Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-06-30
WILL BE TRIED MONDAY,
The outlaws Who Shot Sheriff sha" Vi
Preston County Who they are ana 'he
Nature of their Grimes.

| Nature of their Crimes.
Special to the Register.
Kingwood, w. Va, June 29.-On next
Monday will begin the trial of the four
Pennsylvanians who have been confined
in the county Jail at this place since
their capture April is.
The capture Of these men came near
costing the life of the sheriff of this
county. but it rids the States of West
Virginia and Pennsylvania of danger
Gus band
The names of the prisoners are Bud
Smiley, Bill Smiley, Archy Patterson
and Hank" Harvey, each charged with
the shooting Of Sheriff Leroy Shaw.
The way these desperados came TO be
prisoners of West Virginia, upon the
charge of shooting an officer, MAKES an
interesting story.
On the night Of April 10, the four
went to Brownsville and stole four very
fine horses. and started for the West
| Virginia border. When the horses were
missed. the Brownsville people at once
fixed the crime on the Turner band. A
| large posse of citizens started TO get tina
| trail of the horse thief, if possible. Sure
enough. signs indicated that the boys
had started for the West Virginia line,
horseback. The posse followed for a
day. and all turned back but two men,
who continued to pursue the fugitiyes.
Word was telegraphed the authorities
of this county to look out for the THIEF.
They
ENTERED THE COUNTY
on the 18th, and remained hidden, thus
giving their pursUers the slip. While
the two Brownsville officers were fol-
lowing a cold trail, the four outlaws
started back and came on towards TINS
town. They were we'll mounted and lit
tie thought they were riding into a trap.
Word had proceeded them here, and the
sheriff with three deputies started on
foot TO meet them. They came up face
TO face with the outlaws near King
wood. At the word halt from the
sheriff. Bud" Smiley, who was riding
in front. opened fire on the sheriff. His
bullet took effect in the right breast OF
Sheriff Shaw, and he fell to the ground.
Shots were fred thick and fast, al
though il was so dark that the aim or
both officers and outlaws was bad. one
of the finest horses was killed in the
fight, Bud Smiley received a bad
flesh wound, the sheriff was badly
wounded. and one of the deputies was
hurt. The desperadOs were not allowed
10 get away, and the plucky oihcers
succeeded in Handwriting them. They
were brought to the Jail here, followed
through town by an angry mob, who
wanted to lynch the whole gang. II
was thought that Sheriff Shaw was
mortally wounded, and really his life
was despaired of for nearly week. He
finally recovered, and will be the prose-
cutting witness. The boys were armed
to the teeth. Each carried two large
revolvers. and a smaller one. There
were bowie-knives taken from them,
steel knuckles, slung-sh0ts, and in fact
almost every conceivable kind OF
weapon. They had a full kit Of burg
lar tools, skeleton keys, and even dyna-
mite and powder.
EACH ONE OF THE BOYS
possessed two fine watches, one gold
and one silver. They wore several fine
rings and had other plunder They tooa
their arrest coolly, and the youngest,
who is Bud" Smiley. said if the rest
of the boys had shot when he did, they
would have soon gone through the
ranks of the officers. At the prelimin-
airy hearing after their capture, the boys
were insOlent and insulting. II was with
difficulty that the people were restrain
ed from hanging them. Bud Smiley
is like a young lion in Jail, and has
made several attempts to knock down
one of the guards. Patterson is mar
row-headed. slim fellow and has very
bad countenance. He is quite inclined
to be literary, and has written several
poems since his confinement. Harvey
is a glutton. and rather inclined to be
stupid, although he is bold and daring.
The oldest Smiley boy is the most in
telligent of the gang, and has the least
to say. He takes his imprisonment
more to heart than do the other boys.
The most interesting find the officers
made when searching the prisoners was
the set Of bylaws which the gang had
prepared and signed. They style the or
ganiZation the Wv S. o., which they
say means the wandering star Order"
They are pledged to stand by each
other faithfully in all times Of danger.
They are bound by a terrible oath to
keep all doings of the gang inviolate.
The leader is authorized to plan raids
and issue all orders to the other mem
mers.
IN TINES OF DANGER,
the chief Cwho is designated in the
bylaws as "W. To is to lead the way,
give orders to fire, and is to have charge
of the "valuables and monies" not d.
vided. The bylaws were carried by
Patterson. who is called the Grand
Scribe" He hated to give the paper up
to the officers. The bylaws will be
damaging evidence against the band
should they ever be tried in Pennsyl-
vania for rObbing and DEMONSTRATING.
The boys will all be tried as principals
in shooting the sheriff with intent to
kill. The very least sentence will be
about ten years each. in the States
prison. Turner has threatened to bring
a crowd here and release his pals before
the trial. 1t is true that he has been
seen in the lower end Of this county
within the lats month. The prison is
strongly guarded and any such attempt
10 liberate them viii be fruiuess.
UP GO PRICES or BRICK.