The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-04
OONvlCTS MARCHING NORTH.
KENTUCKY NOW ALARMED OYER THE
sCU,RRYING PRISONERS


,,.x are Travelling In s.aM Companiss,
md Il .. Feared They win Commit vso-
x,ce In Their EHorts 10 Secure FeoA--
o,s camp Resting In the Moustains-The
p,d,cuiou, Position OF the Governor n
a.. Matter Of Enthusiastically Thirty
ro,yicts Have Been Reeaptured.
vxoxyr11,E. Nov. 3.-From reports received
., Knoxville to-day 1t Is known that many OF
the convicts released by the miners on Friday
and sunday nights are already across the
Vontucky line and Arc exciting much fear In
the minds Of the villagers and farmers OF far
southern kentucky. This shows that tho con-
yicts are travelling rapidly. 30 far the at
,smpt to recapturo them or to arrest their
N,oht have been 30 slight that it may be said
tbst they have been unmolcsted. These
l5O half.cad. moneylcss convicts are
now well clear OF Anderson county.
where the mines are situated and
ara scattered through Claiborne. Campbell.
and Scott counties. which Ito against the north
iIne Of the State Conductors Of south bound
trains running here say that there have been
several groups OF convicts. or half-naked men
Who look like convicts. trhuRinR along the line
Of railroads in northerly direction.
Several persons have also come into Knox
villa from towns forty and fifty miles to tho
north. They have seen q few convicts but
univ few. From this 1t would appear
A. arst that the $50 are travelling
IN small groups The largest number
r.ported seen together was fifteen.
but there is good reason to believe that at least
one body numbering fifty men is camping In
the mountains not far from the county seat OF
warren county. and It is said that these men
arc making no attempt to get further on. Sew
er,l Of them are armed. The people up that
WAY are in state OF great alarm. One noun.
taipeer. who lives in the wilderness fifteen
miles from Coal Creek. and far from tho
line Of the railroad. told The Sun cor
respondent this morning that eighteen
conyicts from Bricevile stopped at his
house last night and demanded food. He
ssid that they acted in very ugly way. This
made him only the more DESTROYS to please
them. When his wife finally got together food
enough they fell upon 1t and devoured It as
though they had not eaten for long time.
They ate up all that there was In his house and
then went away. He said they made no con-
ceslment Of where they had come from and
that the leader OF them told him that they
would stay with him longer II they were not
afraid Of pursuit
The country through which most Of these
convicts are travelling is wild and rugged.
with only occasional houses and q small food
supply. Most OF the convicts are keeping away
from the main roads and from the lines Of the
railroads. They are received by the noun
taineers in a friendly way. and are allowed to
60 IS soon as they get ready.
No mountaineer ever thinks OF arresting
them. partly through sympathy for the cause
Of the miners Of Walden's Ridge. but more
through fear Of what ten or fifteen des-
petate men might do. It Is certain
that $50 persons cannot long depend upon
charity for their support Knoxville people
feel sure that In few days stories Of crimes
from mere theft to arson and violence will be-
gin to come in. Arson and certain forms Of
violence are the commonest crimes among
these convicts. Their natural disposition-a
combination Of ignorance Of law or decency
and the most brutal passions-will soon assert
ITSELF Indeed. news travels SO slowly through
this section that many crimes may have al
ready been committed.
While the fear Of the East Tennesseans is
tsmpered BY sympathy. tho fear Of the Ken
tuckians. upon whom this foul stream OF Grim
inal humanity will soon be discharged. is not
IN any way mitigated. They know that by the
time the convicts strike Kentucky. food will be
wanted, and the sense Of freedom will be
strong In the minds OF the convicts. The
authorities Of the Kentucky towns from Mid
dlesboro to 100 miles west are preparing for
their unwelcome visitors. and propose to mako
It exceedingly warm for them. This Is proper
enough and necessary. but will cause crimes
of retaliation. The convicts safely guarded
were grave enough problem. but the conyicts
at large are still more serious
To-day the Tennessee officials made their
first attempt toward the recapture, Of the
sscaped cSnvists considerable tS i9Tse 81
the three stockades started for Warren county
to got at that body OF fifty conyicts .camped In
ehe snsdon I asd IS mt
wsrburs. the county seat Of Morgan county;
a few are reported arrested In Several villages
e the north: BHt all told. there are not more
in the w"o Io near eat oliver sprnss. wiling to
come. demanded his reward. straiGhtway
sSs
paid ~ the lessee. Now the iessees say that
5 IKE so sns d h ns By hs f Sn s
They therefore refused to, pay; Thus \;
Go Hhtuer StAnuS anu IL - uouUtlul
the Governor will pay anything, for recaptnred
convicts. The impression IL abroad that bis
oner Is void so no one will be stimulated to
risk his life In chasing conyicts. and the
proclamation might Just as well have never
been written.
The lesseos Of tho conyicts are very bitter
Mr.. Wade. says that no warned the Governor.
that there would be trouble; and asked him
guard at each stocEade. He says the
Governor paid no attention to him. One
q the agents OF the lessees said this morning
That nothing could be more ridicul2us than
the Governors Offer Of a reward OF 5000 for
the arrest and conviction OF the leader OF the
hountaineers. He said that the Governor and
Attorney. General Pickle had shown themselves
to be against the lessees and willing to wink
A. violations OF the lazy SO long HI those Viola
tons were popular In East Tennessee, -,
A. II is certainly. true that no man familiar with
the character Of the mountainous could have
ANY hope OF hnding traitors among them. Few
would have the inclination. and those few
would not dare. The lessees attribute
al the mishaps in the mine to that first
Weakness Of the Governor when his
militia were run out OF the mountains hastily:
They say that was the time for tlrmnesa. and
mat now there ID no chance to do anything
IHE SUN correspondent was In Briceville this
morning and talked with many. Of the miners.
they are Jubilnnt. defiant, and 1t must be ex-
eeedlngly irritating to u law abiding. State
ewing Tennessean to hear them jesr at the
state Government. They regard themselves
ss having terrorised the whole State. and have