Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-28
THREE BAD MEN.
They We're Brought in from the
Territory Last Night.
The Crime for Which They are Wanted
is Murder-A Picnic Broken
Up with a Killing.
A Long. Hard Chase mid Mountain Fast
nesses-The Trail Followed with Matches.
History Of the Crime in Full

men over table in Lawson 8 restaurant,
all eating away as though life depended
on It.
Sheriff J. c. Richardson sat near by
and with keen eye alert, q dangerous
looking Winchester, already cooked, in
his hand.
1t looked like all Eve epioureans were
prisoners.
In fact only three of them were prison.
ers, the other two being Deputy United
States Marshal Bob Moore of the Indian
country and his assistant Will Evans of
the same country.
The prisoners were VIII and Jim
Brawley, brothers, and Sam Brawley,
their cousin.
They reached Fort Worth about IL
O'Clock in the evening, having come in
from Ardmore, /. T., on q through
freight train over the Santa Fe.
The crime for which the men are
wanted is best set forth by THE GA
ZETTE' S Weatherford correspondent, who
under date of August %, writes as fol-
ows:
AT the Clear Fork picnic yesterday,
just as a speaker was complimenting the
audience and the community, dis
turbauce broke out, which ended in
bloody fight and probably
homicide. Young Henry Erwin, the
son and mainstay of widow
lady residing near Poolville, was sud-
denly and without proyocation set upon
by three Intoxicated young men and
beaten and stabbed nigh unto death
before the bystanders could pull
them off. The facts detailed by
witnesses are substantially as follows:
A neighborhood picnic was being en-
joyed there yesterday, and some of the
young men, among them the three
Brawley boys, Sam, Jim and Will,
drank freely of "hard cider'i and soon
became quite hilarious and boisterous.
Henry Erwin, young man about eigh-
teen years old, rode up to the crowd and
was told by one of the Brawleys to
''tiank'' his horse. Erwin replied that
he had fauked him once. Brawley re-
peated his request several times, when
Erwin told him that che didn't have
to, - at the same time riding to another
portion of the grounds where he alighted
and hitched his horse. In few minutes
the Brawley's joined by another brother
came TO where he was and began abus-
ing him about not "fianking' his horse.
After a few words were passed young
Erwin was dealt several heavy blows
with loaded quirts in the hands of three
of the Brawleys, while the fourth one
was using knife with deadly effect.
Young Erwin could do nothing, being
as he was SO completely overpowered.
Several pystanders interfered as soon
as possible and carried Erwin to a
house near by, when it was
%hot Anl
dozen ticks in the head, several knife |
wounds in the arm, and deep cash IN
his right side. An witness says that |
the knife used was long, keen bladed |
one, and that when stabbed IN the side 1t |
went TO the hilt.
Immediately after the difficulty the |
Brawleys saddled their horses and took |
to the woods. There beng no officer on |
the ground no arrests were made.
The remainder of the story was told a |
by Bob Moore, as with ener- |
getc use of knife and fork he waded |
through a juicy steak last night.
yesterday about noon,' he said, |
f'I saw Marshal Heck Thomas at the |
depot at Ardmore, l. 7. He told me |
about these men, showing a card from |
Sheriff Sisk of Parker county Offering a |
reward of 500 for their capture. am
not q regular deputy marshal, but |
Thomas knew 1 would be able |
TO find the men if anybody could, and he
told me he thought the refugees were
some where in that neighborhood and |
would probably catch them if set out.
Thomas could not stay to look after them
himself.
$50 l went around and found my
VIII Evans, and saddliug
,ur horses we set out to spot the trail.
We Travelled in the direction of Ar
ouckle, in the Chickasaw Nation,
going some ten miles, when late
n the evening 6 settler told us that three
men wearing white hats, answering the
description of the men wanted, had
passed by short time before.
''That settled 1t. Mounting horses
gain we rode as fast as possible
Jack to Ardmore. / wanted to telegraph
Sheriff Sisk of Parker county who, 1
bought, was at Gainesville. But could
lot reach him. There was only one thing
eft TO do. We would have to follow
he trail ourselves. We started back
O the point where we first heard from
he fugitives. By the time we reached
hat place it was quite dark aud
Ee could hardly see a hand be-
ore us. But we found the prints
# their horses shoes in the
DAD. 1t bad rained the night pre-
.iously, so the dirt was soft aud impress
ionable and reproduced the horses
oofs distinctly. But we had to dis
Mount frequently and light matches to
md out whether we were on their route
T not.
"It is dismal and dangerous country
here. On each side the mountains
pom up in grand silhouette against the
kies, and patches of forest
long the traIl make night
nore dreadful. There are numerous
ands of outlaws known TO make their
endezvous in that neighborhood. In
act it is O fine place for honest people to
teer away from, unless they are pre-
AIRED for troublesome emergency.
''For five long, slow miles we followed
he trail as l said. 1t must have been
ear midnight when We decided to put up
or the night. Going up to house near
be road 1 raped on the door, which
Ias opened by an old man. TO whom 1
Did my purpose in awakening him.
r' All ri. ht, he said. Come right |
i. Men employed as you are can always
nd lodging at my house.
$50 we lariated our horses and laid
own to sleep, first telling the owner to
waken US early.
ssThe sun was barely mn when we |