The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-27

NieNlillCi II ~ PiORdplG biiaN NV NNNiA
have risen to honorable distinction. He
was a man of fair education, and APP
piled himself so closely in his leisure
moments to the study of the best le-
| gal text books that he made himself a
sharp criminal lawyer This explains
his success in evadlng justice for so
! many years"
"Murren operated in this locality, did
he not?" I asked,
Yes" was the reply. He may not
have been here in person, hut an
| oyerseer on this very plantation used to
send negroes to lonely places on the
river where they We're seized by menu
| bers of gang and carried to Louisiana.
They were sold there and the proceeds
divided among the OTHERS
What was the name of the over
seer and what became of him?'
ooh, he skipped at the right time. /
have forgotten his name"
| There was a pause of q moment or
two. and then my companion resumed.
'Murrell,H said he "had several pro-
minent citizens in this region interested
in his schemes or completely under
his control that they had to obey his
divided among the robbers"
rs it possible?"
Eyes, sir. When the news came that
the bandit was captured a leading
| country physician, not twenty miles
from here Immediately disappeared,
leaving wife, children, property, and
everything
| WAS he one of Murrell's men,"
Il am certain of it, but nothing was
ever proved against him, and twenty
years afterward one of my neighbors
| saw him in California. The fellow had
| turned preacher and was very popu-
| lar"
"And his nance" I asked, pulling out
my notebook.
Cant think of 1t to save my life"
replied my entertainer. Il never could
| remember names"
/ tried to get hold of a few more facts
on the same line, but the old planter
| talked of other subjects. and though
| I stopped with him a week longer
| could not induce him to return to the
| Murrell matter again.
| A long time after this conversation /
| visited a small town near Atlanta,
where I examined the court records in
order to see if the owner of a certain
piece of land had a good title to 1t.
| found the title all right, and told the
owner that | would so report to a friend
who desired to purchase it.
The land owner was delighted and
accompanied me over the town. point
ing out objects of interest He had two
or three drinks in him and was dis
posed to be communicative.
"They say" he said, almost in a
! whisper, that the man who lives In
his young days"
"Ah Indeed"
Eyes, they say he used to run off
niggers and horses and once killed a
man and robbed him of 10000
Good story / remarked. What is
his name? Tell me all about It,"
IT don't know a thing" was the re-
Spouse, as the man looked at me in
quiringly "Some people say these
things, but there are some folks whc
would say anything. Old man Blank
in the cabin there is avery clever citizen
so far as I know. Don't you quote me
! have only told you what / have heard
from Tom, Dick, and Harry"
How long have you lived here?" was
my next question.
"About sixty years"
And you are how old?"
"Seventy-eight this month"
"As Murrell did a good deal of damage
around here you ought to be able tc
tell me something about it."
But / don't know anything" replied
the man in a pleading tone. my mem
DRY was never very good, and ! gel
dates and names so mixed up that an
afraid to talk"
l looked at him searching1y and salts
fed myself that he had told the truth
about one thing-he was afraid tc
| talk.
A few weeks ago ! met 2. we'll known
Atlanta merchant on the north side
and told him some of my difficulties Ii
getting definite facts about Murrel
and his gang in the localities where
they had some of their head men per-
1nanently stationed.
VERY natural said he. BY the way
did you ever hear of the Pony Club?"
l told him that had heard of II, but
did not know it's history.
well, belonged to it, he continued
with smile. 81 was forced into it by 6
lot of wild youngsters when | was six.
teen years old, but as l had disabled
arm at the time 1 managed to dodge
the active work of the club
What did the Pony Club do?'