The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-29


his other crimes OF murder and theft is
added polygamy. There is no telling how
many times he has been married, aud his
wives are all intelligent, good-looking
women a1
The same man told an interesting story
of a gang of Texas train robbers. They
were led BY the notorious Brack Connott ct
first, and when he bit the DUST under the
famous Alfred Allee's pistol, the leadership
fell upon Bill Whitley. The last crime OF
this gang was very similar to that of the
Daltons Thursday night, except the former
were foiled in their attempt by posse or Of
fcers on the train. The Whitley gang had its
rendezvous In Wilson and .Atascosa count
les, Texas, about 100 miles south OF San
Antonio. Alice, who has perhaps killed
more men than any other man alive, with
the possible exception Of Bat Masterson OF
Creole, Col. owns a ranch In that country,
and knew every one of the gang. In the
winter and spring Of 1SS7-'SS they had
held up trains professionally over Texas
THIEVES QUARREL AMONG THEMSELVES.
Finally they got in row among them
selves over the division of spoiis, and one of
their number named Harran gave the
whole gang away to United States Marshal
John T. Rankin at San Antonio. Harrall
told Rankin of a plot to rob through ex-
press of the Southern Pacific railroad, near
the little station Of HARDWOOD, 100 miles east
of San Antonio. The marshal had Harrall
remain with the robbers and report to him
daily in cipher the progress Of the plot and
their movements. This Harrell did faith
fully. When the situation grew threaten
ing Marshal Rankin, with heavily armed
posse, Alfred Alice among the number left
San Antonio one night in February, 1888,
in the express car which the robbers Inv
tended to loot.
When the train reached HARDWOOD Bill
Whitley and another Of the gang, heavily
masked, boarded the engine and. with
cooked revolvers at the heads of the en-
gineer and fireman, made them run the
train out from HARDWOOD couple OF miles
and there stop in deep, dark cut The
rest OF the gang, to the number of fifteen,
were ambushed at the point where the train
was halted. Then the fireman, in obedience
to command from Whitley, cut the mail
car Off from the train, and this was run on
down the road a mile and a half further.
The robbers had mistaken the mail car for
the express car in the black darkness, aud
they left behind not only all the Doodle, but
also the heavily armed marshaPs posse, who
were sitting In the express car waiting for
an opportune moment to spring out on the
bandits and annihilate them.
THE~NERvK OF A LAW STUDENT.
The only occupants of the mail car were
the postal clerk and a thin dudish looking
youth, Just from law school. His name is
Duval West. and his father had been chief
justice Of Texas. Young West, with the
true Texan spirit for adventure, had
joined the posse for the experience. His
nerve was unquestioned, or he wouldn't
have been permitted to accompany Marshal
Rankin and his intrepid deputies, though
his delicate features and pale complexion
were against him. The doors on one side of
the mail car were left open.
When the engine was brought TO stop
Sbo -nhhora nj tha clfVFlh tIr hn
side Of the car to light It, A big torch was
haring in his hands. No sooner had the
engineer poked his head in the door than
West, the dudish-lookinG young law
student, blazed away at him with both bar
rels of a shotgun loaded with slugs. The
lead plowed through the engineers right
| cheek and tore all the flesh of as closely as
| IL 1t had been scraped with q knife.
The engineer fell back wounded, and
| then the robbers saw they would have to
make fight. They turned their Winches-
ters and pistols loose, and filed the side Of
the car full Of bullets.
THE GANG RUN TO EARTH.
West had four or five doubled barreled
shotguns, and he kept up such a hot fire
| from the inside Of the car that the robbers,
seventeen in number, thinking q whole
company of soldiers with a battery OF
| artillery were alter them, took to their heels
| and fed. The one lone, delicate law student
| had Yanquished the worst gang Of train
robbers that had ever infested Texas while
the marshaps posse were resting on their
arms in the express car, momeutarily ex-
pecting an attack. In few hours after the
fight was over the posse with bloodhounds
| were on the tI all of the bandits The rob-
bers scattered, but Rankin kept hot on the
trail of Bill Whitley. In day or two be
overlook him in Harralrs house, in Wilson
county.
The marshal and three deputies surprised
the bandit and ordered him TO throw up his
hands. Instead of doing this he reached for
his brace of pistols, and was literally rid
died with bullets. Others Of the gang were
run to earth one at a time, arrested and
sent to the penitentiary. The last to be
captured was Bud Powell. Two weeks ago
| he was arrested near Helena, Mont, where
he had been living for three years under an
| assumed name and as a leader In the Pres
! byterian church. He was carried back to
! San Antonio for trial, and now the religi-
Gus elements of both Helena and Antonio
are pleading for his liberation from Gus
tody, contending that he has been "oon-
verted" and now living godly life.
| ANGRY TILTED WRAIraS.