Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-06-15

Il was going to ask you to do that. 3"
There is only one reason why
should" Stocking said
What is that?''
Miss Franklin has asked me to-"
CHAPTER XVII
While this conversation was going
on there arrived at the sanitarium a
sheriff's posse. Among them was the
deputy who had escaped when the
house was surrounded. The doctor
was now in charge of the place and no
obstruction was offered to their en-
trance. They were led by the sheriff
of Upton county, grim and grizzly
veteran, known as Clip Davis, who had
wide reputation as n fighter, and he
brought pocl1etful of warrants.
The doctor expressed his entire SYM
pathy with their purpose, denounced
Hendricks as an outlaw,and offered to
aid the officers in any-Vsay in destroy
ing the gang. He PLACED the house at
their disposal, treated them Hospitality
and gave it as his opinion that Hen.
jriol1s and his men had gone east.
The old sheriff was suspicious, blunt
and unceremonious. You've got
id suspicious house here, he said,
and I'm going to get to the bottom OF
it. Where does that wire go?"
'It was intended to go to Memphis,
but it was never finished"
We'll, sir, there has murder been
committed here. If | don't find the
guilty parties I'm IN search of I'll bag
tho whole establishment and take you
to Covington."
The doctor smiled-remarlSed that
that would be rather rough treatment
for innocent people and then asked the
sheriff to drink
But Clip Davis was not man to
settle down comfortably under any of
the amenities. He took possession of
the house, searched II 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 astanished 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
roon. 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 ever 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 heluol. I'VE have struck a
honarza," 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 i'm
mediately suspected the truth, and,
making up a party of twenty-five
and started off in the night for 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 II 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-
Renting ii, he determined to make
short work of him. 1t was not 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 sheriffs 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, il possible, to prevent
the escape of single soul who would
report the discovery OF the gold upon
the men. Before tive hours were over,
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 inclosure
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
vigorous military energy. He con-
verted 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, 1t 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 men) and the
Crockett Fuseliers of Paducah (sixty
four men) under his orders with in
structions to proceed at once to Upton
county and arrest the gang. @Ad1t.
Gen. Luscomb met part of the troops
and the sheriff of Marshall and pro-
ceeded overland with them to Laran.
The sanitarium stood upon a 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 slopcd 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 q clearing and