The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-09-28

inent men. who had been their friends, turned
against them. DIR. Charles Marshall, of Flem-
ing County, of the famous Kentucky Marshall
family, pronounced the regulators mob, and
their acts unlawful. They sent him notice
to emigrate he paid no attention to it. They
threatened HIM with death; he owned himself
and his household, and defied them. The case
got into the newspapers and people began to
cry down the regulators. II was limited that
+ had men had crept into the order, and grad
ually assumed control of its deliberations and
acts. This was too true. The good men cared
nothing about gratifying personal prejudces
and spite so long as the robbers and murder
ers and barn burners were kept at bay, and no
longer attended the meetings of the order.
Such concert of feeling arose against them
that Generalssimo Howell ordered the lodges
to disband, and the better members obeyed the
order. The bad element in the order continued
to meet, and in the spring OF 1880 they re-
organized the regulators, turned out the better
members, deposed Generalissimo Howell, and
elected as his successor man named Finney
Roland, who had the reputation of being q
bully and desperate. In April, 1880, the
regulators whipped a man in Boyd County and
he recognized several or the band He swore
out warrants against those whom he knew
1 he sheriff arrested them. and i've members
| of the order were placed in the Jail at Cat
lettsburg. Generalissimo Roland called meet
ing of the Committee of Safety, and orders
were re-ssued to the lodges in Boyd and Law
renee Counties to rescue their incarcerated
companions Accordingly 500 armed and dis
guised men rode into Catlettsburg one night
and took the five prisoners out OF Jail. They
posted notice on the court house door,
warning all who interfered with the order.
The rescued prisoners were from Lawrence
County, and had been carried to the Jail at
| n, forc of kaa,
/ A night or two after their rescue large
body of regulators rode into Louisa, the seat
of Lawrence County, and posted a proclama
| ton on the door of the court house. In this
document they issued warning TO Judge James
| Stewart not 10 hold court there if he intended
to try regulators; warned the grand jury not
TO indct members of the order, and forbade
/ the Sheriff to execute any warrants for regu-
lators. This proclamation created great ex-
element and the Criminal Judge Stewart
appealed to Gov Blackburn for protection.
The Governor issued his proclamation prom
| Using pardon to all regulators who would come
| i'll and surrender to the civil authorities, and
threatening to exhaust all means at his COM
mand in the punishment of any further viola
latons of the law. He ordered the Mason
County Guards under arms, placed the COM
manding officer in Geographic communication
with Judge Stewart, and made arrangements
ment's notice Thus backed Judge Stewart
convened court and instructed the grand jury
to particularly inquire into the regulator out
RACES He caused copies OF the Governor IS
pr0clamations to be scattered through the
mountains and on the third day of court 800
regulators from the Carter, Boyd, Lawrence
and Martin County Lodges rode into town in
a body and SURF ndered to the Sheriff. At this
wholesale backsliding Generalissimo Roland
no
Of Safety. A stormy meeting was held. The
committee finally voted to whip all recreant
regulators, hang Judge Stewart, the Sheriff OF
Lawrence County and the members OF the
grand jury. Armed with this order Of the
committee the Generalissmo ordered mass
meeting of all the regulator lodges and tor
while it looked as though civil instruction
would be the ultimatum The infant war sub
sided, however upon the death Of the principal
agitator. The lodges answered the summons to
assemble in mass meeting with considerable
reluctance, and there was great deal OF
grumbling at the high-minded manner in
which the new Generalissimo was carrying
things.
The regulators who had surrendered to
Judge Stewards court heard of their impending
danger, and proceeded to take precautionary
measures. A party OF them LAID In walt 1or
Generalisslmo Finncy Roland one night, in a
dark gorge, on the banks of Sinking River
About midnight he rode up, having just re-
turned from meeting of the Committee OF
Safety. When he was opposite the party In
ambush, they rose TO their feet, and the I'M
conscious riders only animation OF death was
the wall OF fire which rose up before his eyes.
He fell desd from his saddle, and when his
body was examined next day 1t was found
that sixteen bullets, any one OF which would
have proved fatal, had taken effect in his
body.
The death of Finney Roland, vigorous pros
ecution OF all regulator cases in Judge Stew
arts court, the threat of Gov. Blackburn that
he would use the entire militia force OF the
State to crush the order, and general dissat-
| isfaction among the members tended to break
| up the most powerful and most thoroughly
| disciplined vigilante organization ever seen in
this or any other country
| Down to this Inc sporadic cases of regu-
| lating break out in different sections OF noun
tain Kentucky but there is no organized Or
| der. In the winter of 1880 the regulators
| committed some outrages at HONEYWELL Fur
mace, in Carter County, but The rlngeaders
were promptly arrested.
They intertered more or less with the bust
ness of the revenue officers, and nearly all OF
the men who rode with me in pursuit OF the
| unterrified "moonshner," received death
notices " from the order. We were rarely mo-
Tested however. Once they attempted TO res
| cue some prisoners from us, and once they
entered the town and provoked battle.
After sharp fight we dispersed them killing
| two of their number and Wounding several.
The regulators in this melee killed an molten
sive and innocent citizen, who was quietly
| walking along the street when the attack was
made on the Deputy United states Marshals
posse.
| Abouttwo weeks after the Inauguration OF
the late President Garfield. Il band of them
attacked the house OF one of my special bail
| ifs but did no other damage than to kill his
dog and madly frighten his wife. The night
after the same party surrounded house
where this bailiff and the writer were spend
ing the night. They promised 10 hang us
both if we would only come out and show
| ourselves, but when we did so and opened
upon the rascals with our carbines, they fed,
| leaving us masters OF the field. u
| Shortly afterwards | learned that one of
| our bullets had sent II regulator TO his long
home, but the story lacked confirmation. The
| last act of the now nearly defunct Regulator
organization has given the Kentucky Judge
Lynch worldwide fame The readers of
THE FREE PRESS will perhaps recall the cir
! stances to which refer. The whole olvlllzed
world was startled last winter by the partic-
ulars of a terrible outrage committed near the
town of Ashland, KY. Three young women
were ravished, murdered. their clothing sat
urated with coal oil, and the 'use in which
the sickenng crime was committed set on ire.
Three men were arrested as the guilty parties,
and so strong was popular Indignation against
the scoundrels, that the Governor of the State
found it necessary to call out the militia to save
them from the fury of the mob. One OF the
men turned States evidence, and his testi-
mony CONVICTED his companions. who were
hung. He escaped with a heavy sentence OF
imprisonment in the penitentiary. The night
of his sentence, men could have been met rid
ing all over that section of the country deliv-
ering the order of Judge Lynch for the Regu-
lators to assemble the next night. Three hun
bred men responded TO the call, and they
brought along their old shrouds and masks
Silently they rode through the streets at Cat
lettsburg hating at length in front OF the jail.
The jaier was aroused and forced to denver
up the keys, the prisoner, Crafts, was taken
from his cell, placed upon horse and the
Regulators rode off having him in their mids'
| Next morning, just as the shadows OF night
began to fall back before the garish fire OF the
suns shafts negro man passed near the
ruins OF the house where the horrible crime
had been committed. Swinging to the limb
1