Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1891-04-16

Kerr county, where he telegraphec
Sheriff Moore to arrest him, which
was done. Condra's brother wal
with him, having recently been re
leased from prison, and he claimed
the horse Of Mr.. Yoakum's in VIM
Condra's possession at the time Of
his arrest and fed up the Guada
loupe river. When Mr.. Yoakun
reached there, he got Jas. Mathews
ranger to Join him and they per
sued Condra to the home of Jas
Graham, a suspicious character in
Edwards county where they arrested
him.
! Bill Lambert, one of the gang, is a
Burleston county man, whose father
before him was killed near Pitts
Ferry for resisting arrest on a
charge of horse stealing. Bill mar
ried a Cheek, and moved to Falls
county, the Cheek family moving to
Sommerville county. They at one
time stole some horses from the
Mitchell boys in Sommerville county
and Lambert rode them, fleeing
from officers, 80 miles in 16 hours.
Deputy Sheriff Wally, of Falls coun-
ty, assisted by deputies followed
and surrounded a house, in which
Lambert and Roach another one of
the gang, had taken refuge, and it
is related that these two dare devils
walked boldly out of the house
opening fire on the officer and his
six deputies, wounding Wally with
pistol shot in the neck, and putting
to flight the others, capturing three
shot guns and four six-shooters,
mounted their stolen horses and
made their escape, going to Nat
chitoches La. They were followed
there by officers, Sheriff Reeves, of
SommerEille county, heading the
pursuing party. They were located
in an open field, the posse rein
forced until there were some twenty
in it, and the field surrounded. But
the fugitives made bold dash for
liberty where their pursuers were
thinest and again escaped, Roach
getting slightly wounded.
They came back to Texas and
next stole couple of horses from
Ben Smiths pasture in Burleson
county. Lambert had assumed the
name of v. W. Carson, and when
Sheriff Num-, of Brazos county, re-
ceived telegram from officers who
were in pursuit that Carson was
crossing the river from Burleson he
started after them and overhauled
them near the line of Robinson and
Brazos county where he got about
twelve head of stolen horses, Roach
drew his gun and refused to surren.
der and the officers rather than kill
him let him escape as it was Carson
they had been ordered to arrest.
Lambert claimed to be a detective
himself and in substantiation of his
claim showed a commission from a
Kansas detective agency and a
badge, the commission being to W.
W. Carson, the name he had been
going under since his return from
Louisiana. Sheriff Num-, Of Brazos
county now has the commission and
badge. Lambert was sent to the
penitentlsry from Brazos county for
IL years, and remarked to the court |
when the verdict of the jury was
read, shat it was light sentence,
for which he was under obligations
to the jury as he deserved hundred
years"
Some of the gang have not been
captured yet, but Mr.. Yoakum has
evidence to convict them and has the
location of every one of them and
will not let up until all are safely in
the penitentiary.
In telling of his long chase MIR. |
Yoakum drew a diagram for the re-
porter starting at his home il
Bosque county, which he will not
to follow In its zigzag
course, however, it extended as far |
south as the southern part of Austin
county and west beyond San An
tonic and back and forth through
the country between these points
until he has ridden after the gang
Or members of it, for 1900 miles on |
horseback and 900 on the train and
spent $3.50 for lodging and board
en- route.
Mr.. Yoakum is an ordinary look
ing farmer and to the casual obser7-
or does not look like a man who |
would turn detective and chase
horse thieves for months without |
ever letting up calling to his assis-
lance the authorities of every county |
ne passed through and stopping to-
gether evidence of other crimes |
some of the gang have committed,
but that is what he has done and |
The bundle of evidence of their
crimes that he offered to let the re.
porter copy, was appalling, and res