The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-08-05
GOOD sroRins on rHn rRts
ant DAY


Curious WaEer
The Confederate troops boz the WeG
being the last 10 surrender it naturally
followed that they were the laN o.
accept OF Circumstance and settle
down to the new order Of things for
months and months after Kirby Smith s
surrender portions of Louisiana, Arkan
sas and Texas were dominated 10y o.
bad class OF men A few Of them had
belonged to regular commands, bot the
great majority Of them had served as
bushwhackers and gueuillas and the
advent Of peace cut short their plum
dering and marauding. These men
refused to bow to the inevitable, and
scores of the most defiant were hunted
down by Federal troops and killed
wherever found. Alexandria, La, on
the Red River, was the headquarters
of division Of Sheridan's cavalry, and
it was estimated that there were at
least 500 ex Confederates in that local
ity who denied being included in the
surrender Of any command, and def.
antly refused to come in and deliver
up their equipments and return to
citizenship. A score or more of the
most prominent were Outlawed by mil
itary proclamation. Among them was
a man named Ross. He had been
captain of a guerrilla band Of thirty
men. He held no commission from
the Confederates, nor did the Davis
Government equip his band or carry it
on any muster roll. Indeed, Confed-
crate troops had sought to wipe out
this gang for months before the war
closed, as Captain Ross robbed right
and left with free hand.
In August, 1865, after vain efforts to
induce Ross to come in and take the
oath, he was outlawed. His men had
all left him, but he was still maraudng
around on bis own hook and had bios
somed out as highway robber He
would rob an ex,Confederate as soon
as Union man, but his hatred of the
Federal soldiers was so great that he
never missed an opportunity to shoot
one down. He had killed five cavalry
men before he was outlawed. The re-
wards offered by the military and civil
authorities for the capture or death Of
Ross aggregated $1,000, but for long
time no one took his trail. Small
parties of cavalry were sent out, but
they never succeeded in finding him.
On the other hand he invariably am
pushed them and killed at least one
man. Finally, about the middle Of
September man named Murray, who
had been sergeant in Texas infantry
regiment, and whose command hac
been regularly surrendered, in the
spring, presented himself at Alexandra
and announced his determination .tc
win the reward. At that time Ros.
was supposed to be hiding in the dense
coverts around Catahoula Lake, thirty
miles northeast of Alexandria. Murray
was furnished with a horse, rifle, re.
volvers and other necessaries, and had
an accurate description of the outlaw
He left Alexandria at night and rode
to the north for seventy miles. Their
he turned to come back, carrying the
idea to all he met that he had come
down from the Arkansas border, anc
had been outlawed. In order to play
his part he was obliged to hold up sew
eral travellers on the highway, though
in each instance he had some excuse
for restoring their money before riding
away
1t was five days before Murray en-
ceuntered Ross The latter had hearc
of the new arrival and was ready tc
welcome him. He had been hunted
so persistently that he was thinking o
leaving the country. He had plum
dered friend and foe alike until every
man was ready to give him up to jus
tice. He at once proposed partner
oIip Will NuIid(, WuOoC adNChtllS q
had fairly established his reputation TO
nerve and daring. Murray told how
he had suffered at the hands of the
Federals and expressed his desire fo
revenge, and Ross was completed,
taken in. 1t was agreed to become
partners, and the two proceeded tC
Ross hiding place, on the north banl
of the lake above named In thu
midst of a dense thicket to be pene
trated only by path he cut with hi
own hand, he had built a small hut 0
poles, grass and mud. A regiment 0
soldiers might have searched for
month without finding the path, anC
had it been stumbled on by accident h,
could have made good defense agains
whole company. He had provision
in plenty, and the cash he had secured
by various robberies amounted to owe
$1,000. He had picked up ten 0
twelve rifles and shotguns and a scor
Of revolvers, and the hut was an arsena
as well as hiding place. Though tn
outlaw had been the first to propos
the partnership, and he had seemed t
accept Murrays stories and statement
without question, the latter soon dis
covered that he had shrewd, su:
picious man to deal with From tn
IL -.