Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-05-22
SURPRISED by NIGHT.
HOW THE FAMOUS PONY CLUB WAS
CRUSHED EY THE STICKS"



Back in the sos and 40, there roamed
over the states Of Nortn and South Caro.
lima, Florida Georgia, Alabama, Louisi
ana, Mississippi, Ohio and Tcuue.sce a
devil -mny-care band Of men who styled
themselves the PONY club.o They were
regularly organized, had rripg, signs and
passwords. md duly elected officers. The
iuitintorv nHth was filed with blood curd-
linz blpsphcr.ies ana iron hourI icrcdt.-
tiuus. the rpraItv beirl,t,,ath to those ,vl.,
were so fnolhnrdv as tn L,,ak If Tla
story goes TINT many a moor fellow has fed
aliirators i'm Florida hos and rartbcrg
and wolves in T,nnee .sc's wiIls fer the
least tendency toward being ipGprmo,iffu
Whfr uian of operation was TO -.c.' 4
Floridl horse and meet on halfway vround
and exchange him for one fresh from
Tsrncs-cs or Ohio. vice ytr41. with one
from South Carolina or one from Mi3.ts-
sip1i, auL it wa, extremely difficult to
cate, mn with the RIGHT pir.,. Br. thrso
depreciation, became So numerous aud aar-
INK, and the can,eouor. i,.,. 80 preut that
the pioneers gathered socc.hcr and deter
mined to stop their rauri.t!liug, and bring
the offender, to Justice. =, a secret con.
veution was called and a baud Organized
styling themselves "Thn -.ieng."
= hen a horse was stolen from q com
munity runners were sent 10 every county.
and thus the ueyvs surrnl until from the
Ohio TO the Everglades and from the Is-
dee to the NIi-sissIp7i the warning rolled
along, and il seemed well uich iLlp9.JbIe
for hicf to escape with a horse Not
withdrawing all these precaut. an. and
watchfuluess, the club existed and dill
some business
TIE CAMP,
During those days Heard, Carroll and
HARRISON were the dark corner of Georgia,
and if Il club man could only get his booty
in their thick juugles and forests pursuit
WAS Of little consequence. The truth Is,
the majority OF the settlers either belonged
to the organizations or were 50 coerced that
they dared not fight them. This is said
with all due respect to great many heroic
pioneers, whose honest souls yearned for a
better civilization, and, when forbearance
did cease to be a virtue, rose in their might
and joined the "Slicl1s."
About five miles north, above Buchanan,
on the banks of the Taliapoosa river, are
two old race paths, now oyergrown with
saplings and brush, some Of the trees being
rs large as mans waist The tracks run
parallel with the river, which at this point
is straight and wide. Parallel with and
overlooking these tracks is steep bluff
about forty or fifty feet high. which com.
pctely shuts the track from view, and ex-
ccpting a small rHviue there IS no entrance
or exit. At this place the Pony club" had
its rendezvous. From all quarters they
came here and ran horse races EAmbled,
danced and Carousod generally, and here it
WAS they exchanged their horses to be
showed in opposite directions. Nooue lived
near the place, and the gang only entered
it at night, and then only on Saturday
night. Sunday night there would be
general carousai and leavetaitinG1
Il was years before their retreat was dis
covered. The information fortunately fell
into good, honest hands, and on the Satur-
day following there was more tnan ous
"Slick" winding his way toward an ap.
pointed rendezvous, carefully aud secretly.
The uuinitiatel thought every TURKEY and
deer in the country was gJiu; to be killed,
judging fromtAe promis-uous rubbing up,
printing and loading Of the old "liut and
stcel-.' Twelve o'clock! The sentry at the
rayine's mouth put his hand to his mouth
and "Whip-poor-wlu Whip-poor-willl
WAip-p0or-w,lI" riaiutive and weird,
tremblcd upon hcmilucht air and tluasei
oil toward the swamps below.
SURPRISED WHILE ASLEEP.
Far away up the hills came tile answer
INK note, "Whip with a Will! Whip with a
Will, Whip with Will!' As the reply,
waited down the ravine, fell upon the sem
tncl's cars, he paused AID listened. All
was still; nothing was heard except IT, q
impatient stamping Of the horses. lie ccu-
tously advanced tDthe entrance and gazel
up and down the stretch of track. Lying
upon the ground, wrapped in blankets
were the forms Of about 100 men.