Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-01-08
A GEORGIA TERROR.
Brief History Of Will Wallace,
the Desperate.
RAISED IN A MooNsHINB REGION,

He Develops an Amount of Active Gus
sedness That Makes Him Leader-How
He Punished a Negro Who Peached-
Cold-Blooded Murder of Old Man
His Interview with Too-Outspoken
Preacher-His Capture and Release.
NEW YORK, Jan S.-A special to The
World from Atlanta, Ga, says: The re-
lease of win Wallace from the Jail of Harris
county on Sunday morning was in full
keeping with his previous career. 1t was
dashing, desperate, and successful. Wallace
is man in middle life, athletic, sinewy, and
active He was raised in the western por-
ton of Harris county, one of the few places
in Georgia where the illicit distiller finds a
home, and which, as a consequence, has a
large percentage of vicious men among its
population. Wallace was the most daring
of his fellows and soon came to be recognized
| as the leader in all things where courage was
| required
Begins His Career of Crime.
About year ago a colored man reported
| the existence of one of these "stills." Wal
lace essayed the roll of detective, caught the
| negro, tied him to tree and laid on lashes
| enough to teach him better manners in the
| future From that incident dated a series
| of outrages upon negroes Midnight visits
to the cabins the large plantations be-
came frequent, and the lash was used with
| unsparing vigor. The name of Will Wallace
soon became prominent as the man who led
| the attacks The murder of Ransom Gordon
made action on the part of the citizens i'm
| perative.
Murder of an Aged Negro.
Gordon was an aged negro, who with his
wife had never left the plantation on which
they were born. One day near the end of
August they were at work in the cotton
yard A man wearing a mask came down
the road He carried Winchester rifle
| As he came near where the old couple were
standing, he deliberately stopped, aimed and
| fired, blowing Off the old mans heed. The
assassin was VIII Wallace The manner of
Gordon's taking off stirred up the negroes
1 terribly, and they were out at the funeralfin
/ large numbers. The preacher described the
murder in flowing words.
Shoots the Preachers Lip Of.
The next day he was on his way to another
appointment when he rode right into Wal.
lace's gang.
"You seem to be very sorry for Gordon's
DEATH said Wallace
Eyes" replied the preacher, "but ven.
geance belongs to the Lord, and we will
leave it to him."
Couldn't you repeat your sermon OF
yesterday asked Wallace, raising his rife
The preacher, thoroughly frightened, dis
mounted, and opening his Bible gave out the
verses and the hymns, which the desperadoe:
sang As finale to the performance Wal
lace took aim and shot off the preacher.
upper lip.
| The Terror Run Down.
The next week notices were served on tht
negroes on all the plantations around Tht
utmost confusion prevailed. The cotton
picking season was on hand and it was i'm
possible to get labor. The negroes crowded
together for protection and many of them
began to leave. The people of the mountain
district called an emergency meeting anc
} organized themselves into a vigilance com
mittee. Things became so hot for Wallac,
!, that he left the county. The governors re
ward set the detectives after him and abou
three weeks ago he was run down by thu
marshal of West Point
: Rescued by His Friends.
! The incarceration of Wallace in Hamilton
jail was ill-timed 1t placed him within
, reach of his friends Thus the sun wen
down on the scene on Saturday night. Wal
lace had retired within his cell, which wa
| locked on him. Sheriff Kimbrough went (,
his home, and all was quiet. 1t was well OF
toward Sunday morning when the clatter o
hoofs awoke the restless citizens. On ever,
street were to be seen patrols. Around tn
sheriff's house a body guard was stationed
These were sufficient to preserve quiet unit
the men at the jail had completed the worl
of releasing Wallace.