The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-27

and the other threatened to prosecute him.
Wallis mad him get out of the buggy and
whipped him sou IDLY, and made the other
drive away and leave his companion in the
/ road
! All these capers Of the OUTLAW made the
| people in the settlement fear HIM, and the
I c0lOTed people dreaded him. About this
time il became generally known that Wallis
had band, and the officers began to despair
| Of ever capt lring him.
Two years aga a black republican lecturer
toured this section, making incendiarY
speeches, advising the negroes to rise and
refuse TO submit 70 being led By the whites.
Wallis aud his band heard of it, aud the
Lecturer suddenly disappeared nobody
knows where. The negroes were greatly
ALARMED, and began to suspect that the
lecturer was ghost until it leaked out that
Wallis band had fixed him"
It is not an unusual thing for farmer to
find In the swamps traces of the outlaw
where he has killed and butchered their
cows and hogs.
Wallis was born in this section and lived
In an out OF the way locality on farm
with his widowed mother until he was Is.
bis mother married a second time and the
stepfather mistreated the boy. The mother
advised Wallls to leave home, and the boy
followed her advice. One night he stole
out Of the house and was not seen again in
many years. He went 10 Texas and Joined
the cowboys, and remained on the fro atier
until be was 25 He returned to Georgia to
get revenge upon his stepfaLher, but both
the steptather and Wallis mother were
dead. Old residents say that Wallis then
became hardened to everything and counted
everybody his enemy He lived about over
the country engaged in no work, and grad
ually drifted into outlawry.
This sort Of life has a fascination for
him. and old residents say he will follow it
until ne is shot down. For long while
Wallis was alone in his depredations. but
now It turns out that ne has band, and
the officers despair Of ever capturing him.
Ihls band numbers sixty and it is said
that the members can get together in an
hours time ready to do their work. While
these on laws are up to all manner of mean
ness themselves, they never permit other
oHsnders to go unpunished. In
this sense they have become correctors OF
the community. They quell instructions
and put an end to al oullawry of Others
In, Sc who are known to be murderers, in
hiding among the mountains are appre-
hended by Wallis band, and are turned
over TO officers of the law. Mob dy knows
who Wallis followers are. He is seldom
seen now atays, except on maraudering ex-
petitions. Molntaineers reside all along
up AID down the river, aud it would be q
difficult matter to capture Wallis or any of
his followers
The only railroad traversing this section,
until recently, wasthe Columbus and
Rome railroad, a narrow gauge Some
thefts have been committed upon it, but no
trains have been held up. The Georgia
Midland railroad FORCES through the noun
talns near mere, and the people have been
listening for train robbing on that line.
II Wallis band should get hard run. the
railroads, old residents say, may keep
guarded. The Georgia Midland is a splendid
road, and it has never been robbed. As
long as the country people are in as good
condition as they now are, though, the rail-
roads have no cause for uneasiness. 1t is
said that several hundred dollars are offered
Tor WallIs' apprehe sion, but the chances
OF arrest now are less sure than they were
two or three years ago. His friends among
the m puntaineers and his followers among
the back woodsmen are always on the alert.
ArreSting officers are never able to
possess themselves of information, re-
halle, and unless they gain over
to their side some member of the despera-
dos gang they cannot accomplish any
thing. They cauuot hope to hunt him
down IN the mountains.
Every piece OF outlawry committed in
| Piue Mountain district Is charged to Wallis
/ Old residents can see his handiwork in al
| most everything mean.
Sometimes he slayS for plumber, again c
| sense of duty, they say, must impel him, as
in the case of the republican lecturer.
| r. D. R.