Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-04-26
THEHAMMETTB BOYS.
A Desperate Gang of Murderers and
Robbers Who Have for Years
Been the Terror OF
Eastern Arkansas Broken Up-Three OF
the Brothers in the Grave, and One
in the Penitentiary.

LITTLE Rock, April 25.-The Democrat
announces the arrival at that city OF Sherln
]. II. Legg- Colonel J. NJ. Levesque, Willie
Levesque, J. P. Hudson and j. II. Jones, OF
Wittsburg, who placed d. L. Hammett in
the penitentiary- He has gone there Tor
murder. For years the Hammett boys were
known and feared in Eastern Arkansas
They were known TO be cold-blooded, des-
perate cruel murderers, and many OF their
crimes are on par with those committed
by Jesse and Frank james. They were dead
shots, and being five in number they at times
carried things with high hand. In hight
they fought each other out, and In court
swore each other free. Bullies in all that
the term implies, they were alike despised
and feared. The names of the brothers were
Dave, John, Dock, Pete and Woody. Dave
is now in the penitentiary, sent there for the
crime of murder, and will remain SIX years.
Woody, also sent to the "pen" for murder,
was pardoned year or two since. The re-
manning three are dead. And, as might be
expected, died with their boots on. 1t was
feared by the officers who brought Dave
over, and who are now in the city, shat
they might have trouble before reaching
here. Dave had been confined in the
Crittenden county Jail at Marion, and when
Sheriff Legg told him he had come TO take
him to the "pen," he looked him quietly in
the eye and replied: "You can take me no
further than Mount Zion" Mount Zion is
the name of the cemetery in Cross county
where the deceased Hammetts are sleeping
their last sleep. The sheriff impaired to
Colonel Levesque the threat made by the
desperate, and the result was that volunteers
came along to render assistance in case it
should be necessary. The Hammetts are
not Arkansians by birth. They came from
Marshall county, Miss, when mere boys, but
went to the bad as they advanced in years,
fighting. stealing and drinking whisky being
their principal amusement.
JOHN HASlSIETT
was killed by Martin Mitchell in 1873. John
and two other brothers, named Woody and
Dock, went up to the Sunk Lands in search
of Mitchell, whose life they had sworn to take.
Mitchell and Baker were camping ont, and
at the time of the arrival of the Hammetts
Mitchell was absent. The brothers managed
to get Baker intoxicated. and induced him
to lead the way in a search for his absent
partner. They found him at last, and the
result was the killing of John by Mitchell.
The other brothers then in a spirit of re-
venge killed Baker, being unable to capture
Mitchell.
DOCK HAMMETT
was captured shortly after the murder of
Baker, and while confined IN the jail at
Wittsburg made an effort TO escape by at
lacking the guard, and was shot and killed
by Willie Levesque, whose father was sheriff
at the time This was in 1879. In the win
ter of 1876 Jasper Sullivan was killed by
Dock Hammett.
WOODY HAMMETr,
the youngest of the brothers, besides
assisting in the murder OF Baker, was also
with Dock in the killing Of John Stanley In
1873. He is reported to be charged man
since his pardon and is now living quietly
over in Cross.
PETE HAMMErr,
who never lost an opportunity to assist his
brothers in their dark deeds, was killed by
2. L. Ford. in May, 1880. He met Ford in
a saloon, and there being feud between
them, the fighting commenced as soon as the
men saw each other.
DAVE HAMMBTT,
now in the ''pen," was with his brother Dock
in 1879, when W. r. Nesbit was cruelty muir
dered in cold blood.