The evening times., 1895-08-06
RoBBERs. sraArEGY.
A Thrillfnx Story of Early settlers
ON Pearl River.
(Rv Maurfca Tbousnunu Capvrf~h< 1QoR

tson of Importance not far from Pearijng-
ton, ON Pearl River, in Mississippi, was
told that years ago band Of robbers,
controlled by desperate man, one of John
A. Murreirs succe ssors. named Copeland.
infested the country round about, commit
| ting all sorts Of terrible crimes. and openly
defying the officers of the law. This put
| me on the track for new material for my
sketches of early life in the Pearl river
country. and dIiigent inquiry rewdrsied ME
| with some very romantic and thrilling in
cfdents illustrative of what the advance
| guard OF American pioneers experienced
1 in region of a country which Is still al
| most primitive after all our years Of
progress.
When our great civil war ended there
was no railroad in southern Mississippi
and the condition which prevailed fifty
years earlier over a large part OF the Pearl
! River country still existed, with the added
confusion and distress brought about by
four years of lawles Sness and the natural
decentralization Consequent to war Peace
was decia red but there was no peace In the
region between Honey Island and the
Alabama line Copeland and his gang for
a long tinie terronzed the whole popula-
| tion, black and white, Creole and Aneri-
let IT be known that he bad money AT
this time two boys, half brothers, by the
| name or Fayre, the elder called Pierre, the
| younger Alphonse, were in a boat in a ba-
you or creek fishing for green trout" as
the natives designated ba ss, when they saw
flames issuing from the roof of their home,
which was about mile away, across a
marsh. The house wa an humble one built
of pine boards, but it contained few
! things of value, and underneath its floor
at certain place was buried an earthen
pot containing several hundred dollars in
silver money. which the family had been
boarding for years.
As soon as the boys saw the firs, tbev
rowed for dear life, until they reached a
landing place, whence, without delay, they
ran to the house, only to find it already
burnt TO Goals and ashes. What had
caused the courlagratioD? This was a mys-
terry TO them, for not a spark of fire had
been left Oh the hearth. They stood there
gaping stupidity and gazing in silent dis
tress. What made the matter most dis
heartenipg to them was the guilty recollec-
tiOn that their father and mother, ON ieay-
ing home that morning with a wagon load
OF potatoes for a distant town, to he gone
two days or more, had particularly charged
them not to get away from the house at
any time during the parental bscsnce, and
they had disobeyed, with this disastrous
Y
gone to ashes: not so much as a shelter
or bite to eat left.
Pierre aud AlphoDse Favre were thir-
teen and seventeen years old, respective
ly swarthy creoles OF mixed blood brave
as boys could be; but their hearts sank
at sight OF this destruction, as well they
might. The nearest Dei9hbor lived twelve
miles away, SO there was 10 one to ad-
wise with or turn to for help. Nor did
they dare leave the spot, .,-meiuberiug
that the little treasure OF silver lay bur-
led under these hot Goals. All that they
could do for a long time was 20 sauDter
or stand around. with their hanis<ln their
pockets. gazing dolefully at The slowly
dying fire. 1t would be twcnty-four
hours to wait yet before their Parents
could return: meantime. what wcte they
to eaty This question could Lave been
very easily answered, but for a single fact
Although their guns were safe enough.
back yOnder in the boat. ,rhcre, In their
haste to reach the burning house, they
had left them, not a charge of po wdcr re-
niaiued in their powder horns. The last
shot had been fired at a ducx. which
Pierre had seen while fishing. : small
amount OF ammunition had ie-n eft ~ the
house, but, OF course, II was Iow gone.
Pierre was first TO speak.
We'll said he, wen have to wait
and watch here till the fire goes out. and
body's house"
Aiphonse assented to this; it seemed the
only thing 20 do: So while ore of them re-
manned on guard the other went to bring
the guns and fishing tack.e from the boat.
They lad not very long to wait for the
fire to burn out. the pine boards were dry
and rich with turpentine. A little after
noon they began sweeping away tae ashes
from a certain spot with brush of piue
boughs, ard soon were ready to dig up their
fathers buried money.
Now all this time four men were hidden
at the woods edge hard by watching them
narrowly and with no little impaticnce.
These were the robbers who had set fire
to the house. cunningiy calculating that
the first thing that the boys would DO
when the fire went out would be to dig up
the money. 1t was, indeed, a fine piece
of viliianous strategy, for the outlaws
knew that the Fayres had buried the
money; how they found il out / Ccu,d Eot
learn. and they knew as well that To
threats or tortures. Eor anything short of
willy strategy would ever force a disclosure
OF the treasures hiding pace from any
one of the family.
Doubtless the four heartless wretchcs
chuck'ed grinily enough. when. after long
waiting, they saw the boys sweep away
the ashes, and begin to dig with an old |
axe from which the handle had been burned. !
Their pan lad worked to perfection; all |
they had to do was to lie there in the |
shady edge of the wood, smoke their pipes |
and wait till the money was found, then go |
and take it.
All unsuspecting, the boys delved away, |
taking tuIns at the ak, 1t seems that they |
made a slight miscalculation as to the exact |
spot, and sol had agood deal of exit a digging |
to do but in less than an hou they reached |
the pot and drew it forth from its grave
At this time Pierre was digging, and it
CHANGED that Alphouse on the very instant
the treasure was uncovered. saw one of
the robbers thrust his head above a clump
of underground some forty yards away.
"a man, he cried in his brothers ear.
''Ha sees US"
Pierre looked, when Alphonse pointed. and |
saw -four heads instead of one, four dark |
and excited faces. -four pairs of greedy eyes, |
gazing over the bushes. A moment was |
time enough 70 disclose the whole situation |
TO PieIre's quick creole mind, ard his first |
clear thought was that he must meet this
emergency with prompt action. 1t was 10
part of his nature to consider fight lost |
before it was ended, much less before it |
was begun.
Alphonse was scared and trembling from |
head to foot, his eyes as found as dollar,
his hail fairly lifting his hat.
A moment later, the four men broke |
through the bushesand came running toward
the boys. 1t was time to act, and Pierre
acted.
He seized the little pot Of silver and !
spIans to his feet.
Come on, Alphonse! Rnnl Follow
mel"
And away he went as hard as he could
run. Alphonse was at his heels: their
feet twinsled under them. and what was
coming behind them give their 1.-THE limbs
double energy. Naturally enough, the rob
bers stopped to look about for a minute
lt the place where the pot Tad been dug 4