Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-05-28
RUN TO EARTH.
Lake Charles Echo.

Lake Charles Echo.
| Over year ago Thomas w. Steph-
ems was indicted by the grand jury Of
this parish for the murder of J. R.
Powell. The latter was assassinated,
while riding along the public road,
near the Sabine river. Stephens was
arrested on the Sabine, by a sherif's
posse, composed chiefly of the citizens
Of that neighborhood, and lodged in
Jail here, from whence, for safer keep
ing, he was conveyed to Jail at Ope-
lousas. He broke Jail there, and was
soon afterwards heard of on his old
range on the Sabine, extending on
the western border of Calcasieu and
Vernon parishes. He had six or seven
sons, all grown except two, and it
was generally believed that they were
in constant communication and SYM
patty with him in his avowed deter
mination not to be retaken, and in
his declared hostility to the posse by
whom he had been first arrested.
Not long after he regained the Sabine
swamps, a member of that posse,
named Sherrod Smith, was shot down
in a skiff, by some one who suddenly
appeared on the bank, but who dis
appeared in the bushes almost stimuli
taneously with the report Of his dead
ly weapon. Smith died in a few
hours, declaring that Thomas W.
Stephens shot him, though the two
men in the skiff with him did not see
the assassin, and Smiths back was
towards the latter when the gun fir
ed. At the late term of OUT District
Court Thomas W. Stephens was in
dicted for this murder also.
A few days ago We chronicled the
killing, on the Sabine, of one of his
grown sons, Robert Stephens) by a
constable's posse, while resisting ar
rest. Soon afterwards it was cur
rently reported that the Stephens fam
lily had sworn vengeance on the STAY
ers of Robert, and on those who had
once arrested his father, and reign
of terror was inaugurated on the Sa-
bine river. Our sheriff, David Fl.
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 war
rant for the arrest of Thomas W.
Stephens, and accompanied by
small posse, which was recruited at
Bagdad, Big Woods, and on the Sa-
bin, until it numbered over twenty
msn. Leaning, when well up the
Sabine, that Thomas w. Stephens
had been in Vernon parish the day
before, the sheriff abandoned the Sa-
bine river settlements, as if he had
given up the search, and travelling
rapidly through the open woods, and
the settlements, he camped
in the Anacoco swamp, about one
mile and a half from where he was
informed Thomas w. Stephens was
camped. At daylight next morning
the sheriff divided his posse into two
squads, taking command of one, and
giving Deputy Joseph Foster charge |
of the other. Stephens camp was
on three sides by, and |
rear too, heavy swamp timber and
underground. The squads moved
forward in wedge-shaped columns,
to surround the camp Oh the swamp
side. Mrs. Stephens saw some Of the !
men, and awoke her husband, who
sprang from his bed and darted into
the underground Of the creek bottom,
dressing himself or taking his
gun. Finding himself headed off,
Stephens ran back to his fence and
called to his wife to bring him bis rife.
She did so, q little negro boy at the
same time bringing his pants. Selling
The gun andpants, Stephens again ran
INTO the creek bottom, followed by