Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-12-13
COPYRIGHT. lS94l
CHAPTER xvu-cosr1suEn.

CHAPTER XvL-CoNTINuEn
But Clip Davis was not man to
settle down comfortably under any of
the amenities. He took possession of
the house, searched it thoroughly,
locked the inmates in their rooms and
put guards in the halls. 1t was thus
impossible for the doctor to inform
Hendricks of what was going on, and
the next morning he was astonished to
learn that four stragglers had been
picked up in the woods, brought in
and searched and large quantity of
gold taken from their persons. They
refused to give any account of them
selves and were shut up in an upper
room and guarded until they could be
sent to Covington. In the course of
the day two more were brought in and
five hundred dollars in gold taken
from each of them. The doctors
nervousness over these proceedings
can well be imagined, especially as he
could not communicate with Hendricks,
and the sheriff's remark, under any
other circumstances. would have had
a flavor of humor. I'VE have struck a
bonanza" he said; "the woods are full
of them" He then sent to Covington
for reinforcements and secured the
whole neighborhood, making his head
quarters at the Laran house until he
had got to the bottom of the mystery.
The next day in attempting to arrest
two tramps one of them was chased
far down to the southwest and sud-
denly disappeared. He undoubtedly
reached the Bayou house and COM
municated with Hendricks, who inn
mediately suspected the truth, and,
making up a party of twenty-five
mounted men, headed them himself
and started off in the night for a re-
connoissance. They were out two
nights, and on the first afternoon over
took and killed the chasing party of
two that was returning to the Laran
house. They then went north, picked
up one of their own men who had man
aged to escape from the sanitarium. and
learned that Clip Davis was systemat-
ically bagging the returning men and
had possession of the house.
AS it was above all else necessary to
protect the return of the men of his
regiment, and as the sheriff was on the
point of arming the country and pre-
venting it, he determined to make
short work of him. 1t was not a diff
cult job with his facilities. He got to
the Laran house in the night. disposed
his men in the woods SO as to intercept
reinforcements and then picked off
the sheriff's men as they appeared on
the grounds or balcony. At the first
shot, two of them rushed out and were
killed on the steps. Clip Davis knew
instinctively what this meant. He
barred his doors and stationed himself
at window and succeeding in killing
one of Hendricks, men and disa bling
another. His idea was to gain time
and wait for his reinforcements. The
doctor, who saw from his window in
the room where he had been locked,
what was going on, succeeded in
breaking out and went straight to the
shaft. In twenty minutes he had ten
men in the house. The captives were
liberated and rush made upon Clip
Davis who, received them with all the
fire he had and was killed at the
window.
Hendricks kept this work up with
vigor, intending, if possible, to prevent
the escape of single soul who would
report the discovery of the gold upon
he was master of the situation and
then waited quietly in the house for
the reinforcing party.
The result was cruel and success
full one. The posse of only six men
rode up to the gate unsuspiciously and
had no sooner got upon the Enclosure
of the lawn, than they were received
with a murderous volley from the
house and another from the wood. In
a moment the lawn was strewn with
their bodies.
Hendricks knew very well that all
this meant war and he faced it with a
vigorous military energy. He con-
verified the house into a fortress and
barracks and began moving all that
was valuable into the cave.
AS the affair was reported to the
governor of Tennessee, it looked like
an organization of robbers who had
taken possession of the Laran house
for their headquarters. He therefore
appointed new sheriff and placed the
Memphis Tigers eighty mem and the
Crockett Fuseliers of Paducah (sixty
four mem under his orders with in
structions to proceed at once to Upton
county and arrest the gang. Adjt.
Gen. Luscomb met part of the troops
and the sheriff of Marshall and pro-
ceeded overland with them to Laran.
The sanitarium stood upon rounded
knoll of about ten acres, corresponding
| to another and larger knoll which Hen
| bricks had by measurement fixed upon
as the crown or roof of his rotunda.
The ground sloped gradually to the
road two hundred feet away, which
road marked the valley between this
hill and another slight but extended
excavation that began on the other
side and stretched away eastward into
| the wilderness.
To the west there was clearing and
| the stables and extensive outhouses,
and beyond a heavy timber belt that
ran with occasional breaks almost to
Marshall 1t was from this direction
that the troops came. They surround
| ed the house in the early morning and
the adjutant general, on fine white
| horse in full uniform and gold epau-
lets and cooked hat and sword, rode
upon the lawn and in an impressive
voice called upon all the house to sur
| render.
"This is private property. If the COM
| handing officer will come in, 1 will
| confer with him"
There was a consultation on horse
back, the sheriff and the general
leaning over and evidently comparing
views