The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-15

an faro table. Himself and Billy have
always denied that they committed the
Roslyn Bank robbery The latter wrote
a letter to District Attorney Hyde from
Pocatello, Idaho, declaring his innocence
and stating that he would return and
stand his trial only he was afraid his
family would starve during his enforced
absence.
Billy McCarty' wife was as brave as
any man In the gang. Some months ago.
when 1t was reported that Billy and Tom
had refunded, their house was surrounded
by Sheriff Condo of Baker county, eX-
Chief Of Police Farley Of Denver, and
sixteen men, armed with Winchesters.
who covered every door and window of
the house. All were afraid to venture
near the house, but Mr.. Hyde entered
and found that the woman was the sole
occupant. There's a nice gang out
there. Why, either Tom or Billy would
wipe them from the face of the earth"
was her greeting. 'Why," she cOntin-
ued, in a cOntemptuous tone, Il would
do it myself with a brooms tick"
In Umatilla county, three years ago,
there were three separate and distinct
gangs of horse and cattle thieves, mum
beriug twenty-five men, who had piled
their vocation for years without inter
ference They had agents in the Snake
river country, Idaho, and British Co
lumbia. to whom they shipped the horses
and cattle, and who disposed of them.
They generally made their raids at night
in summer and at early dawn in winter,
usually choosing stormy weather for the
work. They were at their height when
MIR. Hyde took his Office He began a
war of determination against them, and
landed thirteen in the penlten-
tiary. The others escaped, but
the three gangs were completely
broken up. The testimony of the wit
nesses showed how extensively the gang
operated. In a single night one crowd
drove away ninety-One head Of cattle be-
longing to one man; in another they
rounded up 200. These they turned over
to agents outside the county at night, con-
cealed themselves during the next day,
and returned to their homes the follow
ing morning. AS all were considered re-
spectacle citizens, their absence did not
alarm any one and their manner of work.
ing enabled them to avoid suspicion for
years. In lSS4-5 they operated so extern
sively that the stockmen organized pro-
tectivc association and apparently stopped
horse and cattle stealing. Then the
thieves, seeing that they were on the
verge of ruination, joined the association
under false colors and captured it, driT-
ing all the respectable stockmen out.
They controlled it until it died out. The
leaders of the three gangs were the two
Miller brothers, the two Gras-
ty brothers, and the three
Thought brothers. All were enemies,
but strictly observed the old adage,
"honor among thieves. " They were con
scious Of the operations of each other, but
refrained from preaching" and never
crossed each others path. They were
well organized, and one or two had oaths
binding the members to obedience to
their leaders commands on pain ofdeath,
and to kill traitors without conjunction.
So far as known death was never dealt
out to any one.
With the single exception of Multno-
nah, Umatilla county holds the banner
for furnishing convicts. 1t is practically
a border county. and its nearness to the
Washington penitentiary at Walla Walla
makes it a nesting place for criminals re
leased from that bastfle. They remain
in the country long enough to rob house,
burglarize a store, or hold upn citizen,
and then take leave for Idaho.