Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-05-13
SURPRISED BY NIGHT.
HOW THE FAMOUS PONY CLUB WAS
CRUSHED BY THE "SllCKs.p

SSo' o"hu OF morse Ihiovcs Which
Committed Widespread Depreciation,
Throughout tho South Was FINAL,
Wiped Out by Another Secret Band.
Back in the '9os and '4Os there roamed
over the states OF North and South Caro-
lima, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisi
ana, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee a
devil-may-care band OF men who STYLED
themselves the PONY club" They were
regularly organized, had grips, signs and
passwords. and duly elected officers. The
initiatory oath was filled with blood curd.
ling blssphemies and iron bound benedic-
lions, the penalty being death to those who
were so foolhardy as TO break it, The
story goes that many poor fellow has fed
Aligators In Florida boys and panthers
and wolves in TennesSees wilds for the
least tendency toward being in harmonious.
Their plan OF operation was TO steal a
Florida horse and meet on halfway ground
aud exchange him for one fresh from
tennessee or Ohio; vice versa, with one
from South Carolina or one from Missis-
suppl, and II was extremely difficult to
catch up with the right party. But these
aepredationS became so numerous and dar-
ing, and the consequent loss so greut that
deter
mined 20 stop their maraudiugs and bring
the offenders to justice. So a secret con,
yention was called and a band organized
styling themselves The Sticks"
When horse was stolen from a com
munity runners were sent to every county
and thus the news spread until from the
ONO 70 the Everglades and from the Pc
dee Co the Mississippi the warning rolled
along, and 1t seemed well nigh impossible
Tor thief TO escape with horse Not.
outstanding all these precautions and
watchfulness, the club existed and did
some business
TIE CAMP.
During those days Heard, Carroll and
HaralSon were the dark corner of Georgi.
and II a club man could only get his booty
IN their thick iungles and forests pursuit
was OF little consequence. The truth Il.
the majority Of the settlers either belonged
10 the organizations or we're 50 coerced that
they dared uoJ fight them. This il said
with all due respect 20 great many heroic
pioneers, whose honest souls yearned for a
better civilization, aud, when forbearance
did cease TO be virtue, rose in their might
and joined the sticks"
About five miles north, above Buchanan.
on the banks Of the ralIapoosa rSer. arc
TWO Old race paths, now Oyergrowu with
saphngs and brush, some Of the trees being
As large as a mans waist The tracks run
parallel with the river, which at this point
Is straight and wide. Parallel with and
overlooking these tracks is q steep bluff
about forty or fifty feet high, which com
Pletely shuts the track from view, and ex.
ceptiDg a small ravine there is no entrance
or exit. At this place the "POnyclub" had
its rendezvous. From all quarters they
came here and ran horse races, gambled.
danced and carOused generally, and here il
was they exchanged their horses to be
showed In opposite directions. Noone lived
near the place, and the gang only entered
It at night, and then only on Saturday
night. sunday night tbere would be a
general carOusal and leavettkings
IL was years before their retreat was dis.
covered The Information fortunately fell
into good, honest hands, and on the Satur-
day Following there WIS more than one
Slick winding bis way toward an ap-
pointed rendezvous carefully and secretly.
The uninltIated thought every turkey and
deer IN the country WA, going TO be killed.
Judging from the promiScuOus rubbing up,
printing and loading Of The old "hiut and
steels' Twelve O'Clock, The sentry at the
rayine's mouth put bis hand to his mouth
and Whip oor-wili Whip-poor-wiu
Whip-poor-wiilr planriye and weird.
trembled upon the midnight air and hoated
on toward the swamps below
SURPRISED WHILE ASLEEP.
Far away up the hills came the answer.
ing note, Whip with will Whip witha
will Whip with a will" As the reply.
waited down the ruvine, fell upon the SEN
tinel's ears, be paused and listened All
WAS still; nothing WIS heard except the
impatient stamping Of the horses. He eau
tiously advanced 20 the entrances and zazgd
up and down the stretch Of track Lying
upon the ground, wrapped in blankets,
were the forms Of about 100 men.
They were sleeping s0undly, most Of them
being fatigued by . hard days ride More
than a hundred horses were rerhered along
the bank Of the stream. some were beau
tiful Kentucky thoroughbreds; others
Florida mustangs. There were all sorts and
sizes, but as the Pony boys" were in
ciined TO be fastidious in their tastes and
Likes, most Of the horses we're beautiful
and well kept.
Stacked ia piles were short carhines and
rides, such ~ could be hidden under coats,
shavls or cioaks, and hanging all over the
Enclosure were huge horse pistols. Sitting
alongside the bluff In regular order were
jugs and bottles and cups la rich profusion
The tired forms Of the men never stirred,
they slept 10 peaceful security; their sentry
was at his post.
Presently dark form, slipping from tree
20 tree, from bowlder 70 bowlder, was seen
70 pass around 70 the mouth Of the ravine;
another and yet another, until the whole
wood seemed 10 be alive with phantOms
A wild shrek, a shot, splash into the
river, and then pandemonium for about
ten minutes. The Sticks" had conquered
for once. II was a hand to hand fight
The Pony boys" awoke amid the flame
and smoke 10 find that the enemy was upon
them. They rushed into the shallow river
and scattered rs fast as they could They
nearly all escaped Not one was killed .
outright, though many we're wounded .
Some Of the fugitives had 10 tramp the IN .
broken wilds in attire like that Of Father
Adam until they found succoring friends
All the horses and a great deai Of money
we're recovered.
The Pony club" was finally crushed -
Atlanta journal
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