The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-01-03
A BLOODY FIGHT,
In Which the Kellys Are Consid-
erably WOrSted.
AyENGERSRUN DOWN THE MURDERER

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and awful retribution. A posse Of self-ap-
pointed avengers are said to have found them
in Texas, whittier they had fed from their
ranch in ''No Mans Land" and, in the fight
that ensued, the mother and daughter were
killed. The old man escaped, but the son, Bill,
was caught and hanged.
The horrible crimes charged against the
Kelly family even surpass those of the notori-
GUS Bender family, and recall the juvenile
stories Of the giants, who, in ancient times,
established themselves in some lonely spot
and fed upon the bodies of unhappy travellers.
They were believed TO be respectable,
honest and harmless people, and their ranch
being on the public road-or what
goes as public road-in that
country, travellers stopped there almost
every day to get something to eat, or, perhaps,
a nights lodging. The family consisted of
Kelly, his wife, one son and a daughter, the
children both grown. Although illiterate, they
were certainly clearly and evidently industr-
Gus. The news Of their bloody work was first
brought to the outside world by Mr.. Charles
Randolph Of Chicago who was seen by your
correspondent last week, and who gave an ac-
count OF the finding of three bodies III the
basement of the house. "Ihe residence" lie
said, "is located ten miles from Oak City, in
No Mans Land, and is a dugout with one
room in it. In the centre of the floor
they had constructed a trap door, which
opened into a basement underneath. Their
practice seems to have been to sound
their victim and ascertain, as far as possible,
the extent Of his cash III hand Then they de-
liberately, it seems, prepared to dispose Of him.
Either the father or the son, or III some case
the daughter-who was not a bdd-lOOking
girl-Carried ON a conversation with the guest,
while the mother prepared the meal Every
thing being in readiness for the sacrifice, the
victim was seated at the table his chair being
placed on the trap-door. At given signal the
spring was touched and the unhappy traveller
would be thrown into the basement, whore, in
the darlE-il the fall did not break his neck
he could be dispatched at pleasure. This is
supposed to have been the moduS opcrandi,
for no one is known to have ever escaped from
their clutches"
"Ior several months" continued Mr.. Ran
dOlph, mysterious disappearancos had been
quite common in the vicinity OF Oak City, but,
although they had caused considerable com
plcnt, 10 attempt was made to trace the miss
ing persons, their absence being attributed to
the bullet of highwayman or a desperate, so
often met by the lonely traveller in some parts
OF that country. No suspicious, so far as |
could learn, were ever directed to the Kelly
family, and when, about the LIST of November,
they disappeared, nothing was thought Of it.
But a week or so later a number of men, by
mere accident, happened to enter the deserted
dug-out. When they opened the door they
were almost knocked down by the sickening
stencil which met their nostrils. They recog-
nHed it at once as coming from the de-
composing body of human being, and they
proceeded to investigate. There was nothing
in the room save the stencil to excite Suspi-
Cion, and they were rather mystiied until one
of them noticed the trapdoor, 1t was but the
work of a moment to throw up the trap, pro-
cure a light and enter the dungeon of death.
Almost underneath the hole through which
the kelys allowed their victims TO drop, was
the body of a man. He had, doubtless, been