Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-10-16

''At this time Howse was bent on killing
letters, and between his desire to do this
and a quarrel over the division of the spoils
of the last robbery the thing began to leak
out. The civil authorities took courage
and arrested as suspicious characters two
members of the organization who were
called Harsh and Watkins. They were
placed in the jail in Phillippi. The next
night band of Red Men, disguised with
red masks, surrounded the jail and COM
PEELED the release of the two men, and on
the succeeding day Howse, the leader of
the gang, who was acting as district judge,
discharged the men. One week later old
man Lynch, who lived in the mountains
back of Peel Tree, was murdered. | don't
know who did it. Lynch was Red Man,
but had threatened to squeal. Soon after
man named Csyton, also a kicking Red
MAN, was shot after dark, and by an un-
known person. The Kinneys, now in Jail
for the double murder last spring, were al
so Red Men, I don't know who their
victims were. Plans were laid to kill the
Hon. Sam. Wood, Supreme Judge of West
Virginia; Sam. Wood, Jr., his son; Tom
Brown, the prosecuting attorney of Barbour
county; James Heatherly, sheriff; and G. P.
Sargent, editor of paper at Philippi.
Nose Smith was to xiii letters. When
brush was put across the road leading to
Tetters's house it was to be sign to kill
him. letters was to be enticed to store
and was to waylay and kill him, but I
backed out. We had branches all over the
State, and were preparing to go into the
bank-robDing business in the smaller
towns"
Price, Howse, and Hoffman, ringleaders
of the gang have just been arrested, and
are in Jail at Clarksburg this State. 1t is
expected that startling disclosures will fol-
low tomorrow. The authorities refuse to
divulge the names of the post Office men
implicated. Clarksburg, near which place
four of the six murders were committed,
is in a fever of excitement A strong force
of officers is on hand, as violence is antici-
pated. During the past four years over
sixty mail robberies, twenty incendiary
fires, numerous burglaries, and other out
RACES have been committed. 1t is believed
that other members of the band will con-
fess, and that the worst is not yet known.
1t is intimated that several prominent per-
sons will be arrested at once. Kittle was
run down by local detective.
ADDITIONAL.
TWO OF THE RED MEN SENTENCED,
The excitement in the vicinity of Phil
lippi and Clarksburg, W. Va, over the ex-
posure of the cred Men" continues. A
special says: Kittles, the man who con-
fessed, pleaded guilty this morning on an
omnibus charge and was sentenced to
imprisonment for nine years and four
months. He took his sentence coolly.
Albert Price went up for ten years. He
was prominent lawyer and Sunday-school
teacher. AS a result of Kittles's confess
sion, officers arrested Jacob T. Huffman,
ex-county treasurer, and he is in custody at
Clarksburg. Other arrests will follow, it
is said, to the number of at least one hun
dred.
The company to which Kittles belonged
was known as Company c, Regents,
Tribe of Crows" but the private work was
the same in all the branches. Two pass
words were used. The first was sex. o."
response, ''Light." The second was,
"Where are you going?' answer, "Cen-
tennial." The grip was made by grasping
hands in the usual manner, with the thumb
pressed between the knuckle-joints of the
second and third fingers of the right hand.
Other signs and grips were in use to such
an extent that book of them was kept.