The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1886-10-16
DIED STEPPED In CRIME.
The Wild and Murderous Career of q
Georgia Desperado.

The Wild and Marderous Career of q
Georgia Desperado.
New YORK, Oct "a dispatch from
Allapaha, Ga, tells the following story
Sof the crimes and suicide OF one of the
most desperate criminals OF the Sou b:
Benj amin W FurIong, wao committed
Fu;ci 10 here wo weeks % had led If. 81
singul4r sc -psration. From shs ins = hau
he was a boy To the hour OF his death ne
was terror 10 every neigh boT hood ia
which he lived. At the age Is a resDonsi-
BILE position in a saw mill, owned by his
brother in law at Pine Bloom, was given
him. One day a colored teamster was
found IN his wagon dead, with his throat
SuU; 10 was developed that young Furlong
had had quarrel with the teamster. which
ended IN the tragedy. The murderer disap.
peared, and was gone several years. When
ne returned he resumed his desp perate career
without ever having been called to account
A little over two years o K p Rep
pard, wealthy gentleman of Savannah
ttted up a saw mill at Vanceyille, on 40
Bruns~Ick Il Albany road, in VIII, he
iayested $4,000. He placed Ben Enr,ong
and his brother John in cha. se Of il, and
having the utmost contide- ,ca II them lett
itentirely to their mans cement, The cbarge
OF such a large bus. .oess +urcad FnrIo~,7
I.ead completely. He began drinking heavi-
- n1sIecUeo lis wife and family and took
gne o' -npanionehip OF wantons. One
uay ne ode up to his house with a woman
"a a0" savannah, and taking her in, present
her TO his wife; saying: "Pocahontas,
now do you ike this Amt she beauty2n
The dishonored wife broke into tears, where
hpoG her husband seized her by the nair
ard dragged her across the floor stamping
upon her and breaking a chair to pieces
7'cross her body. The pair then re-entered
the basgy and drove OF, leaving the
vile unconscious upon the floor. She
"ss found several hours later by
some passing neighbors. When her
story became known the greatest indigna-
ton prevailed. Parties of men started
out In pursuit OF the recreant husband. He
was oFertaken at county house, where he
sat with Winchester rife across his knee.
0iow the brains out OF the first man
"ho dares to come near me!' he said de-
termInedly. For several hours the posse
stood at respectful distance, deeming dis
cretIon the better part OF valor and then
Ietlred and left Furlong master OF the situ-
Atloh. Mr.. Reppard soon became aware OF
the state OF affairs, and dispatched Il trust
cd agent to Vanceville to take charge OF the
business. When the agent arrived at the
mlll he found that John Furlong had re-
celVed information OF his coming, and had
scraped together $4,000 OF the mills
money and skipped out for Texas. Three
months later news was received Of Johns
tragic death In that state. He bid in some
property at sheriffs sale and offered part
payment in notes. THAT was not in the
bargain" said the sheriff. 'You are a
mar Eetorted John. The reply was bull
ie0 Eom the sheriff's revolver, which
pierced Johns heart.
n the meantime Ben. Furlong threw off
iail restraints. Whenever he made his ap-
pearance, all the officers seemed to with
draw In his favor. On one occasion he
boarded the train bound for Brunswick
and going into the colored coach took
seat. Ia front of him sat negro. Throw
that cigar out of the window" ordered
Furlong. 81 have paid for my seat, and
do not want to be disturbed" Instant
~ Furlong caught the negro by the
head, pulled it back over the seat.
and made several lunges with his
knife into the negro's throat. Furlong.
jumped off the car and escaped into the
woods. On another occasion Furlong
sought out Engineer Brock, on the Bruins
wick & Albany Road, and asked him if he
wanted the money which was due him. On
Brock making an affirmative reply, Fur.
long said III you do, just take that"
hrlug at the same time and striking the en-
gineer in the abdomen.
About Six months ago Furlong gave
some evidence of reformation, TO encourage
which his friends united and started him
once more in the business, with headquar-
ters at Sniff, on the Brunswick & Albany
Road. But bis reformation was of short
duration. He always went armed, and
would shoot into a crowd of colored people
Just for the purpose OF seeing them scatter.
On September /, he started on a big de-
baueh, and was so desperate that even his
oonfederates feared him. On the night of
Thursday, September %, he called his
wife and children 60 him, asked them
to pardon him for his past bad conduct,
and declared that the morning light would
find him man. After kissing them he
retired to his room, where he was found an
hour later in a comatose condition, and by
his side was an empty laudanum vial. The
end came before morning, and with the news
OF Furlongs death went rumors of darker
crime. No one would speak for over a
week, and then the story came out, which
established the TACT that Furlong had been
driven to suicide because of a murder
which he had committed two weeks before,
and in the commission of which he had two
confederates.
On the down freight train on September
was Jesse Webb (colored), who was in
search OF employment. He was put off
the train at the Sniff mill, where Furlong
spotted him as a man who had previously
entered into contract with him. Webb
refused to go with FurloDg, whereupon the
5tILSl HIIls anu MN, Dub
him under guard Of j. NJ. Lotion (white),
from Atlanta, and Tom Sharon. Webb
made a break for liberty, running
toward the swamp, with Furlong in
full pursuit. A discharge from Furlongs
rifle brought Webb to the ground in
clump of bushes about 400 yards from the
house. When Furlong. returned to the
house he put all under notice that he would
kill the first one that "peached." FurloDg,
Lotion, and Sharon, each carrying a double
barreled shot gun, went down to where the
wounded negro lay. Furlong, in MS des-
peration, cut the victims throat. For
three days and three nights they kept the
victim there in sight of help, and yet giving
him none. On the third day they
killed him and dragged the body
into the back yard, where it was
buried. When the body was exhumed by
the coroner, it was found that the skull
was crushed in three places. In the mans
mouth was a roll Of waste, such as is used
for packing boxes on car wheels. The
strange part of the story is that for three
weeks fully fifty men knew of the murder,
talked of it among themselves; and yet
stood in such mortal dread OF Furlong that
they did not dare to tell the story until
his suicide removed all danger. The two
accomplices in the murder have fed the