The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-07-10
OLD MITCHELL'S LAST VICTIMS.
The Dangers That Environ Men Who NEEDLE
with a Swamp Angel.

One of the worst men in the world,
SO far as reputation goes, is old Martin
Mitchell, who lives in the swamp just
back of here, writes Blacklist. Ark,
correspondent to The Ne10 York San. He
is terror to the hard men for hundreds
of miles around, and yet personally he is
one of the most affable old fellows that
ever lived. Not one person In
thousand who tells with prodlgious
adjectives and expletives of the
s'swamp angeps'' terocity ever saw
him. His Repatriation has grown by
degrees, until the old colored people
have come to look upon HIM as IN
partnership with Satan, and many
black mother and nurse scares her lit
tie ones by telling them that ''dat ole
debbil what swums aroun' in de mash
es is arter yer''
Now, the fact is that old man Mitch
ell, according to his own story and the
common Judgment of his fellOw-men
in this vicinity, is harmless and law
abiding citizen. He has hut of some
kind in the swamp, where he makes
his headquarters, but when the wealth
er is good he is just as likely to camp
twenty or thirty miles away, wherever
nightfall may find him, as he is to be
at home. He is hunter and fisher,
and it is probably true that if nobody
had ever bothered him he would not
have hurt anybody. He has been in
the swamp for thirty years or more,
killing man now and then, as oc-
casion seemed to warrant, and making
no fuss about it. Heretofore, when
these difficulties have occurred, the
old man has not thought it worth
while to come in and explain matters,
or even pay much attention to his vic
Tins. Ii no one claimed them he has
buried them in the bullrushes and
gone on about his business. The other
day, however, he found that he had to
kill three men in bunch, and as this
Blacklist to apologize, and eventually
went over to Memphis and communi-
Gated with the sheriff there on the
point. This was the first real glimpse
Df civilization that the ''swamp anger'
has had in many years, and he enjoyed
1t much.
Two men named Cummings and
Bryson, living at Memphis, came over
INTO the swamps short time ago fish
.ng and hunting, and knowing old
Mitchell only by reputation they fired
several shots at him, one of them in
dieting q painful wound. The old
man lay low for while, then arming
himself he got canoe and made pur-
suit He found the trail difficult one,
but being thoroughly acquainted with
every nook IN the great river, he knew
that unless they took to land he would
eventually overtake them. He follow
ed them seventy-five miles down
stream and then lost then. He waited
there three or four days without find
ing trace of them, but at length he
was informed that they had gone
north, and he started after them. Dur
ing all this long chase he passed al
most his entire time in his dugout. and
only went ashore as he tound it
necessary in order to lay in provis-
ions.
At length he found them, near his
own swamp. He had gone ashore in
the brush in order to cook a little cof-
fee. and, hearing voices, peered out
on the river. There was boat, with
Cummings, Bryson, and an unknown
man in it. Selling his rifles, the old
man made for tree and opened fire,
the men in the boat standing up and
returning it with great spirit. At
Mitchell's second shot Cummings
dropped and fell into the river He
next brought down Bryson, who also
fell out of the boat. The stranger
was then left standing alone. with
revolver in each hand, with which he
was making the bark on the old mans
tree fly. Mitchell took careful aim
and fired, and the stranger dropped in
the boat. which was drifting slowly
down stream. Satisfying himself that
the job had been well-done, the old
man got into his canoe and came up
to his hut, where he rested day or
two, and then, with the idea of telling
how it happened, he came to town
and reported.
In conversation Mitchell is very
agreeable. He said to the sheriff here:
''This here last little difficulty of mine
was on a bigger scale than anything
that I've ever been in before, and
that's what troubled me little You
see, | know white mans rights ev-
cry time. and l wouldn't bother you at
all with this matter only wanted the
thing all straight. If it amt all
straight just put your clamps on me.
Ii it is want to be getting back to
business. I've had shooting before,
but only one at time, and everyone
of them was of some cuss who want
ed to murder me. I'm harmless
man, and yet L never shoot without
hitting something. It's been my luck
always to be on the defensive. Every
man that I've been compelled to kill
has come at me wrong, and [ wouldn't
harm anybody if every body would let
me alone. The reason that I've never
been in before is because you were
busy, and l knew there want any
case against me. If this last thing is
all right I'll get back to the swamp"
As no complaint has been filed, the
swamp angel is evidently to be left un-
disturbed by the authorities. With a
little better understanding between
him and the fellows that prowl around
his headquarters and take him for
wild man there might be less blood
shed.
Lord Dudley's Heavy Bets.
Those sporting papers which have