The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1881-08-13

| UniBeQ CtaleS. ltiu boe o'iS ohSA Va
Orange, Texas, arrest T. w. Stephens
without a warrant? How often it is
we see arrests being made from in
. formation received by telegram, etc,
and still Sheriff Conerly says he could
not arrest Doc Stephens, though he
had confessed being lawbreaker.
Conerly acknowledges he was more
than twenty miles from the office, and
without any one in charge, (which has
been the case a good deal of his time,
which is evidence on his part that he
is not an defective officer" Conerly
saws again, IL never have had warrants
for Jim Stephens or Mcfarland" lie
received warrant for Jim Dixon,
which is Jim Stephens, and the people
who have known him all his life know
Jim Stephens to be Jim Dixon. Con-
erly received both those warrants, and
| can prove it, and why should he
stoop so low as to deny it Now,
friend Conerly, come up and acknowl-
edge the truth, or | will prove what ]
say. He says again, he has never
heard of those murderers in the parish
or out of it since they committed the
crimes, and calls on me to furnish him
with the information which is of pub
lie notoriety. 1t is well known here
that Mcfarland has made crop this
wear near the town of Many, Sabine
parish. He further says, "two differ
ent sheriffs have served their term of
Office in this parish since these two
men, with Others, transgressed the law,
and if either of those officers made any
efforts for their arrests have never
heard of it." Poor ignorant sheriff.
Mcfarland was arrested by Sheriff
Parker, and he gave bond, which was
forfeited at the last term of the Dis
trict Court, 1880, and warrant issued
for him and given to Sheriff Conerly,
and now he denies knowing anything
about the case.
Conerly says Jones forfeited bis
bond and left the State, which admit
is true, but it is also true that Jones
did return early this year TO the State,
and worked for G. w. Small, Esq, in
Sabine parish, and there was mail
rider en- route from Many to Leesrille.
1t was also publicly stated by G. w.
Small, Esq, at the last April term of
Court at Leesville, that Jones was
working for him, and if Conerly had
no demands for him he would continue
to work him. Again Conerly SAYS,
" William Sanders left the State soon
after the warrant was issued" when it
is a provable fact that Sanders was
chopping logs for Word Brothers in
this parish, at the time Conerly was
at the Words camp, and has been since
at work, part of his time in the log
trade in this parish, and on steamboats,
in Sabine river. Conerly calls on me
to come to the next term of the Dis
trict Court and talk to the jurors, both
grand and petit. / would say to him,
that the jurors of Vernon parish are
gentlemen, and above suspicion, and
are not to be tampered with, and he is
the first sheriff, within my knowledge,
to publish an invitation to the public |
to come to Court and try to control
the petit jurors in any way. They are
sworn to discharge their duties and |
render their verdicts according to law
and evidence, and the law does not
allow the sheriff to try to influence
them or invite others to do SO.
Conerly is surely without respect or
confidence for the petit jurors Of this
parish. lie asks me to tell him of the
whereabouts of those criminals of
whom | speak, and would say to him
that the roads are SO plain to their
whereabouts that "the wayfaring man
could find them, though be be fool"
lie again says, off 7. w. Stephens
and others had received the protection
that they were entitled to under the
law. when their houses were fred into
under the cover of night several years
ago, which WAS contrary to law and
justice, Sheriff Lyons and his gallant
posse might have been saved the trou-
bic of coming to protect the people of
Vernon on the aforesaid occasion, and
probably after troubles in his own par
ISL" If this statement of Conerly's
means anything, it is u defense for L.
w. Stephens, and severe rebuke and
censure upon the people of Vernon
holding them responsible for the va.
rious murders and other depredations
committed by the Stephens in the par
ish of Calcasieu. lie does not endorse
him, but indirectly defends him, or
what he says is nothing.
T. w. Stephens left Florida between
two lights twenty-fy years ago, for
murder, and came to this State where
he has been known as a lawbreaker, a
robber, a jayhalker, and murderer.
He jayhalked and murdered during the
war-waylaying and shooting our pa
triotic Southern soldiers-killing at
least one, if not more. After the war
he moved to eIhe Bay" in Calcasieu,
where he committed murder and other
miserable deeds, when the people be-
came SO enraged against him that he
had to leave. Who will Conerly hold
responsible for that? Stephens then
moved back 10 Vernon, where be con
tinued his unlawful depredations, and
when arraigned before the Courts,
would always have witnesses prepared
to swear him free. Some of his own con
nection say that be murdered men
and ,llaoaI 4ha,x, .. . u 4.