The Savannah tribune. [volume] (Savannah [Ga.]) 1876-1960, 1888-05-26


morning, but no one slept. All through
the night armed recruits from all parts
of the country came to re-enforce the
besiegers. Tho crowd was under the
direction of the sheriff, who disposed
them so that every avenue of escape
from the barn was watched.
In the mean time kilograms had been
sent to Tekamah, thirty miles away, for
re-enforcements. Superinten dent Nc
Cabe of the Burlington placed special
train at the service of the sheriff, and
fifty men, armed to the teeth, arrived
on the scene of action at o'clock in
the morning. Shortly after their ar
rival man named Edgar Everett, one
of the newcomers, volunteered to set the
barn on fire. Slipping along quietly
behind haystacks and outhouses, he sue
ceeded in reaching point within few
feet of the barn. Thinking the desper
ado was in the upper story and would
not see him, he made an attempt to
enter. Hardly had he advanced foot
from behind his shelter when rife shot
rang out, and a third human victim of
the Mexican's deadly aim fell shot
through the right lung. A number of
men at once made q rush toward the
barn, but the fusillade which greeted
this approach compelled them to turn
back, and Everett was left to die where
he fell.
A consultation was Immediately held.
the folly of attempting to fire the barn
in the day time was agreed to, and it
was decided to keep a close watch on
the prisoner until night, when it was
believed that the barn could be fired
without the sacrifice of any more lives.
To attempt to starve him out was
known to be task of many days, as
the barn contained, besides thirteen
head of horses and mules, number of
mich cows and hundreds of chickens.
All day the crowds surged and circled
about the barn, but were careful to keep
beyond the range of the Mexican's
deadly rifle. A wagon load of provi-
sions arrived during the morning, and
commissary headquarters were estab-
lished at the johnson residence. AL
though the furious firing of the previ-
Gus evening was not renewed, a number
of shots were exchanged and several of
the besiegers were slightly wounded.
Upon the approach of night, as there
was no moon and the sky cloudy, it was
decided, to prevent all chance of
Wright's escape in the darkness, to fire
haystacks on three sides of the barn.
This it was believed would also furnish
an opportunity to ignite the barn on the
dark side in case the prisoner dill not
surrender. At 10 o'clock the stacks
were fired, and the crowd awaited de-
velopments. The prisoner, however,
was still defiant, as was evidenced by
shots from the barn whenever any one
approached the structure in the light of
the blazing haystacks. Several at
tempts were made to ignite it,
but in every case the men were dis
covered by the vigilant Mexican and
compelled to retreat under fire. Grad
ually the light from the burning stacks
diminished, and by . o'clock shed a
comnarativa1v feeble Iioht.
Then it was that it was decided to
make the final and desperate attempt
to either capture or kill the prisoner A
dozen volunteered to start the fire, but,
as it was considered highly desirable to
attract as little attention as pos sible, it
was agreed that only two should go.
Accordingly two of the shrewd-
est men in the crowd, supplying them
selves with some hay matches, and
can of kerosene started on the perilous
mission. At first they went directly
opposite from the barn, in order to de-
ceive the Mexican in case he should OBJ
serve them. To further distract his at
tention from them, just as the men were
about to start the crowd began a rat
Ting fusillade on tho barn, and kept it
up so fercely that it sounded as if
pitched battle were in progress.
| Reaching point several yards beyond
the light of the burning haystacks tho
\ two men stole cautiously toward the