Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-02-10
TRIPLE TRAGEDY AT TUNNEL
TON.
A Gang of Bandits AnnihIlated by
n Posse OF Determined Citizens.

Mitchell, Ind, Special to Cincinnati Enquirer
The quiet village of Tunnelton, ten miles
east, was thrown into intense excitement at
an early hour Monday morning, 9th instant,
over the killing of three men about mid
night while searching a house formerly
occupied by A. Myers as a saloon) for sup
posed treasure deposited therein, The
names OF the killed are Edgar Wilson, Zach
Whitehead and Nick Bond, all residents of
the vicinity, and for some time they have
been suspected of robbery and other crimes.
Ben Willoby got into their confidence,
and was playing detective for
the robbers, but made good his escape just
before the shooting was done. Willoby's
statement is that he agreed with them to
go at midnight with them, rob Myers house,
and then go to Thomas Clark, kill him, gag
his wife and get his money; then they would
raid Dock Guthrie and Alfred Guthrie,
where they expected to make good haul.
Willoby having given them away, a number
OF citizens armed themselves with shotguns
and assembled in an empty car on the side
track of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad,
about forty feet from the building, and aa
soon as the robbers entered the mob sur
rounded the house. Willoby ran away, and
the other three were riddled to death with
bullets as they came out, killing Wilson and
Be
but is unconscious, and his brains are oozIng
from the wound in his head, and he is dying
slowly but sure.
All kinds Of rumors are afloat as to who
did the shooting and as to the desperation
OF the characters killed, but it is generally
conceded that the dead have ended bad
career.
The Coroner's inquest will not be closed
until to- morrow. Bond, who is yet alive,
recovered sufficient to give the names of
two other parties belonging to the band of
robbers, who failed to come to time last
night Whitehead looks frightfully horri-
BILE, having both eyes shot out and the body
badly riddled with bullets and shot, and
died at the building. Wilson has a hole in
his head large enough to admit mans fist,
and his body badly riddled. He fired his
revolver TO the last load, and travelled one
hundred yards before he died. The citizens
OF Tunnelton and vicinity, of the best stand
Ing, did the shooting as a last desperate
resort to protect themselves against band
of bandits.
The Shooting Committee entered the car
with six double-barreled shotguns. Four
robbers approached the house about half
past eleven O'Clock, and one reconnoitered.
'All right" he said, and one, who escaped
by running, was posted as a sentry. The
other three entered the window and struck
iASAos AAO OuOOOluS blloublf
leveled their guns and took deadly aim. A
revolver was fired In front OF the saloon to
scare the burglars out. 1t had the desired
result, and the deadly work was done within
few minutes.
Wilson, celebrated fiend, fell with his
comrades and acted as If dead. The Shoot
ing Committee were about to disperse, when
Wilson, who evidently had been "playing
'possum," got up and ran like a deer; but
The instruments of death brought him to
the ground, where we viewed him, when he
had gone about two hundred yards. He
was probably shot again after falling, for In
the left side of the head, above the temple,
is hole running almost directly downward
into the throat, that would admit large
sized hen egg.
Who did the shooting? The reply is,
simply and truly, some of the best citizens
of Tunnelton, to rid the community of part
Of gang who have recently pillaged and
robbed extensively, and who have made
many threats of vengeance against the town
and citizens.