Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-04-25
Story Of Twelve Graves.

train had been held up.
inc robbery was so cunning!y
planned and boldly executed that the
people of liawlins Springs felt them
selves nggricvcd and IL band Of choice
spirits p lodged each other over tho bar
OF the Oriental saloon that they would
follow the dcspcradocs who had insult
cd their town by committing so great
an Outrage, and never return until they
had captured the outlaws and wiped
out the stain with their blood
g. Ono hotel, ono livery stable, half
dozen barrooms and MS many gambling
saloons, with music hall and an i'm
mcnsc cattle pen made up tho town of
Rawiins Springs. Numerous fights
Lad occurred there. The little grave
yard ON the side of tho hill contained
Twenty-Five mounds, and OIL the head
boards OF nil save ono were inscrip. ions
which explained how the occupant Of
the narrow home had met his death
with his boots on. Tho one unmarked
grave was occupied by II man who Il led
natural d,"U,, and it had not been
considered necessary to record so un:n
tercstinG I'm event. Never had a train
robbery been committed there before,
however, and it WIS natural that the
citizens should iccl themselves insu,tcd
1t was dak when tho express train
stopped long enough to allow tho pas.
sengers 10 cat their suppers at the
knwl ms hotel, and on tho evening of
the robbery it was cven darker than
usual because great storm was gather
ing and the heavy clouds shut out tho
light OF the moon and stars with an i'm.
pcnotr ablc veil. Two milos below
Kawlins, the train haltoI to tako on
water il was just aftcr making this
lust stop that the passengers ia the
sleeping cars realized that something
unusual was happening. Tho train
suddenly began TO slow up, and n
min ute Inter the people in tho car next
to the express heard sudden order TO
hold up their hands. Then from each
end OF the car came II man with his face
muiilcd in a handkerchief and big re.
voivcr in his hand. With perfect c,o.-
ness every passenger was examined,
and money, watches and all other
valuablcs were levied on. Then one
man was left to keep the people quiet.
and TIC other cars were gone through
uattls1sNsdy in the tain was left un.
I 81 When tho work was done.
li:ss siiistae was given, AMI as sud
Y asiss ASA lilyihad appeared, the robbers
ss !si a hi n sasaa iyS1n the darkness.
ssefssfie train was taken back to Ra Wins
Springs, and there it was found TIM,
the express car, too, had been robbed.
aud on the floor in front OF his safe ay
the mes cnger shot through the heart.
Thirty thousand Il ollars in all had
tccn taken. One OF the passengers
claimed that when the signal TO leave
had been given he had seen four men
jump from the train. 1t was to capture
these four and recover tho stolen treas,
urc that the good citizens OF Rawlins
had pledged themselves.
Twenty OF the boldest men OF Raw.
Inns started on the man hunt Every
ono of them had for years liycl a from.
tlcr3 mans life. and was accust omcd to
risk his existence on the slightest
provocation, and it therefore seemed n
trivial matter for such number Of
we'll armed men to capture four fuei-
tiycs, no matter how desperate they
might be.
With tho daylight on the morning
after the robbery. the cavalcade of Wig
llantes left Rawlins, and rode down to
tho water tank Without diffic,,ltv
they found pec, where several horses
had been tied, anl it was easy work to
see that from that point they had been
lea a distance OF mile or more and
had then been ridden Mt full speed
towards the noun tains. For ten miles
tho track of the fugltivcs wa, pl ain aud
distinct, and then as tho ground became
more rocky the trail fadcl away until
1t finally disappeared altogether. For
several miles the vigilante, rode on in
tho same direction, but when they found
not the slightest trace OF the mea they
were following, they concluded that the
rooosrs had changed their course, and /,
would be necessary to begin all over.
BY tho orders of the leader of the
vigilantes, the twenty men spread
themselves over the prairie with the
agreement that they should meet at
sandown and report any discoveries
which had been made. When the
stuntea trees began to cast long
= n ri ffs-.-o .