Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-04-18

all events it would have cost that much OF
more to have employed thst amount Of
equally skilled labor. Before Johns time
the prison was surrounded by high wood,
en- fence. In 1867 several members of the
notorious
JENNINGS GANG,
among whom was Frank Jennings, son of
{ old John Jennings. We,zel county's 400
rious marauder. Frank jennings was the
leading spirit in all the mutinies and H.
subordiDations of the prison, and one night
during 9 terrible storm, in which the fence
blew down, he led twenty-six prisoners in q
dash for liberty. They were fred upon and
parsued and all captured except
Jennings himself, who escaped to the old
haunts of the gang in Wetzel county, on
Coal run, but a few miles back Of New
Martinsville. The house of old John Jen-
nings was always an objective point to es.
capped prisoners, and il was so carefully
guarded, and having secret means of egress
and entrance, that very few were ever cap
tured. The crimes of this gang, John Jen.
niRgs, his four boys, William, Thomas,
Frank and Jack, GODDARD, Barcus, Cannon,
Parker, Willard, the Van Horn woman and
Others, are still fresh in the minds of the
older residents of We,zel, 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 q ter
rible struggle, their descent upon Lynn
Camp, the burning oil the houses inhabited
by the gang, and the exodus Of outlaws and
criminal refugees By the light of the torch
and fame Of burning houses is a matter
well known to many.
Bot to return to the subject:
Ia 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 EX EDITOR y MARSHAL,
OF TEXAS.
Douglas, who is q life prisoner, was sent
up from Grant county for the
Of 8 young boy, a mail carrier.
The details CT the crime show it to have
been revolving in its cold blooded, deliber,
ate accomplishment. Ia seems the day OF
The murder several registered letters were
put in the pouch carried by the hoy and
this knowledge came to the ears Of Dou.
yias, who waylaid and shot the boy, intict.
Jag a serious but not fatal wound. The boy
endeavoring to escape the assassin ran
ais horse into st. Johns run and swan
ACROSS, only to meet his murderer, who ran
ACROSS q bridge aud headed him off and
deliberately murdered him as be came out
If the water. Douglas had his trials, and
vas found guilty in both. Gen. Flick WAS
1t one time retained BY him, if mistake
not, but his crime wss SO great and The
evidence so clear that no;hlng cCuli be
lone to save him, and he was
iually sentenced to the peniieltisry
or the period of his natural life. II may
n'ereH the newspaper fraternity to know
hat Douglas is the only one Of their mum.
Der who ever was sent to the West Virginia
,enitentisry for so base d crime. He told
'our reporter the story Of his lite, and the
ollowing brief outline covers the principal
Of his history. He was bora and
in West Virginia, until, at the age
If Is, when he went into q newspaper Of
ice as o devil" land be has been the in
,arnation Of q veri able Pluto ever since)
de learned to set type. became o compost
OF, afterward a %"jour," and finally finding
he field of journalism 10 West Virginia
90 narrow for bis special talents emiRrated
o Texas. Being a man Of pleasant sd
lress, and apparently a gentleman, these
formed the Acquaintance and married an
,stimable young lady, by whom he had
me child, which lived but three or four
ears and was shortly followed by its
He left that portion Of Texas,
vent to Lsmpssas, and started
newspaper called the Lam
,asas Advertiser. Here be again mar
led. Douglas was appointed a Deputy
Sheriff, and performed the duty so we'll, eg.
that portion of it connected with
,apturing the wild outlaws Of the frontier,
hat when his time as Deputy Sheriff ex.
bred be was elected