Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-08-16
THE sWAMPS OF ARKANSAS.
The Dcsperadoes Who Lived and
Ruled There for Years.

The Dcsperadoes Who Lived and
Ruled There for Years.
Only few years back, before the railroads
penetrated the swamps OF southern Arkansas
TO disturb them, says letter to the 81. Louis
GLObe-Demoerdt, desperadoes from all points
sought refuge in the depths OF these, the
most gloomy and inaccessible swamps Of this
country, and IL was only few years ago that
the most notorious OF this band OF exile
criminals first came here, and whose deeds of
desperate daring we're chronicled the world
over In the papers OF the land. This was Tom
Mitchell, Who started life as farmer boy,
aud whe by one bad deed 10 another, soor
found himself osriclsed from the haunts OF
man. His lrst trouble was when q mere boy
Of IL. when In drupken brawl, lie attempt.
ed 70 kill companion. he was arrested aud
tried. but. through some legal technically,
escaped the punishment OF the law.
At that time, as IL is now, the law OF the
state was to eonfscate all small arms found
en- prlsoners This was done In Mitchell's
case, q pistol he priced highly being taken
from him by the sheriff. This seemed to
arouse all the latent fierceness OF the young
man, and lie determined TO recover his re-
volver at the cost OF his life II necessary.
Going TO his home he armed himself heavily
and returned TO the jail. lie called the
sheriff out
'Sherlff, Pve come for my gun, and I'll
just give you five minutes to get 1t hyer."
The officer, seeing that trouble would ensue
II be did not comply, returned the weapon.
Matters, however, did not rest here. The
friends and relatives OF the man whom Nit
chell had attempted to kill felt bitter toward
him, and used every means TO draw him into
Quarrels, which Mitchell was not slow to
accept, and the consequence was that ut last
he was waylaid by three OF his enemies about
dusk at lonely part Of o country road.
Mitchell, all unconscious OF his danger, rode
into the ambuscade laid for him. A shot
wbistled past him. With bound he reached
a large cypress tree. Another crack Of
rife and his left arm fell powerIess TO his side
Mitchell caught q glimpse OF one OF the at
lacking party, at whom be fired three shots
rapidly. The last shot killed bis man.
Another Of the men exposed himself, and
two shots laid him low. Then seeing tho
other man a stranger to him he called outs
"Say pardner II you will quit WILL"
"rll be id II do" was the reply.
With that he fired at Mitchell, who, step
ping from his place OF concealment, raised
his rife and shot his antagonist through the
heart Now IL was the boy Of II became
desperate man. Knowing that he could no
longer live at home he determined 10 retreat
into the swamps Posse after posse was dis
patched after him, but they found 1t impossi-
BILE to capture him.
Mitchell was shortly Joined by two men
who had been equally unsuccessful in restrain
ing their nugovernable tempers. These were
Campbell and Cummins. Ihey banded Them
selves together, and, retreatlng into the
depths OF the swamps surrounding the st.
Francis river, swore that no man should ever
live between the st. Francis and the Misss-
sippl rivers, and for a number of years they
kept their oath, styling themselves the
''swamp angels"
About one hundred yards from the depot
at this place is their old fording-place, and
upon large white gum tree a cross was cut
by an axe TO designate the crossing. The
most hardy woodmen still refuse TO penetrate
into the depths of these forests OF cypress,
and the dark, swampy ground is seldom trod
bv human feet 1t is still the home OF the
bear and the panther, the wild turkey aud
deer.
Some years have passed since the 'swanp
angels" were monarchs OF the gloomy waste
Mitchell was at last captured and died in
prison. Campbell, who was considered the
most gentlemsnly OF the trio, is farming not
many miles from the marked tree, and Cum
minis is a laborer Both of the survivors are
now leading peaceabc life, but rarely come
to the settlements, and few who meet them
would think they we're once the famous
''swamp angels" who we're the terror Of the
settlers OF southern Arkansas