The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-03-02
Tho vieIiantIes

Long ueiOIc the tOWIi Ot DtduNcOu
was started, and long before it was
laid out, it has been the redezvous of
murderers. road agents, thieves, and
cut-throats, who generally intest n
frontier river town, and the first mur-
der dates back to the'days of'76, when
one out Of party of pilgrims ccm-
ing to Pierre was killed by a ruffian
while encamped at that place. The
murder made his escape. The num-
Der of men killed at that town is not
less than twelve or fifteen, and in
every case the murderers have gone
unpunished, and been allowed to
walk the streets as free rs any man.
The city has not yet any govern
ment; the. country is not organized,
and law and order are things that
are not known there-or have not
been known heretofore. But, how
ever, there is an end to all things,
and the time has come when the
outlaw will have to observe the laws
of the vigilantes, or take the conse-
quences-cold buckshot. A little
over week ago a character named
"Arkansaw," and the man who kill
ed the "Kid" last summer, with
gang of followers, went over to East
Pierre, and began making themselves
a little too numerous with their
pistols. Arkansaw would OCCASION
ally pull out his pistol, cock it, and
request some peaceable citizen to
come to him, ii the least hesitancy
was observed in complying with
this request, the result would be a
volley of pistol shots, after which
Arkansaw would put his pistol back
into the holster, and resume his
search for another tender foot. Some
times shot or two would take
effect, but that didn't matter; it
only gave a little spice to his per-
formances. His entire gang was
composed of just such men as him
self, and on one afternoon they sue
ceeded in creating terror wherever
they made their appearance. After
creating all the disturbance they
could, and taking a prisoner away
from a United States deputy mar
shal, they went to West Pierce for
the avowed purpose of returning
and cleaning out the town. They
did return, but were met by two
hundred vigilantes, and two hum
dred shOtguns staring them in the
face, and were requested to return
Immediately and never again show
themselves in East Pierre. The re-
quest was complied, but Arkansaw
and gang got on the warpath, and
each one strapping on three or four
revolvers, the entire outfit, about
one hundred and fifty outlaws, cow
boys, and bullwhackers, went over
| to East Pierre to "clsan out the
town" as they termed it. 1t was
about ten o'clock when they got in,
and went directly to the dance house,
and now and then shooting out a
light in some store or house as they
passed by. They shot everything
windows, lights, men, horses. all had
to take it, Every minute would he
heard the sound "bang, bang" of the
shotgun and heard the tramp of two
hundred vigilantes marching in line,
bearing down upno the roughs. In
a moment it seemed as if q terrible
cannonading was going on, and old
soldiers said it sounded very much
like pitched battle. The gang
was drisen down to the river, flying
lin every direction before a deternin-
ed fire of the vlgilautes. Arkansaw,
a little brayer than his men, hesi-
tated, then made an attemptat resist
ance. But in hesitating he sealed
his own doom, for almost in a mo-
ment full fifty shots were fired, and
the cut-throat brigand Arkansaw fell
to the ground riddled with bullets,
A review Of the grounds showed
three or four xounded, but none
others were killed. This is the only
method by which the community
can safely rid themselves of these
outlaws, who set fire to their build
ings, break in and rob stores and
garrote men on public streets, even
in broad daylight