The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-04

wards, and this was placed in the hands
of trusty officers who at once set to work.
| 1T was impossible for the banks TO re-
NIT funds east unless under guard OF
| United States troops, and single travel
er's life was in peril anywhere between the
| Ohio and New Orleans. A trusty mes
senger was sent north by the Bank OF
Mississippi with $4,000 in bills. He left
Jackson secretly at night. but never reach
! ed his destination. and disappeared as
completely as If the earth had swallowed
| him.
"Where the Wilderness Trace crossed
! the Cumberland river stood famous
| tavern known as Bransons. The house,
| built Of hewn logs, was a very large
! building, and was made up of additions,
! full of crooks and angles Branson was
| dead. and his widow married again, and
| it was reputed that the place was rem
| devious for the outlaws, that Murrell,
Band and McCabe frequently met there
| in conference, and that the new land
| lord, Murray, was their confederate. Most
| OF the men who were missing had last
| been seen alive near this place. so 1t was
| watched. but nothing save additional sus
| picions resulted
MY grandfather was especially active
| ana he selected a neighbor named Abse-
lom Dalton as his agent He was a small
| man, very powerful and utterly fearless
and mad shy, hesitating manner that
was deceptive Well mounted, armed and
supplied with funds by the state, he left
Jessamine in June and started south, his
destination being Bransons
Inside of four days he drew rein Mt
the tavern and hitched his horse in the
beautiful grove of oaks that stood near
the stables. When a hostler came, All
looked him over, and said: why, Dave
harris, are you here?
me man was not over 90 and, after a
NJ
You? % II
Dalton entered the barroom. This was
ieariy lhirty feet long, divided by a huge
IIePiace. lie was cordially received bv
lhe landlord Murray, whose manners
were those of the typical Bonface. DaI-
Ton sald ne was a dealer in mules going
10 mississippi to collect a debt. and wousd
stay several hours to meet friend. He
carefully scanned the crowd, bur recog
nlzed no one. Some were hunters in buck
SKIN carrying their rifles; others there.
| cleah-shaVen men, dressed in broadcIoth
with high collars, ample shirt frills and
wearing wool hats, were gamblers. and
one could see the butts of their Derringers
sticking out of their breast pockets. These
were attracted by a. horse race soon to
come off in the neighborhood. Suddenly
a door opened in the farther end behind
the bar, and man came out. He was
hlddIe-slzed, with a dark fleshess face,
keen black eyes and hair cut short. He
was dressed in tight frock, buttoned up
TO the throat He beckoned to one of the
gamblers and then disappeared Despite
Oalton's resolution, for an instant his
heart stood still. He had seen John A.
Murrel. The description he had by heart
lie knew, II suspected, his life was a for
felt, for, in all possibility, the gang were
now under Branson's roof So after din
ner he slipped out and went to the stables
and saw Harris. who with some trepida-
ton admitted that the day before he had
seen man with a split lip, but who had
gone away in dugout down the river
This was McCabe. for whose head $1,000
was offered by the authorities. Dalton
noticed that there was a constraint in the
company when he was present, and no one
seemed to care to talk with him. So he
determined to leave that night secretly,
and instructed Harris to hitch his horse
in some trees at the end of the stables. A
thirty-mie ride would bring him among
friends, and he could return with a posse
and search the house.
About o. clock he took up his saddle
bags and said he would go to bed. A
negro lit a candle and led the way. Dali
ton locked his door and at once examined
the window. 1t opened on the river and
looking out he found that he was only
ten feet from the ground. The room was
square, with a stone fireplace in the mid
die. With the handle of his knife he
sounded the walls. All rung solid, save
close to the fireplace. This he examined
and found one side was board, and this
no doubt could be removed and let any
one into the room. At once he made pre-
parations Although caught like rat
in trap, he would die biting. With his
saddlebags and pair of quilting frames
he found a dummy figure was made in
the bed. So examining his pistols he pat
out the light, pulling his riding coat over
a chair and crouched behind it, He ours
ed his folly in not riding off at once in
stead of waiting to learn more.
1T was a weary timely the rising of
the moon that shone in the room he knew
it was midnight. Suddenly he heard a
slight noise, then in an instant a man
stood by the bedside and raised a knife.
With rush Dalton was on him, fiatten-
ing him down on the bed; once, twice
thrice his heavy hunting knife was thrust
into the neck of his enemy, a conclusive
struggle and the body was limp and still
Trembling with excitement, he drew the
body into the bright moonlight. A mass
of hair came off in his clutch, and he saw
the fiat head and deep set eyes so often
described and the red scar dividing the lip
and showing the teeth-it was McCabe
and his $1,000 was made He took off the
bandits belt, with the pistols. and fast
ened it around himself, emptied the pock-
cts of a leather book and papers, and with
one powerful sweep severed the head and
securing it in his handkerchief he put
| himself out of the window. There was a
| foothold on the rough logs and he reached
| the ground safely. II was bright as day.
| but still. In another moment he was in
the saddle and galloping north.
by daybreak he was al Squire Hollicks
| and told his story In two hours a party
| of thirty wel-armed men We're on the road
| to Branson's. They got there by noon,
and at once surrounded the place, while
some entered the house and demanded a
| thorough search. Murray drew pistol and
was shot down. outside the rifles were
| cracking, and 1t was found that about
dozen men had reached the bank of the
| river by an underground passage. They
1 had entered several dugouts when dscov-
i cred, and were all shot down. Five were
taken inside. and one Of the negro SER
\ wants made a full confession. Blanchard,
the Mississippi bank messenger, had been
shot near the ferry, and his body was
| found in the woods. McCabe was the lead
er of the gang. Murrel left as soon as Nc
Cabe's body was discovered. All the in
mates were taken to Jail. and from their
| IIor 4