The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-21
4 FAIR NIRCIyIly BANDIT.
Pretty Nell Prescott Was Terror 70
the WayfarinR Mountalneers.

W sAs A0NnEAr AAl aANA. lAH4 l'e.N ga AAAAH
recalls the rather romantic story or the
life and death Of NeH Prescott. oh Viz
ginia's first highWay woman Sell was
born and lived and died within sixty miles
Of this town. and. though her span Of eX-
/ istence only extended over some twenty
years. she made things lively in the noun
I tains while she did live. Yet her daring
| on the road had fitting climax in the
/ unique manner Of her capture and meian-
I choly death
Nell Prescott lived and died "befo' De
wah' She was the pretty daughter OF
[ old Job Prescott who lived a. the foot %
old Bald Top mountain. As "a schoolgirl
she was bright. intelligent and studious.
I and it is generally believed that 10 was
the extreme poverty of her parents that
drove her 20 the highway.
Early in the spring Of '53 cattle buyer
named Jennings reported 10 Sheriff Null
cahey that while crossing Bald Top. and
/ when near the county line he caught uu
/ with prepossessiug bOyieh-l0Oking fell
low on the trail, who said he had walked
from LinWoOd and was going 90 Deeriug.
little settlement nine miles this way
from the mountains. Jennings offered the
wayfarer seat behind him on the horse.
which offer was thankfully accepted. Thus
mounted the pair rode merrily on their
way. chatting pleasantly as they pro-
cceded Jennings thought his companion
was "A very entertaining fellow, and was
an unconscious of danger until, while
passing through narrOV defile, hc felt
the muzzle Of pistol pressed against his
head, and a voice exclaimed from behind
Give me your money or else TN shoot"
Jennings was dumbfounded by the sud
I den and unexpected turn Of affairs, but
as he heard the pistol click. knew there
was nothing else to do but TO comply
J with the command, and he at once drew
out a roll Of bills, amounting to $500 which
7 tts.te lftIp eDEffbaH from his and
/ by his boyish companion. who leaped
lightly from the horse to the ground, and
then cOolly said.
Stranger. you're broke now, and rs I
1 took the pistol from your belt TO do the
| Job. I'll give you $50 so as to get another"
Then the robber disappeared. and Jen-
nings went disconsolately on his way TO
Huntley. where he found the sheriff.
Mulcahey at once despatched posse of
! officers in pursuit Of the highwayman,
and, although they secured the mountains
for three days, could obtain no trace of
/ him Three weeks afterwards a peddler
was held up and robbed of S63 near the
same spot where Jennings had been de
spoiled of his money on the Linwood
trial This deed was done by small,
bewhiskered desperate. From thence
highway rObberies We're frequently on the
mountains
The inhabitants Of the sparsely settled
country believed they We're at the mercy
of organized band of highwaymen. for
IN no two cases did the descriptions of the
rObber tally. The fact. though, that the
crimes were always committed by one per
son. ana in "a certain locality. at last led
the authorities TO doubt the existence of
"A band Of robbers and to believe that all
the Jobs were the work of but one in
dlvidual. At once they set about effect
ing his capture. Many attempts We're
made in that direction, but all to no effect.
a.. AssfYs1
TO have deputy sherims constantly patroll-
ing the mountains, and $500 reward was
offered for the capture and conviction of
any highway robber This offer set many
private citizens on still hunts. and "a last
Gabe Unison and Al Wheaton devoted an
their time to the pursuit of the unknown
highwayman. one morning. accompanied
by Gabe's bloodhound, Jennie, they were
on their way up Rattlesnake Mountain,
when they met a Hebrew pack-pcddler
who an hour before had been held up by "a
bearded highwayman on the Bentley road
and robbed Of $50
The peddler accompanied Gabe and hi9
companion back TO the place where the
robbery occurred, and the dog was plac-
ed on the hiehwayman's trial. The hound
was held i'm leash SO as to keep her con
/ stantly within the range Of her owners
rifle Thus the trio of men, led by the dog.
followed the trail around the mountain
side. through the woods ana across
chasms and brooks. Jennie baying loudly
the while. After tWo-hours' journey.
and when nearing Huntley, Jennie began
Juggling furOusly at her leash, and Gabe
knew she was hot on the trail, and at last
ne caught a glimpse of a human form
fitting through the trees ahead. Instant
~ Gabe Unison raised his rifle ana fired
but, apparently, without effect, for the
chase was continued. but soon ended at "a
fallen hollow tree. into which the high
Z a..
and AL knew they had freed their coon,
| and that his capture was inevitable. 50 the
| hound was not allowed to enter the aper-
mre. Gabe kicked the log repeatedly
! then shouted: Come out O. thar an
| s'render ter tn law er I'll smother yer
| with smoke fer We'uns has yer sho'"
There was no response 10 this stern
| command. Not u sound tould be heard
! from within the log. Evidently the rob
! Der was disinclined to surrender, SO Gabe
| and AL held consultation of war in
| whispers. which ended in the latter going
| to summon assistance while Unison re
manned TO guard the self-imprisoned cap
/ tive.
! 1t was shortly after O'Clock when AL
| returned, accompanied by three wood
men and Deputy Sheriff Strong. Strong
! opposed trying to smoke out the robber
/ by fire at the base of the fallen tree
and directed another method of getting
| the log open. So with axes and wedges
the log was split disclosing within a
motionless human form. The aperture
was materially widened. while the Dep
uty sheriff and Gabe stood on the alert
/ with drawn revolVers, and at last the
! officer reached down and grasped the
form by the shoulder, saying at the time
! Il arrest you in the name of the com
monweaIth Of Virginia for highway rob
| berry"
There was no response. With a vigor-
Gus jerk he turned the form over, and
/ then jumped back aghast. The bearded
/ face that confronted his was that of the
/ dead Gabe's bullet had done it's work.
/ The robber had been shot through the
| back. In raising the body from the log
! the whiskers worn were discovered to
be false. and. when the officer removed
them Gabe Unison exclaimed: Holy
smoke. it's Nell Prescott, Boys, I'm fab
/ bcrgasted."
some of his companions also recog-
MED the pretty face. and. despite the
fact that the form was clad in male at
tire, declared it TO be that of old Job
/ Prescott's daughter Il was mercifulIy de