Morris tribune., 1895-03-13
CHAPTER xv11.-cosr1suan
lcopYRIGHr, 1894 I

Bat 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 IL their rooms and
put guards in the halls. It 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 sheritf's remark, under any
other circumstances, would have had
a flavor of humor. 1--WE have struck
bonanza" he said; ''the woods are full
of them" He then sent to Covington
Cor 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 Gown to the southwest and sud-
denly disappeared. He undoubtedly
reached the Bayou house and COM
municated with Hendricks, who inn
rnediately suspected the truth, and,
making up a party of twenty-five
mounted men, headed them himself
and started off in the night for re-
connaissance. 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-
icaliy 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-
writing it, he determined to make
Snort work Of him. It was not diff
cult job with his facilities. He got to
tie Laran house in the night, disposed
his men in the woods SO as to intercept
achievements and then picked off
.l.e, "heriff's men as they appeared on
tie grounds or balcony. At the first
-I. - =
killed on the steps. Clip Davis knew
ii.stinctively what this meant. He
barred his doors and stationed himself
az window and succeeding i'll killing
ono 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 captivcs were
liberated and rush made upon Clip |
Davis who, received them with all the i
fire he had and was killed at the
window.
Hendricks kept this work up with |
yigor, intending, if possible, to prevent |
the escape of a single soul who would I
report the discovery of the gold upon
the men. Before two hours were over,
he was master of the situation and
thea waited quietly in the house for
the reinforcing party.
The result was cruel and success
full one. The posse of orly six men
rode up to the gate unsusp. ciously and
had no sooner got upon the inclosure
of the lawn, than they were received
with q 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 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 leighty nlen) aud the
Crockett Fuseliers of Paducah (sixty
Aour men) under his orders with in
rsrusticns TO proceed at once Is Upton