Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-08-05
EMULATlNe THE JAMES BROTHERS
Two Notorious Missouri Characters
Bloom Ont a. Successful Bandits.

Two Notorious Mfssoura Snaraeters
Bloom Ont a. Successful Bandits.
From the 81 Louis Globe Democrat.
Newton county, whose deep forests
and almost inaccessible mountains 50
long afforded safe retreat to the motor
ious Killian crowd, the Blunt boys,
Hobbs, Kerry and many other lesser
lights, more or less distinguished in
connection with the criminal history
of Missouri, has again come to the front
with sensation that bids fair to eclipse
anything of the kind yet discovered.
The Lewis boys, two brothers, who
have for many years past borne quite
an unSavOry reputation in southwest
ern Missouri, have concluded to aban-
don their old style of terroriZing the
respectable element of the community
by merely getting drunk and taking
the town" NeOShO), and have at last
become lif, indeed they have not been
such veritable knights of the road,
with HEADQUARTERS in the swamps of
Shoal creek, wherein it was for long
time supposed Jesse James received
his death wound at the hands of
George Shepherd, in 1880.
The Lewises came prominently before
the public as highwaymenO on the morn
ing of the Fourth of July. Having
hired a team at Carnes' livery stable In
NeOshO, they left town, as they said to
attend a celebration ut Seneca, small
village in the west end of the county,
near the Indian territory line, and on
the morning of the same day two cattle
men; Burke and Hall, on their way
overland to western Kansas, were rob-
bed of 800 and their side arms, in the
regular-stand-and-d deliver fashion,
between Seneca and Baxter Springs,
Kansas, by two men who had few
minutes before passed them in buggy.
The victims returned to Seneca and re-
ported their loss, and while consulting
with theauthorities espied George Lew
is coming down the street in the same
vehicle which had passed them on the
road, and at once recognized him as one
of the bandits. He was met by two
officers, one of whom seized the team
by the bride. and called upon him to
surrender. Meantime, Jim Lewis,
coming out ola saloon, saw the turn
affairs had taken. and throwing two
siX-shOoters down on the officers, cried
out: "Get out of there, George, if either
of you- bad break I'll
shoot -- out of YOU"
George instantly drew two revOlvers,
one of which Burke recOniZed as his,
and Joined his brother on the sidewalk.
BY this time the officers were joined by
a reinforcement of citizens, and they
attempted TO close in on the despera-
does, but the Lewises' having the long
Cst range guns, retreated To the bushes III
good order.
One would have thought they would
'skip out" after this eScapade, but no;
they returned to Seneca that very
night on the backs of two stolen horses,
and, visiting a livery stable, demanded
Carnes' team, which had been placed
there after its abandonment by the boys,
and when refused admission, they
fired five or six shots on the stablemcn,
then wheeling their horses they started
down the street at break-neck speed,
firing half dozen shots into saloon
aS they rode. From here they went to
a country dance, and proceeded to take
it, always a fayOrite pastime with them.
1t was reported that they left the
next morning for Texas, and the tele-
graph wires were brought into requisi-
ton, and a reward of $500 offered for
their apprehension. After three or
four days, people began to breathe
easier, and many good citizens hoped
that if they were really scared out of the
country, they would never return, even
as caplives; but they were not gone.
On the contrary it has since become
known that they were within less than
two miles of Neosho all the time,
between the morning Of the 9Th and the
evening of the Sth. On the 9th a sup
posed friend gave them away, and
they were for two days hOtly pursued
by the sheriff and a posse of fifteen or
twenty men. At the end Ofthe second
day, however, all trace of them was
lost, and it was again confidently as
serted that they had left the country,
but the very next day the horses they
had stolen on the 4th were found COM
pletely used up in the pasture of John
T. McElhany, who, by the way, is
cousin of the Lewises, and is now on a
$500 bond for Georges appearance at
the Circuit Court, and two more horses
from an adjoining pasture were pressed
into service.
They were next heard of short dis
lance below NeOshO, at the house of a
cousin, where they ate supper. BY this
cousin they sent word to j. r. Neil
hany, sheriff of Newton county, and
who is an own cousin of theirs, that
"blOOd WAS thicker than water, and
they did not want to hurt him, but he
must not press them too close"
Since then they have peen continual
ly harraSSed by the sheriffs posse, and
have changed horses three times. They
ate breakfast at farm house Saturday
morning, after attending a country
dance Friday night, and started west
about 9 o'clock, holly pursued. About
o'clock they eluded the officers and
took the back track 10 Neosho, through
the hills, and they got here beyond the
shadow of a doubt, for liveryman
Carnes was visited at his residence by
Jim Lewis at about 9 o'clock Saturday
night, who paid for the team hired at
his stables on the 18th. In reply to q
question, he told Carnes that they had
lively little chase during the day.
The Lewises are well connected,
being cousins of the McElhanys at this
! place, two of them are leading mer-
! chants, and tn other one sheriff of the
county. Their father also lives here,
and is an honest, upright citizen.
Three men, Dan Rodgers, Frank
Rodgers and Tom Conden, were arrest
ed last Saturday, charged with harbor-
ing the outlaws, and their trial comes
off to-day. Thirty or forty well-armed
deputy sheriffs are continually securing
the woods, and as the houses Of all sus-
pected friends are closely watched,
they will either have to leave the eoun-
try in the near future or surrender.
Trade in Neosho is at a standstill,
farmers being afraid to come to town
with their wheat, or to purchase sup
plies, lest they encounter the bold night