Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-19
KENTUCKY OUTLAWS.
About Thirty Strongly Fortified Against the
Law Near Harlan COurthOuse-A
Fight With Troops.

LOUISVILLE, KY, April lS.-A special
from Harlan courthouse says: A deadly
fight occurred this morning at II % o'clock,
seventeen miles east OF here, up in the
Black mountains, between a detail Of
state troops, consisting of sixteen pr1-
Yates, Lieut.. Milton and Sergt. Pullian,
and about thirty outlaws, who were
fortified in an old barn. Five of the SOL
diers were wounded It is not known
how many of the outlaws were
killed, as they still have posses
sion of the barn. Corporal BlantOn was
sent in after reinforcements, and knows
but little, as he left Immediately after
the firing began. The particulars, as
near as can be learned, are as follows:
Yesterday afternoon Capt. Gather, who
is the commanding officer, was informed
that body of laWless men, some OF
whom had been indicted for various Of
lenses, were fortified against the law at
the above locality, and had refused to
surrender to the civil authorities. He
was asked for g detail of his men to go
out with some OF the civil officers for the
purpose of arresting them, and he at
once sent sixteen privates, in charge OF
Lieut.. Milton, Sergeant Pullian and Cor
poral Blanton. They expected to tud
the men in u private house, about 600
yards beyond the barn, from which
they were fired upon. The attack was
not looked for at that point, and came
so Unexpectedly it demoraliZed the
soldiers for a moment or two, but they
soon rallied, surrounded the barn and
began firing into it from every direction,
20
and hold the fort until reinfOroements
arrived with more ammunition. 1t is be-
lieved that a severe fight will take place
as soon as additional troops reach the
place, for the outlaws are fortified, well
armed with Winchester rifles and swear
they will not surrender, and the soldiers
are determined and want revenge for
those who have been shot down.
REPORT CONFIRMED.
At Frankfort Adjt Zen. Hill received
8 telegram confirming the report Of
the fight in Harlem. The telegram
is from W. G. Thompson, officer in
charge of the arsenal at Frankfort,
who was started by Gen. Hill to Harlan
courthouse. Thompson telegraphs that
the fight occurred in the Black noun
tains April Is, in which five SOL
diers were wounded. The telegram
stated that Thompson had been
unable to get further than PIneville,
and was waiting for instructions. Gen.
Hill says Capt. Gather, who is in COM
mand, wrote him last week that a posse
was being organized to arrest VIII
Howard and one of his gang
out in the Black mountains,
and that he had promised
twelve soldiers as part of the posse. 1t
is possible that the fight was between this
posse and Howard gang, or it may have
been an attempt on the part of
the friends of Will Jennings TO
rescue him. jennings has been cleared
of the charge for which he was taken to
Harlin to be tried, but instead of being
released he was held for another, and
possibly for delivery to Missouri author
tiles, who wanted him at the
time of his arrest in Kentucky
officers last fall. Jennings was to have
been taken to Plneville under guard of
troops on his way to Missouri, and Gen.
Hill thinks it not unlikely that the
fight may have resulted from an
attempt of jennings friends to re-
lease him. The troops at Harlan
are fifteen from Lexington, twenty from
Harrisburg and three from Frankfort.
The Black mountains, where the fight
occurred, is seventeen miles from
Harlan.