Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-10-07
SHELBY AND SABINE.
Futile Search Of the Rangers for the
Corners in Sabine County They
Take Refuge in Louisiana.
A Review of the Outrages Committed noar
the Louisiana state Line-The
New Town OF rcneta,
oorrespondence Of the eaaette.


Third district, has been addressing the
people of this county the past week upon
public issues. He has no opposition and
will be elected by large vote. Strange
though it may be, 1t is fact, that the
people are manifesting little interest In
the result OF the election OF county OIL
GERS. Usually we have an extremely
spirited contest in this county among
county candidates.
The recent heavy raiEs have retarded
the picking OF cotton and have caused
much OF 1t to sprout in the boil. The
ia mers, however, are gathering their
crops with rush and though the fleecy
staple has matured later than usual, they
expect to close their labors at the farthest
by December L.
The new town of Teneta, situated eleven
miles northwest of Center on the Hous-
ton, East & West Texas & Shreveport rail-
road, is fast advancing to the point where
she may Justly claim to be the best town
on that line, which Is 240 miles long; zoo
being in Texas and forty IN Louisiana
Save the Texas & st. Louis, this road is
the longest line of narrow guage 10 Texas
and furnishes to Louisiana the only repre-
sentative OF that system in the state.
Owing to the failure to secure the serv-
ices of principal the school at this
place did not open on the first Monday in
September as published. 1t will, however
open tomorrow, and doubtless will con-
tinue to be the chief pride Of the town
Shelby county, about three years ago,
by vote OF two TO one, adopted local
option, and II called upon to declare her
self again as to that issue, would poll
even larger majority, but very much
doubt il DIR. Crantil's ticket will be hon
ored with single vote at the ensuing
election in this county. The Prohlbi-
tionlsts of Shelby, as a body, do not In
dorse the action of the Cranflll faction in
antagonizlng the Democratic party, and
will not submit to it's behest, They think
the action at Dallas not only unwise, but,
un,ief ,n. circumstances, great wrong
to the party.
We are receiving some of Sabine conn
ty's inhabitants. Society has been con-
siderably disturbed, in Shelby county the
last three years by a series of lawless-
ness, the end Of which is not yet. In
December, 1888, two citizens OF Sabine
county were discovered in the woods,
dead-shot to death with several kinds of
firearms. An old man, sixty years OF age,
Conner by name, and his four sons, all
grown and two of whom were married,
were charged with the crime and were
Jailed without benefit of bail--save one Of
the boys. In q few days after the bodies
were discovered. AT this time, the Con-
ner's, father and sons, lived gin the south
ern portion of Sabine county on farms
nearly contiguous to each other, which
| they owned. They were prosperous, hosplt-
able and generally inoffensiVe. In Sep
TENDER, 1884, two OF the boys were tried
and convicted, the testimony being cir
cumstantial, yet conclusive. The punish
ment. of one, Charley, was assessed
at confinement in the penitentiary
for twenty Ave years, and that OF
the other, Fred, at life Imprisonment
They appealed, and the court of appeals
affirmed the formers case, while 1t re-
manded the latter's for new trial, be-
cause Of an error committed by the pre-
siding Judge in his charge to the Jury. Al
the next term, February, 1885, Fred was
retired, and the jury returned the same
verdict. He again appealed, and the
court of appeals affirmed the judgment OF
the lower court. At this time all the par
ties were in Jail at Hemptill, the county
seat of Sabine county, and before Fred
could be removed to the penitentiary, in
| april 1000, uduu vi LuGut SlLlASuS VI
San Augustine and Sabine counties, tax
ing advantage of the temporary absence
of the sheriff, went in the night time
broke the Jail, and liberated the
prisoners. When liberated they procured
arms, went to the bushes near theil
homes, and there remained the greater
part of the time for twelve months
defying the officers and utterine
threats against any one who attempted
to capture them. In September, 1885
the grand jury indicted thirteen persons
for jail-breaklng, seven of whom, includ-
ing two other sons of old man Conner
have been convicted and sent to the peni
Tertiary, and all of whom, in the opinion
of the writer, will be when tried. In March
1886, Gov. Ireland ordered Capt Scott
and his rangers 10 repair TO Sabine county
to assist the civil authorities to capture
the Corners. In due time Capt. Scott
and his men arrived, without any one
save the officers and trusted and prom.
inent citizen knowing OF his intentions
They pitched their camp in the wild
woods, and spent twenty-four hours in
considering plan of action and recover.
ing from a long and wearisome march
through thickets and marshes. In thai
twenty-four hours the prey they sought
abandoned their accustomed haunts and
removed into the state of louisiana but
Just where no one, willing to aid the
officers, knew. Capt. Scott, aided by
the posse comitatus of the
county, ignorant Of the recent
move, secured the whole country,
put under arrest all who were known u
sympathize with the outlaws, and even
crossed into Louisiana in his effort to dc
the governors bidding, but all proved
futile, and the Corners are to-day, al
they have been during the past eighteen
months, able TO say they have successful
ly defed the power of the state. The
rangers did good service in aiding this
sheriff to capture the fugitive jail-break
ers, and in restoring the feeling Of secur
ity long disturbed, among citizens, bu
made a total failure in the chief object o
their visit. have no doubt that sinc'
the rangers have left, some ten days, thu
outlaws have gone into winter quarters
with several Of like characters, at thei
old stand near their homes, which ar,
occupied now only by. their sorrowine
wives and some twenty young and help
/ A 4 4 ~.