Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-09-04
BORDER OUTLAWRY.
TIMES WE'RE LIVELY AT THE EDGE
or THE NEUTRAL STRIP.

IL has always been fact that the Dor
ders OF country were the last TO come UNI
der the influence Of civilization, and since
the days Of the Red Gauntlet the border
riders have been feared and respected by
the more considerate and law abiding class
OF people, In the later 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 exacted money from the border
settlers, the desperadoes of today exact the
allegiance of these subjects, and In return
Tor their protection of property against the
CLANS" they expect no settler to know any
thing about them when inquiry is made,
unless they know to whom the secret is
being divulged
The little town Of Dexter, once with a
population of 1000 but now almost in
ruins, has been for thirty years situated 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
resting place under the sod. This place is
one beautifully situated, 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.
HOW THE PEOPLE ROSE UP.
Across the neck Of this bend called the
Delaware, is a distance of about eight
miles, and in that neck is situated the
town Of which | speak 1t is now fifteen
miles off the railroad, and has always been
tho 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 a
row, which 1t frequently did. The inhab
itants Of this village, as the expression is
did not stand in" with the riders as one
would suppose, and there was always a
feeling of distrust between them, which
often terminated In fight and one or
more deaths.
The people of the town, after time, de-
rided 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 20 ON
the street for the fear of being killed by
some stray bullet. Still, when the border
ers came they ran things their own way,
and the citizens would not work in con
cert. One MIN might resent their insults
with the result that he would be killed
and maybe 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
wilds Of the territory, Finally herd of
cattle was stolen from the neighborhood,
and everybody knew that Sears clan did it.
Vigilantes were organized and they pre-
pared to give them warm reception on
their return.
TERRIBLE FIGHT.
A few weeks after Sears came In alone,
no doubt to see how the land lay, and
while in crowd some one put pistol to
his neck and shot him, though it failed to
kill him. That night he was spirited out
of the place, and the following day was
one OF regular siege. The citizens threw
out guards and pickets on all the roads,
and 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 desperadoes
were beaten back, having lost several Of
their men.
From that time on the citizens fought to
kill them out, though their rendezvous
was on the river In the bend, only eight
miles distant On Dec, q, 1886, Bill Oracle, |
o noted character, and several toughs came
through and attempted to take the town.
All the people living in the country were
in town that day, and everybody went
armed.
One Of the riders started to ride his horse
Ii, . a.
some one struck him with a billiard cue
and knocked him down. This was the sig |
nal for the shooting to begin. The deputy |
sheriff fred a shotgun at Oracle, but missed |
his aim, and the riders went down the |
street shooting right and left.
Everybody took hand, and about 500 |
shots were fired. AT the first volley Ed |
Long, one of the riders, had his horse
killed. He at once jumped behind Oracle
on his horse, but pistol ball struck him |
in the neck, MORALLY wounding him. |
Oracle held him on behind him, and they |
rode out of town. The result of the row |
was three dead men, several wounded and |
a number of horses killed, but this was the |
last time they came in force to take the
town.
PEACE AT LAST.
Soon after this Oracle killed Henry Pus-
finger, sheriff of Pickens county, l. t., by |
striking him over the head with his pistol.
He had the blood OF about dozen of the
clan on his hands, so he went to the nearest
railroad and left the country. He was a
fine specimen of physical manhood, stand
ing feet inches in height and weighing
800 pounds. Besides being very handsome
In appearance he was well educated and
always wore costly dress of the frontier
style.
Like many other border characters, no
one knew where he came from or where he
went. His followers joined other bands,
and most of them were finally killed. Jim
Lee and his two brothers, Pink and Tom,
took refuge from the marshals in cabin
in the Indian Territory.
When they were attacked they killed all
the marshals, five in number, and fed their
bodies to the hogs. A largo reward was
offered for them, dead or alive, and finally
Jim and Pink were killed on the Texas
side OF the bend, in the summer of 1887
Tom left the country and has never been
heard of since. One by one the other clans
fell off and were killed out until now there
is little lighting there compared with few
years ago,
The majority OF the people who lived
there then have gone and those of different
temperament moved in, so that now the
rough stone houses, the fences and doors
full of bullet holes and the stories of the
older settlers alone tell the dangers and
lawlessness of a few years back.-Texas
Cor. st, Louis Republic.