Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-01-02
WORK OF ALABAMA OUTLAWS.
Chcy Rob Merchants store, Burn His
House and Kill or Maim the Occu.

They Rob Merchants Store, Burn His
House and XIII or Maim the Occu.
pants.
MOBILE, Ala, Dec. 28.-The military
numbering twenty men, fully armed,
have started from here for the house
of Bob Sims. They took with them
six x-pounder fieldpiece.
DE SoTo, Miss, Dec. 20. Not since
the days when the Copeland gang of
thieves made Alabama the scene OF
their operation and Rube Burrows
reclslessly held up trains and defied the
whole south have the authorities of
this section been so wrought up
as within the last three months, when
Bob Sims, the notorious moonshiner
of this state, began to attract the At
tention of the people of the whole
country by openly defying the officers
of the United States government as
we'll as the local authorities.
1t was in September that Sims and
two of his family were arrested for dis
tilling illicit whisky. The arrests were
made by n deputy United States mar
shal, and the prisoners were kept
| guarded in room at the hotel
in Bladon Springs. That night
relatives of Sims surrounded the
| house, and after killing two Off
GERS and private citizen and losing
two of their numbe they rescued Bob
and his companions and escaped to the
woods. Pursuit was instantly made,
as the affair created the greatest ex-
citement at the time, but neither Bob
nor his followers were caught.
| al IL. I. 4 4
everything he had in the world, and he
vowed vengeance against every man in
the party, all of whom, to the number
of thirty-seven he has sworn
to kill. The first move in the
direction of carrying out his threat
was made on the night of December
%, when Sims and five of his gang sur.
rounded and set fire to the home of
John Mcmillan, who resided 25 miles
from this place in wide and sparsely
settled country. Here he committed
an outrage that will linger forever in
the memory of the citizens of this sec.
tion.
Before firing the house he and his
gang called to the inmates, six in
number-two men, two women and
render. The offer was refused, and then
the house was fred. The flames as.
cended higher and higher, until
at last the inmates were compelled
to flee from the burning building. AS
they ran out John Mcmillan, John
Kennedy and Kennedy's 7-year-old
daughter We're fred upon and killed in
stantly. Two other girls, and IL year:
old were dangerously wounded
as was also Miss Belle Nc
Kenzie, 22-year-old school-teacher
boarding with McMillans fam
lily. Mrs. John Mcmillan and man
Llewellyn, were seriously wounded
In the hurry to leave the building
little 3-year-old child of Mcmillan
was forgotten, and it was burned t.
death. After shooting everyone il
sight McMillan's store was looted ant
the gang went for Sims home, mile
/ distant.
l The news spread with alarming
rapidity and posse was quickly sum
, moned and pursuit given. AT sp m
,, Sims house was surrounded and a ho
. fight ensued between the two factions
About 500 shots We're exchanged, bu
as Sims had the advantage of positio
!, no damage was done to his forces
The posse lost one man. The firin
l was then suspended and courie
: came into DeSoto, Miss, and GOV
Thomas G. Jones was asked for aid
Sheriff Gavin, of Choctaw county
thought best to take this act rathe
than sacrifice the lives of mis- men, VIII
We're at the mercy of bullets from tn
outlaws whenever they advanced o
. the house. At z o'clock Friday nigh
. detachment of artillery from tn
D First regiment, Alabama stat
4 troops, left Mobile with a ga
!. ling gun, and will proceed at ono
: to the scene. In the meantime the ou
D laws are surrounded, and frequer
0 skirmishes with the posse of me
b guarding the building occur, and PEE
= pie are wrought up to a high pitch {
Q excitement, and hardly anybody i
Q that section has been asleep in two {
n three nights, fearing visit from I'll
t gang.