Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-04-19

NOTORIOUS
INNING GANG,
among whom vi a Frank Jeguings, son O
old John Jennings, We,zel county's note
Tious msrsnder. Frank Jennings wss tn
leading spirit in all the mutinies and il
suboroinstions of the prison, and one nigh
during a terrible storm, in which the fenc
blew down, be led twenty-six prisoners in
dash for liberty. They were fred upon an
pursued and all captured excep
Jennings himself, who escaped to the OH
haunts of the gang in We,zel county, OF
Coal run, but a few miles back Of NeV
Msrtinsvills. The house of old John Jen
Dipgs was always IN objective point to es
capped prisoners, and it was SO carefully
guarded, and having secret means of egresl
and entrance, that very few were ever cap
tured. The crimes of this gang, John Jen
uiRgs, his four boys, William, Thomas
Frank and Jack, GODDARD, BsEcus, Cannon
Parker, Willard, the Van Horn woman and
others, are still fresh in the minds Of the
older residents of We'Eel, Tyler, Marshall,
Peasants and other counties. The pursuit
of the gang. capture of several Of them,
and finally the descent of the Red Men"
after q series of horrible murders commit
ted by the gang, upon the lair of the
leader, old John, and his death after a ter
rible struggle, their descent upon Lynn
Camp, the burning OF the houses inhabited
by the gang, and the exodus Of outlaws and
criminal refugees BY the light Of the torch
and flame of burning houses is a matter
we'll known to many.
But to return to the subject:
In the paint shop, where the bodies OF
the wagons are painted are several motor
ious offenders, chief among whom is,
perhaps,
W. s. DOUGLAS, AN Elk EDITOR n MARSHAL,
OF TEXAs.
Douglas, who is life prisoner, was sent
up from Grant county for the
murder Of q young boy, a mail carrier.
The details of the crime show it to have
been revolving in its cold blooded, deliber.
ate accomplishment. In seems the day of
the murder several registered letters were
put 10 the pouch carried by the hoy and
this knowledge came to the ears of Dou.
glas, who waylsid and sho: the boy, infict.
ing a serious but not fatal wound. The boy
in endesvoring to escape the assassin ran
his horse into ST. Johns run and swan
across, only to meet his murderer, who ran
across a bridge AID headed him of and
deliberately murdered him as be came out
of the water. Douglas had his trials and
wss found guilty in both. Gen. Flick was
st one time retained by him, if mistake
not, but his crime wGs 30 great and the
evidence 30 clear that nothing could be
done TO save him, and he was
finally sentenced 20 the peni;entjary
for the period of his natural life. 1t MAY
the newspaper fraternity 10 know
that Douglas il the only one Of their num-
Der who ever was sent TO the West Virginia
penitentiary fer so base a crime. He told
your reporter The story Of his life, end the
toilo wing brief outline covers the principal
OF his history. lie was born and
raised 10 West Virginia, until, at the nge
Of 10, when be vent into u newspaper Of
fee as a "dsvil," land he has been the in
carnation of a veri;Hb!1 Pluto ever since)
Hs learned to set type, became a compost
tor, sItsrWard a "jour, and finally finding
the field Of journalism in West Virginia
too narrow for his special talents emigrated
to Texas. Being a man of pIessan! ad
dress. and apparently a gentleman, these
he formed the acquaintance and married an
astimable young lady, by whom he had
0ne child, which lived but three or four
years and was shortly followed by its
He left that portion Of Texas,
vent to Lampssss, and started
a newspaper called Sthe Lam
aasas Advertiser. Here he again mar.
lied. Douglas was appointed a Deputy
and performed the duty so we'll, es
that portion of it connected with
capturing the wild outlaws OF the frontier,
that when his time as Deputy Sheriff ex.
PRED he was elected
MARSHAL.
As a Marshal there is no doubt that
Douglas made his mark on more than one
occasion, principally inscribed, no doubt,
With 40 calliber bullets. He always brought
in bis man, but IS often feet.toremost as
with perpendicular, but one day he went
out to arrest some one on o warrant, he
probably his last trail but one)
Of death. He returned to the little town OF
Lsnpssss with his prisoner strapped TO
the back Of a horse. But the prisoner was
"a dead as cold lead could make him
One story goes that tie dead man had
many friends who believed that he
had been deliberately murdered end
swore TO aveuge him. Another, but
somewhat less plausible one was that the
score keepers OF the %coroner's jury dis
agreed as to the number Of bullet holes in
the dead man, aud the GOODNESS that
arose on that occasion gradually centersd
upon Douglas. Be that as il may, Doug
las directly after the above occurrence left
Texas Tor the mountains Of West Virginia
lie, ike ninety-nine men out OF the hun
drtd in prison, declares his entire inno'
ceace Of the crime attributed to him.
THOMAS, THE cHERoIEE,
is another life prisoner. He, with three
oilers, among them a Chief"Gray Eagle
was sentenced by the Government for
murder. The murders committed BY tttse
men we're the killing Of whites, for which
crimes they were tried by the United
States Courts. Had the murdered man
been one Of their own color and tribe they
would have been tried in their " ter
itory under Cherokee laws. These
Indians were brought here sew
eral years ago., but the GoyeFnment
at prison lie, broke the heart Of his chief
and two of his companions, and they died.
They are buried within the prisou VALE in
one corner of the yard, aud their spirits re-
leased from human bondage, started for
the happy hunting grounds where the rat
tie of chains, the changing of iron doors
and the constant toll Of daily existence is
no longer known. TIE only one lett,
Charley Themes, "a . hail breed, tall, mus
euler and powerful He is one OF the best
blacksmitbs in the shops always prompt,
obedient and attentive. Doubtless the
memory of bread plains, the Wild Tee
life Of tie ps,ion, often rushes upon
l. MAN