Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-13
WEST VIRGINIA GUILD.
The DiaboIic8l Deeds of 9 Band Of So
Called Regulators Made Public
4 County TerrorIZed.
4 Minister OF the Gospel and Three Yong
Men Lynchtd-Detec ,ivts on the
Trsil of the Leaders.

PARkER:BURG, ". VA, Jan. Il.-Rev.
Thomas P. Ryan, noted Methodist mIn-
lister Of this state living in Roane county,
about forty miles from here, was bTntdlly
murdered IN the presence of bis family,
ana Ct his own nOpse, in October LAST.
lie had just returned from conference
with $500, aud the purpose OF the MUIR
der was evidently robbery. Within two
orthEee days after that three young men
r Jbert and George Duff snd Chester
COok--Were brutally lynched for the
murder. It has been the prevailing
opinion thst the lynchers and the mur-
Gerers were the same parties, and that
:hey lynched the innocent men to cover
their CW0 crime. Since the events Just
stated took place Detectives Alfred Bur
nett snd Dave Cunningham have been
working Up The case, and last nigh. for
the flrsr tine made public the ttcts in
regard TO the matter. Cunningham says
that .b0ut the time winter broke
out s number of families came from
CEnch river, Russell county, Virginia,
End squstted on the Brown estate with
cut either buying or leasing the land
and s band was organized which WAS to
run the neighborhood as it pleased and
protect their "rights" as sQaatters.
Most of the arrests of the band since
then have bsen made By members Of the
Cook family and by the Duff. Ilregard
TO the more recent doings of the band,
the names OF thirty-nine members, the
pass word and so-forth are given. The
consolidated band" held meetings every
week and at every meeting they took
new oath to div1lge nothing under pen
atty of death. About three Ks be fore
Ryan was murdered they held meeting
e. Kentuck at which il was moved that
they proceed at once to lynch George
and Robert Duff, Frank Shsmblin, DEC
J mes ard Jack Parsons. The motion
Gss seconded but was voted down by
very small majority. TIE. next week
meeting wss teld st the same place aud
TIE same motion was made and again
lost by small msj Jrity. At this meet
ing four OF the members for whom it was
getting too murderous withdrew from
The band. The next day the Duffs and
Cook were lyuched. After George Duff
had been fatally wounded by the lynchers
Squire Taylor ordered the aerest Of Bob
Duff snd CHESS Cock. The next evening
Squire Gardee ordered them to be taken
to Walton. The constsbles discharged
The orders. Cook WISE taken to joe
Cooks and Duff to David Cox'S residepce
Tor the night. That night tht band held
& secret meeting st Linn Camp school
house. L. WAS decided TO lynch Cook and
wait until Ben Cook, uncle OF Che ss
Cook, one Of the men whom they were
going to lynch, was elected leader and he
accepted the position. Trey then went
to Cooks where Chess Cook vas, took
him out and hanged him. Tnen they
vent TO Dave Cox's, took Bob Duf out
and cut his throat. He Was first stabbed
il the stomach and breast, then 8 CASH
vas cut Ia his throat, and f lslly Daf's
head wss held back while one man cut
his throat from year TO year. In regard
TO the murderers OF Ryan being lYnched
the detective says: I'VE haye secured
evidence enough to prove, and will prove,
that the men who lynched Cook and the
Duff boys were the same men that muir
dered the R.v. Thomas P. Ryan. The
five or Elk men engaged in the murder Of
Ryan do not all live in Roane county. l
have their names, and they are all in that
county now with some possible excep-
tons.
A number OF original letters are also
made public, in which prominent citizens
have been warned to leave the county.
These warnings are all signed "Regu-
lators,n and are addressed TO men and
women. The common form is to the de-
struc,ion OF property, mutation Of the
body or other outrageous conduct. TIE
slightest offeDse Oh the part Of any one
wzs punished with 8 warning and the
person warned generally found it. wise 70
leave. The grips and other signals of the
hand are given. The fore fager CT the
right hand paced around The thumb is
| the signal for meeting when it's dark,
sud the same fiager thrust into the hand
that meeting was to be held 1t once
| and io the dsy time. The meE make oatf
to the above statement sBd ppmosT OIL
affidayits accoEdbsng the pabsicsIion.
c.ssrrh s,rieinell y In scrofulous faint
hoods Ssrzs(G filla ,puritsas the blood
and thus permanently hires catsrrh.