St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-24
How the Wicked War OF EX-
termination Was Brought
to a Close.
The Brave and ShreWd Dep.
uty Sheriff Who Wound
Them Up.
The Law Had to Wink at Mo1
Violence in Order to Make
Life Safe.
But One Of the Gang Alive
Saved By the Sheriff, Who
Cut the Rope.


week of James Filkins, formerly deput,
sheriff of Oneida county, revives rec0I-
lections of the depredations of tile
LOOMS gang, who not so many years
ago terrorized Central NsW York as the
James boys have more recently terror
lzed the West. Few people lived in this
state during war times who were not
familiar with the nightly raids Of the
L0omises. The operations OF this gang
of outlaws were not confined to this
state by any means. for they invaded
the farming districts from the Hudson
river to the state line of Ohio. They
operated an underground railroad" Of
their own, but not for the purpose Of
assisting vagabOnd negroes, says the
Syracuse Standard.
Their system was used for shipping
stolen goods from place to place, that
they might be disposed OF more readily
for cash. Especially we'll known were
the Loomises in these parts, since their
stronghold and headquarters were To-
Gated in Oneida county near the line
which divided that county from Madi-
son. For years people in the farming
districts of Oneida. Madison and OnOn-
daga counties seldom went to sleep
without first seeing that their guns were
loaded and capped, and that their out
houses were locked with double secu-
rity. So alert were they because of the
raids of the Loamise5 that the sound Of
hoofs upon the highway would wake
them from sOundest slumber and bring
them to their windows with cooked gun
in hand.
The Loomis gang consisted of six or
seven sons and one daughter as evil IN
her inclinationS as her brothers. Linked
with them were marauderS located at
various places between here and Ohio.
Strange as it may seem, the law could
never lay its hands upon the LoOmlses
with effect, while many OF their c0nsortS
in crime were arrested and spent their
days behind prison bars. When they
were finally driven from the field 1t was
by reason of OutlaWry as great or greater
than their own. Desperate methods
were resorted to to rid the country Of
their presence.
The war of determination began with
The appointment OF Filkins. of Water
ville,as deputy sheriff of Oneida county.
For number OF years before his ap-
pointment jim FilkinS had been the
only man who could in any measure
cope with the shrewdness of the Loom
iseS. and Of this one man alone had they
any feeling approaching fear. His APP
pOintment to the Office of deputy sheriff
filled them with rage. and they pro-
ceeded at once to mete out vengeance to
all who were in any way Interested III
his appointment. FilkinS' bond was
signed by Morris Terry, wealthy hon
grower of Waterville, and father OF
Irving G. Terry, eX-superintendent OF
the Onondaga county penltentlary.
As soon as it became known 10 the
LOOMS gang that Morris Terry had
signed the bond they proceeded to make
him regret it. Two nights after the
bond was signed Mr.. Terry's spacious
barns and hop houses were burned to
the ground, and notice was left that the
LoOmlses had committed the crime as
reward for his friendship to Filkins.
The barns and other property burned
were worth fully $1,000, and the outrage
was more than the people would stand.
Two days later vigilance committee
was formed and visited the stronghold
of the LoOmiseS at their farm in Brook
field.
Very little was done that day in sight
of what followed after. However,
Wash" LOOMS was killed by stone
which was thrown by an unknown
hand and which struck him in the back
of the head, caving in his skull. The
mob, made up Tor the most part OF the
respectable. lawabdlng farmers and
citizens of Waterville and Sangerheld,
felt more than satisfied with their Worb
for the day The death of Wash
LOOMS flied them with considerations
Public sentiment, however, was III tneil
favor, and the horror of apprehension
fot murder quickly wore away, and be-
fore wash LoOmis could be buried
the people resolved to afford the whole
gang an opportunity TO hold family
funeral.
What they did on the occasion of theiI
second visit was virtually sanctioned by
the sheriff and his posse, who were
aware that the raid was to be made, and
who had agreed, it is said, to sail down
on the mob Just i'll time TO be too late.
The mob visited the LOOMS farm again,
and before they had been there many
minutes the grievance held for the sake
of Morris Terry had been wiped out in
a vastly larger and more expensive fire
than his had been. Every building on
the premises, every hay and straw
stack and every particle OF infammable
material to be found on the place. wag'
ons, carts, SleighS, pioWS, harr0WS and
all were fired.
The mob was wild. and the Loomise:
fled for their lives. Only one Of them
did the mob lay hands on, and that was
Plumb LOOMS. Ropes had been brought
by the mob for special purpose, and
one of them was used for the Specla
purpose for which it was brought when
the culprit fell into their hands. In les!
time than it takes to tell it a moose was
made, the rope was about the outlaw.
neck and he was dangling from the link
OF a tree.
just then something occurred which
has always been looked upon by the
people living in the vicinity of Water
Vile and Sanger field as being particu
larry unfortunate. The sheriff and hi:
posse seeing the flames, and, suppOsine
that all was over. came rushing to this
scene. The mob dispersed and the sher
if cut down the body OF Plumb. Thi;
was the unfortunate incident. Plumt
was not dead. He had been cut down
in time to save his life. and he is Twin:
today.
Bat this was not the end of the
Looms gang. They rebuilt their barn:
and continued in the old way, though
more covertly than before. But it wa;
not for many years. Jim FilkinS con
tnued upon their track until they were
driven TO cover, and dared no more &c
60 abroad upon their raids. This wal
of determination against the LOOmiS4
was the life work OF FllKinS.
An Old Superstition.
Detroit Free Press.