The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-21
DOWN IN A SNAKES DEN.
Evidences of an Awful Crime IN
earthed Amid Horrible Surround
From The Kansas CIV Time

| FORT SMITH, ARK, Feb. 6.-No country
in the world is more prolific in the romance
of crime than that portion Of this nation
known as the Indian Territory. Set apart
as it is by the peculiar laws of this govern
ment as an Independent empire, placed be-
| yond the reach of the common criminal
law save in closely restricted cases, it has
been for years the natural refuge of the law
| breakers in all that vast territory adjacent
to it. Early in the year 1882 the ranchers
in the vicinity of Arbuckle's Mountain,
Chickasaw nation, were raided time and
again by a particularly bold band OF horse
| thieves, who evidently made their head
| quarters in some of the Businesses Of that
| mountain, where they found ready and
safe retreat from pursuit. These depreda-
| tions ceased as suddenly and mysteriously
as they had commenced, and, after wonder
/ ing over it for some time the whole matter
| passed out OF the mind only to be recalled
| IN a startling manner.
As was afterward learned the band had
| consisted of a white man known as Walt
| Stevens, and two negroes bearing the
euphonious titles of Bully July and Friday
| Monday. Stevens was the possessor of a
charming young wife, to whom he was
warmly attached, who so thoroughly re-
| ciprocated his affections that she had given
! up everything to follow him into that
| wilderness, there to share his most uncer-
tain fortunes. His two companions in
crime soon began casting eager ewes toward
his wife, and as their advances were coldly
received they began TO plot to put the
| husband out of the way, imagining HIM to
be their only obstacle. With such men
the plot and its execution are never
lar separated, and these two
fiends were not long in finding an opportu-
nifty to consummate their devilish purposes.
AS they were returning late one night in
from L.. -.
while they were following the trail where
| its windings about Arbuckle mountain COM
| PEELED the three to ride in single file, July,
who was purposely in the rear, shot Stevens
in the back. The injured man fell from his
horse to the ground, where he was set upon
by the two conspirators and disarmed.
Then, deaf to the prayers of their helpless
victim, they carried him to well-lke cav
ern in the side Of the mountain, which was
known to be veritable den of rattlesnakes,
and thrust him in to a horrible DEATH
Having disposed of the husband, the next
| move on the part of the plotters was to get
the wife within their power, and they set
the performance of this task with an ingen-
| uity that was truly devilish. July rode I'D
to the cabi n and told Mrs. Stevens that her
| husband had fallen from his horse some
distance up the mountain and had broken
MS thigh. A suspicion of the trutl of this
story never crossed the mind of this faith
full little woman, and, filed with anxiety,
but with all true woman's strength when
loved one is in danger, she gathered up
what would aid her in caring for him, and
mounting behind the murderous wretch who
was even then nursing a blacker crime in
his heart, started for the side of her injured
hnSb nd. Arriving at the scene of the first
tragedy she first began to realize her awful
situation when she saw her husbands be-
longngs scattered about a hastily con-
structed camp. She then began to read the
looks the two vile wretches were casting
upon her, and it needed not the confession
of their former crime to tell her of her
husbands fate or of the fate that awaited
her. With gloating satisfaction they de-
tailed the death that had been the portion
of their friend and CO mrade, and then gave
her the fearful alternative between such
death OF submission to them. During four
long days and nights this unfortunate wo-
man, already heartbroken by her cruel loss,
was obliged to submit to her husbands muir
derers. In all that time she never ate nor
drank, and the frightful anguish she suf-
fered finally brought compassion to the
hearts of the demons in human disguise.
Then came the fear of discovery through
her, and July overru)ed his companion in
the determination that she too, must die.
He solemnly promised her that if she would
eat little she would be allowed to go home,
and while she was trying to force down a
few morses he shot her through the back of
the head Her body was then consigned to
the same grave as her husbands, and the
murderers rode away feeling perfectly safe
from discovery.
About eight months later. Monday. while
on drunken spree, told the story of this
double murder to woman with whom he
had become infatuated, and at the same
time confessed that he lived in constant fear
Of death at the hands of July who would
never feel safe so long as he lived His
fears proved prophetic, as he was found the
next day shot in the back and dead. This
act OF precautlon on the part of July came
one day too late, however, as the woman.
enraged over the killing of her lover, told
| his story to deputy United States mar
shall, who at once started out to verify it.
The first place visited was the cavern on
Arbuckles mountain, where the bodies
were supposed to be, and where it was
thought the proof would be found for
bringing his now three times murderer 20
punishment. The only way found to enter
the cavern was found to be by means of a
rope, and one of the boldest of the party
was lowered into it. Before he had made
fully half of the descent the signal for
raising him out came with an emphasis that
could not be mistaken.
Upon reaching again the sunlight the
thoroughly frightened man was only able
to gasp out snakes, when he fell upon the
ground in fainting condition. When he
had sufficiently recovered TO tell the story
of his brief trip he assured his deeply inter
ested auditors that the bottom of that dark
hole was absolutely filled with the biggest
snakes ever seen out of dreams. His ap-
pearance and well-known nerve bore ample
evidence to the truth of his story, and for a
time there was a decided lack of volunteers
to take his place. Seeing that unless
he came forward he was in danger
OF losing the evidence SO necessary
to his case, but which was so well
guarded, the marshal announced his deter
mination to make the next visit to the re-
gions below himself. In preparing for this
visit he stripped himself of all superfluous
clothing, and, taking sack in which to
gather what was left Of the two victims and
armed with revolver, he gave the signal
to lower away. When nearly to the bottom
he sent back the signal for a halt, and then
calmly began shooting the largest of the
reptiles that had been attracted from the
surrounding rocks by the light of his torch,
After few had been killed the remainder
of the inhabitants Of this dismal den seemed
to be panic stricken, and exhibited as much
haste in retreat as they had shown in re-
sentlng this intrusion from the outside.
In few moments after hearing the last
shot the expectant crowd about the mouth
of the cavern could feel the rope twitching.
notice to hoist away, and in obedience to