The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-08-29
WILL STAY NO NOR T..
They Murdered simply for Sport-Outrased
Citizens Z nrmed ON the Eecheama:

Citizens Turned on the i;echeams.
Mobile, Ala, August 21.-(Special.)-
latest news from the Meachamite war, II
Clarke county, Alabama, Is to the effect
that for the present, at least, all trouble Is
over. The gang has been either eXteIml
mated or driven from the country
The opinion prevails among the cooler
headed citizens that Babe Burke, Mack
Burke. Dave Burke and Jim Jordan, the
outlaws, whom the posse has been searching
the swamps for, have escaped to safer
quarters and will not be captured, at least
for the present
These Mcachamites are most peculiar
people Unlike their neighbours the white
caps of Mississippi and Louisiana, they
have not ignorance to plead their cause.
They are all men of more or less education
They have not grinding poverty to lncite
them to cry out against oppression, Tor
every one of them OWNS his own farm and
has left fine growing crops to 90 III the
night and murder and pilla.e for the mere
love Of the thing. Since the gang. which
is known by the suggestive NAM OF 'ft ti5
midnight meetings at Dead Level church.
no man. woman or child in the nelGhbolhood
has drawn an easy breath.
Murdered for Fun.
Old man BEDSIDE. the father and dictator
of the gang, has made 4 full confession, de-
failing i'll al of It's horror the story of the
crimes of the devils i'll human gulse The
oaths. The members swore to obey blindly
the dictates of the ruling council and pill
lage, for the pure love of pillage was the
object of the order. Murder was merely an
incidental precautionary measure. The
MeachaniteS believed in the old adage that
the dead tell no tales and they butchered
their victims without the slightest display
of conscience. They are not towards. No
man will deny the courage of any member
of the gang. They ambushed their victims
g Il, ~
that way than In fair, standup fight
That such IL gang could operate i'll Il civil
lied state is Il crying disgrace to Alabama.
Beyond feeble effort to induce terrUrlZed
witnesses to testify before grand JurleS.
upon which many sympathiZers of the gang
served, the laws of the state have done
nothing to rid the state of this band of
criminals The citizens who were Tor law
and lorCer stood this thing until it was
clearly demonstrated that the adfnlnlStra-
ton of the laws had dcgenerated into u
mere farce Then they took the matter into
their own hands and wiped the outlaws oil
the face of the earth or drove them from
the country.
The Meachamites are an offshoot of the
Simmitcs. who did business III CnOctaW ana
adjoining counties.
A .lst oI the Victims
Below follows Il complete list of the kill
ed since the beginning OF the SImmite ana
Meachamte troubles:
Bailey Sims, james Sims, Con Savage,
Robert Savage, Robert Sims, trhad Savage,
Tyre Savage, William Savage, John Sims,
Henry Hinton and Thomas FOX. All of
these were mobbcd except Bailey Sims who
was shot.
The Meachamites who We're killed are:
Levi james, hirt james, Tooch Bedsole
and William Bedside. 1t is definitely
known that three others bit the dust III an
engagement with Il citizens posse last week,
bur no definite information can be obtained
about it.
The citizens who have been killed are:
James johnson, Thomas e. Jackson. Rich
ard Mcmillan, wife and three children,
all of whom were cremated after death III
the flames which consumed their home.
One of these chill lren was thrown into the
flames while alive and burned to death.
Miss Eliza Mckinney, John Kennedy, l..
Mickey. William Chambliss, f.. McCor-
quodalc, William House, Lem House, and
John Hare were also among their victims
Death TO the Last One
The Constitutions special correspondent
has just returned from the neighborhood of
Cession swamp where the remaining out
laws are supposed to be hiding. The posse
of outraged citizens have been dilIgnet in
their search for two weeks. They have gone
to their homes to await fur
ther developments. The people are
just as alert, just watch
fuI now as they have been at any period
ders already recorded. Ill either of the out
laws SHOULD ever again make his appear
ance in that section his trial will be speedy
and swift. determination will be only Il
matter of few hours. When the grave
has claimed the fiends then, perhaps,
this. the fairest farming section of Ala
bama, will again prosper. Every avenue of
commerce has been blocked up by the depre-
dations of these outlaws for two years
Hundreds of families, fearing the safety of
how
once more restored would be hailed by the
remaining residents with inexpressble JOY.
but they realize. with all tne terror of
the lesson taught by the past, that peace
will only come with the death of the
last of the Meachamite gang.
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