Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-03-23
C0RRALLEDIN
PAYBTTE C0UNTY'S DBSPRRAD0BS ARB
SURROUNDED BY YIGILANTBS.
The hoantainssrs Are Armed With Winchester
Rifles and Are Prepared for Emergencies The
Robbers Must Surrender or Siarys to
Dsaih-There is no Escape.

UNIoNTOwN, Pa, March 22.-At inter
walls from o'clOk to midnight last night
men on horseback, mostly alone, occca-
siOnally in pairs, were seen to leave Union
town, coming at random from all dirtc.
tiOns. but all gslloping away toward the
mountains. Few who saw them suspect
ed that this was party of yigllants that
was secretly organized ard which has been
the only organized expedition yet made to
capture the McClellaudtown robbsrs.
There we're ten from UniOnt0Sn and five
from tine vicinity Of the latest on RACES Of
the band, among them two of the victims
from MCCel.andtOwn. snd all men of grit
and determination. They were to have
been joined by twenty five or thirty picked
men along the road and from the vicinity
of the outlaws camp near Msrkleysburg
where the people are excited and willing
to aid IN removing the bad gang from
among them.
They appointed meeting place near the
point OF assault, and were to assemble
quietly after midnight, and no attack was
to have been made un.il daybresk this
morning. The gang has been under sur
veillance and they were known to still be
ensconced in the Hill house yesterday, and
the movements of the posse were made as
quietly as possible, to avoid letting the
band know OF the intended assault The
party were all well armed with revolyen
and in the portion from here there was
twelve repeating Winchester riflss.
The mOuntaineers sll keep theus7lvei
well supplied with firearms and the Who'll,
party made body Of considerable strength
Should an assault fail to surprise the in
mates and capture them, the party pr0pos
ed TO surround the house aud stsrye thl
| gang ont, and shooting any one who mad,
mis- appearance with arms. No word ha
reached here yet ~ TO their movements
the camp being thirty miles in the mOun
tains from here and it is supposed tha'
they are engaged o. a game OF starvation
This afternoon word rea he'd here tia
! they had tried TO force an entrance intS
tire log house in which the robbers are al
bay, during which thots were exchanged
on 10th sides without injnripg any one
The robbers refused TO surrender and sri
prepared TO sell their lives ag dearly az
possible snd TO die if they cannot escape
under cover of dMkneea. Nine meG anC
three women constitute the party in tb,
house, among whom Lewis, Sullivan anC
Ramsey were recognized. The attacking
party have the house well lsurrounded, and
are watched from safe defiance by about
one hundred mOuntaineers, who have nC
arms.
All the armed men in the neighborhood
have joined the posse. The outlaws have
an abundance OF ammunition, four Win
chester hes and sixteen reyolvers and are
not afraid 10 use them.
The attacking party are pronered a can
non, which is in the vicinity, with which
to batter down the house, but hesitate rs
yet to use it until they asceriain if they
can do so legally The principal reason
FOR the messengers trip was for iniorma-
,ion ON this point
The intelligence that the band WIS cor
rallied spread like wildfre here and soon
Sheriff Miller hsd started for the scene o!
difficulty with 2 large posse raised here,
who xpected to reach Markley-bnrg 3bont
dark. The vicinity of the robbers' d,n Is
ablazs with excitemenf, men hunying
the from all paris of the mOuntsin, and
with a good leader thy expect 10 finally
land the band in isil.