, as soon as
e saw the masked men, cried out !
Fo' Gods sake, is de Ku-Klux I
ONE! What do you want, gem
nen?" {
ave want John Woods" replied
at the same time grab /
ing Green, and giving an order to t
lot of imaginary horsemen, to fur
her terrify Green. The poor negro {
greed to take the party to Woods l
iding place, stating that it was i
ONE miles out in the country. I
ireen was then placed in the hack, {
nd after driving ten or twelve j
niles, Green said that the party