The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-04-23
A DOOMED OUTLAW.
Interesting Talk With an Indiana MUIR
derer About His Career

~ASpue AAAo S"A
Dispatch from Shoals, Indiana.
Samuel Archer, doomed to die July
8 for his many crimes, takes his lot in
life as coolly and calmly as circum-
stances will permit. After receiving
his sentence Archer was led back to
his cell in the Martin county jail and
given a good dinner, which lie ate raw
enously, and said, after finishing his
meal:
That's good. feel much better"
"What do you think OF the ending
of your trial, Archer?" was asked.
II think it's pretty hard" he repli-
ed, in a melancholy voice, shut it's
not any more than expected. The
people here are down on the whole
tribe, and row it is settled that / am
to die on the scaffold. | have made
up my mind to submit to it as well as
| can. There is no use butting my
head against a stone wall, or c~ursing
or swearing about it, because Idhave
to stand it just the same, and crazy
rawlings and howlings won't help my
case one bit. intend to act decent
ly and put up with my situation in
life as well as | know how"
'Areher, you have never expressed
yourself on the subject of the evidence
against you in this trial. Was Lynch's
testimony on the stand and his con
fession correct in detail?"
"Oh, yes" replied the outlaw.
'tLynch's story is true from beginning
TO the end. Icould change it little
bit, but not much, although Lynch
was one of the leaders In the killing oil
Bunch, and he took a more prominent
part in that murder than / did. In
fact, he helped Mart Archer in the
work, and the rest of us boys had to
help kill Bunch or be killed. Iremem-
Der well the day Bunch wss killed." he
continued, looking out between the
grating of his cell in a distracted sort
oil manner.
"We all gathered at Saltpeter Cave
and Bunch was our prisoner. A ma
jority of the gang didn't think of kill
ing him, only keeping him q prisoner
until he told us where Morley was.
My brother John and | were standing
outside the cave; Mart Archer soon
came out and told us they were going
to kill Bunch, and that we had to
help kill Bunch, too, and that if we
objected, he would shoot us full OF
lead. He had his revolver cooked, and
John and | knew him too well to trife
with him, so we went into the cave.
You know the rest"
"Was Mart Archer O. bad mann"
"There were no worse men in the
world. If we had refused to go into
that cave and help him in his murder,
/ wouldn't be here now talkingt to you.
He would have thought no more OF
shooting us than he would in killing
a dog, and, living with him, we knew
him. Mart Archer seemed to enjoy
dwelling on that word kill as though
it pleased him to threaten to kill peo-
pie, and.I believe he did,"
"What raising did you have?"
al can't say much for my raising"
replied the outlaw, ''but my life has
been one of crime, crime, crime-until
! have been hunted and tracked by de-
tectives until / got so discouraged and
disheartened that | was on the point
of giving myself up several times. /
walked through Shoals on the night
Of the goth OF last October. and / felt
like surrendering then"
"How old are your"
81 am 20 now, and was only %
years old when Bunch was killed. That
is the reason / think this sentence is
pretty hard. Mart Archer, my uncle,
is responsible for the downfall of us
boys. He was a perfect devil, and
constantly schemed and plotted, and
compelled the rest Of us to do his bid
ding at the muzzle Of his revolver. He
had us in his power, and we
were all afraid of him. We we're al
ways into trouble, and Mart had all
the people afraid of him. But / am
going to tell the truth, and Ihave
written to my brother Tom, in the
Paoli jail, to tell the truth about all
he knows. fflavel led life worsethaa
death the past six months, and now
l feel that / can rest awhile, even
though | am to die in ninety days. /
have been into 30 many crimes that /
can't remember them ALL"
1t is said John Lynch helped to cap-
tureArcher. Lynch knew Archer's
girl, and at the time of visiting the
cave with the officers he was allowed
to ride up TO Sam Archer's girls
house, when he called the girl out.
Lynch pretended to be excited and
asked her where Sam was, as he wanted
to 60 to him at once. The girl, sup
posing Lynch was her lovers friend,
replied: ooh yes, / know; just got a
letter from him this week. He is work
ing up in Fountain county" Lynch
dashed off and gave the officers the in
formation, and in ~forty-eight hours
they had their man.
Took No Chances.