The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-07-22
M0ONSHINE WARFARE.
The MurderOus Law.Defiers
OF Montgomery County.
THE PIKE COUNTY GANG
Dare Devils Who Are Not Afraid of
United States Marshals-GOv-
eminent Officers Murdered.

Revenue Agent y. K. Wheeler re-
turned yesterday from the wilds of
Montgomery County. Ark, where he
has been leading posse in search of the
murderous moonshiners of that region
who are up in arms against the govern
ment, openly defying the strong arm of
the law. There are now forty or fifty
of these outlaws Of the mountains
banded together under an agreement
not to allow any of their members to be
taken under arrest out of the county,
and to kill any officer who attempts to
remove one of them. They think they
are unconquerable, and fight United
States and State officers by the methods
of Indian warfare. Mr.. Wheeler
speaking about these people yesterday.
said Outlaw Brooks was the leader OF
the Pike County gang of thirty or
forty men, with headquarters at
Greasy Cove, not far from Fodderstoc
Mountain. Mr.. Wheeler made two
tips into Montgomery County. Mr..
Wheeler I'D:
|
"On the first trip in June, we did not
have time to stop1ong. Mr.. Fry, who is
a United States deputy collector, Mr..
Trammell and myself constituted the
party. We had no warrants for any of
the desperadoes, but expected to swear
Them out before Justice of the Peace.
We understood that man nance
| House was dealing in moor shine
whisky, and mad sufficient eviut nee to
base warrant on. To get to his place,
We rode through the woods secretly
and succeeded In arresting b ouse on
warrant taken out before Justice OF
the peace. The wife Of che of the two
House brothers began to dress, and
told US she was going out to see one /
the neighbors. We kept her from leav
ing. One of the House brothers we did
not arrest, because he claimed to be
| sick, but the other officers arrested a
man named Jefreys, and brought him
to the House place for the night. The
next morning, only few minute after
We left with Our two prisoners. Two
| dynamite bombs went of with desfe n
| ing sound that reyerbera:ed for miles
among tn hills.
|
THAT We understood to be the warn
ing and the call to arms for all the out
laws. A short distance on we came to
preachers house, and Fry talked to he
preachers wife, asking her about
Illicit stills. The woman said: 4 never
heard of one here abouts in all my life.
sir We knew she was lying. and
press ed on. Forward cur men saw
some men with Winchester rifles slip
quickly into the brush by the wayside
l whipped up my horse and dashed
right into the copse where the armed
men were seen, bat saw only Mr.. Tram
nell there. Bill Cogborn and two other
outlaws had left the road, and as We
led on, Cogborn stuck his rifle around
a tree and aimed at US deliberately.
Trammell covered Coeborn with his re-
Yolver, and said Coolly and firmly,
Drop that gunl' Cogborn lowered its
point nearly to the ground, while Tram
nell made him prisoner. l kept him
| there while Trammell rushed about in
the woods in search of more moon
sinners, but he did not find any.
While he was plunging about in the
woods saw a mounteiDeer doGgiDg
among the trees with long Winchester
rifle in his hands. Cogborn remained
our prisoner, and afterWard was he'd
in $1,000 bones by justice of the
peace for trial. He got the baiI, cut
whether it is good or not is another
/ question. My belief is that Coeborn
never intended to appear at court for
| trial. After this adventure, when night
came we returned to the house of JEFF
freys, and pulling our boes with tn ,'r
ends against the doors, we all SLEPT ex-
cept Trammell. who told US in the
morning that he heard men riding
about the place all night. In the
morning | said: Boys, get up and as
soon as l had spoken two dynamite
bombs again shook the earth and
echoed far away. Just as we started
out of the door to move away, the
brigan opened upon US with Win
chester rifles. firing thirty or forty
shots. Mrs, Jeffreys ran excitedIv TO
the door and yelled: Where be We 60.
ing? Tend to yer own business and
quit shootin'.' Jeffreys. who is a man
pretty we'll fixed Financially for that
country, proffered to go up the hillside
and find out WHY them feilers WAS
shootin' and stop them.
GOT AWAY ALIVE,
"We let him go, and he returned and
said he couldn't find the shooters. But
they shot no more then. After we fed
our horses we noticed somebody upon |
the hillside, and crept up TO the fence
with our Winchesters cooked. This |
brought down the vituperation of Mrs.
JeTfreys on cur heads, and she raised
terrible fuss because we were skirmIsh-
ing for her son. who was up there get
ting pine knots. Fry had 10 be back bv
June LIST, and as we started we expected
to be fired en- at Bluff Springs. At
Bluff Springs we found traces indicat-
ing that quite number of the outlaws
had been there, and citjz=n told US
we would be fired on within six miles. !
We were not, however, and got through
with our prisoners to justice of the
peace. Jeffreys was acquitted and
House was held in $500 bonds. We had
two witnesses who swore that they had
drank whisky at Houses place, vet
people came forward and swore that
there was no mOOnsh-ne whisky sold in