The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-20
BORDER OUTLAWRY.
Lively Times in Days Gone By at the
Edge of the Neutral Strip.
o.
From the ST. Louis Republic.

WATERFRONT, TEX, July at has
always been fact that the borders of a
country were the last to come under the
influence of civilization, and since the days
of Red Gauntlet the border riders have been
feared and respected by the more consid-
crate and law-abiding class of people In
the latter days, of course, the wild riders
have ceased TO levy tribute on property IN
neutral territory, but, in the same way that
the highland pirates Of the olden time ex-
acted money from the border settlers, the
desperadoes of to-day exact the allegiance
of these subjects, and ia return for their
protection of property against the clans
| they expect no settler TO know anything
about them when inquiry is made, unless
| they know to whom the secret Is being
divulged. II is seldom the case. too, that
an exposure is made through the means Of
these people, who come to consider them
selves under the protection OF the rutfians.
They may be called ruffians, for they have
little regard for the lives or property of
those with whom they come in contact, and
there is seldom any mercy shown, though at
the same time they have q kind OF native
chivalry that prevents them from assasslna-
ton, from molesting the women, and from
taking the life of an unarmed foe, even
though they wage bitter warfare and ask
and give no quarter.
population of loo, but now almost in
ruins, has been for thirty years located on
the border of one of these neutral strips,
where the law has been suspended, and has
| perhaps been the arena of more bloodshed
in the way of clannish and single-handed
encounters than any other town or village on
the borders of Texas.
Two years ago in the cemetery OF that
town there were seventy-six graves of men
| who had fallen in combat with the knife,
pistol or deadly Winchester, and it is safe
| to say that half the victims never found a
resting place under the sod This place is
one beautifully located, and is six miles
from the southern boundary of the Indian
Territory. AT that point the Red river
makes an enormous bend, running in about
fifteen miles. Across the neck of this bend,
called the Delaware, is q distance of about
eight miles. and in that neck is situated the
| town Of which | speak. It is now fifteen
miles off the railroad, and has always been
the place where the desperadoes bought
their whisky and supplies, and went for a
| 'fracas" when their blood became worked
up TO the point that they had to hunt row,
which it frequently did The inhabitants
| Of this village, as the expression is, ibid not
| stand IMP with the riders as one would sup
| pose, and there was always feeling of dis
trust between them which often terminated
in fight, aud one or more deaths.
1 IL Il
cided that the wild riding and shooting of
their visitors must stop, it having come to
| the point that an outsider would not go to
| the town and woman would not go ON the
street for the fear of being killed by some
stray bullet. STILL when the borderers
came they ran things their own way and
the citizens would not WORK in concert.
One man might resent their insults with
the result that he would be killed and
| maVha one or two of the riders
The most noted of the gangs were those
of Jim Lee, Ed Stein and Sears, besides
others, with headquarters far up in the
4 wilds OF the territory. Finally a herd of
cattle was stolen from the neighborhood,
and every body knew that Sears clan did it,
Vigilantes were organized, and they pre-
pared TO give them a warm reception on
their return. A few weeks after Sears
came in alone, no doubt to see how the land
lay, and while in crowd some one put a
pistol to his neck and shot him, though it
failed to kill him. That night he was spir-
tied out of the place, and the following day
was one Of regular siege. The citizens
threw out guards and pockets on all the
roads, aud all went heavily armed. At
night the clan attacked the village, and for
three hours the battle ragged from behind
fences houses and wood piles until the des-
peradoes were beaten back, having lost
: several Of their men.
| FROM JDaC IlUlS On II6 CiUlZolB fought LC
kill them out. though their rendezvous wa
, on the river IN the bend, only eight miles
' distant On Dec. 27, 1856 Bill Oracle,
g | noted char acter, and several toughs came
3 through aud attempted to take the town
< All the people living in the country were il
: town chat day, and everybody went armed
o One of the riders started to ride his hors,
. into a sa DON, but as his feet hit the foo
9 some one struck him with billiard cue ant
1 knocked him down. This was the sigma
S for the shooting to begin. The deputy
sheriff fire a shotgun at Oracle but missed
: his aim, and the riders went down the stree
3 shooting right and left. Everybody took
Il hand, ana about 500 shots were fired. A
n the first volley Ed Long, one of the riders
y had bis horse killed. He at once jumped
II behind Oracle on his horse but a pistol bal
= struck him in the neck, mortaly woundinl
= HIM. Oracle held him on behind, and they
"a rode out Of town. The result of the ROY
v was three dead men, several wounded and
I number of horses killed but this was til
p last time they came in force to take tn
y town.
Soon after this, Oracle killed Henry Pus-
niger, sheriff of Pickens county, Indian
Territory, by striking him over the heaC
with a pistol. He bad the blood of about
dozen OF the clan on his hands, so he wen
= to the nearest railroad and left the country
u He was fine specimen of physical man
N nOOO, standing IeeU 4 lnCneS IN night, ant
i weighing 220 pounds. Besides being yer
= handsome in appearance, he was well edu
d Gated and always wore costly dress of tn
frontier style.
. Like many other border characters, n
'e one knew where be came from nor where h
went His followers Joined other bands an
most of them were finally killed. jim LIE
and his two brothers, Pink and Tom, too
refuge from the marshals in a cabin in tn
Indian Territory. When they we're al
- tackled they killed all the marshals five i
T number, and fed their bodies to the hogs.
large reward was offered for them. dead q
alive, and finally Jim and Pink were kiue
on the Texas side of the bend in the summe
i of 1887. Tom left the country and hi
= never been heard of SINCE One by one tt
% other clans fell off and were killed out unit
10 now there is little fighting there, compare
~ with a few years ago. The majority of tt
40 people who lived there then have me, an
40 those of different temperaments moved in
y that now the rough stone houses, the fence
= and doors full of bullet holes, and the stori
~ of the old settlers alone tell the dangers ar
IL lawlessness of few years back.