Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-09-18

"A luil dllU accurate SOOIy VI Lie
crimes in which '.Bandy'' Johnson and
Claude Deyinney have been implicated
would read like pages taken from some
OF the cheap sensational paper-backed
novels. The lurid literature OF the
wild west, presents few more desperate
characters than these two profession
al criminals, for whom the term "des-
perac1sf' is not a misnomer. Robbery,
numerous assaults, and murder, oo not
complete their list OF onenses. They
have been guilty OF crimes SO foul as
TO be unmenlionable in pubic prints,
AND it is said that they have boosted OF
these offenses.
TIE full story of their crimes Will
never be told, unless it comes from
their own lips, for While popular opln-
Ion connects them and their associates
with the series OF offenses which have
been committed in the Sixth ward dur
ing long period, they have been SO
crafty as to cover up their tracks, and
1T has been impossible to secure the
evidence necessary to convict them.
They are members OF gang OF noto-
eious toughs who have made the vicln-
headquarters, and have resisted all eff
,orts of the city police to break them
up and force them to enter the paths OF
rectitude. The sending of members OF
the gang to the penltentiary was ex-
pected to have a wholesome effect, but
1t did not. They are enemies to Off
GERS of the law, and have at times openly
deded the police. officers on duty in
that section of the city have made 1t
q practice for years to have their hands
on their guns, ready for action, when
patrolling their beats at night.
'sBandy" Johnson has long been rec
ognized as the brains of the gang. He
lis crafty and cunning, and notwith-
standing his numerous offenses, has al
ways succeeded in escaping severe pun
tshment 1t has been remarked fire.
quently since his arrest, that he has
Deen the luckiest criminal in the coun-
ty of Chic. He has been vicious from
tboyhood. When youngster in his
teens he had frequent fights and many
persons of his own age now tell Of per-
Sonal encounters with him at that time.
While Jack and Claude Devinney
Duffy, Luther Hess and Andy Gavin,
have all served terms at Moundsville,
Johnson has invariably escaped. 1t is
THE general belief that he planned many
of the crimes committed by the gang,
but was always shrewd enough to look
out for his personal safety.
He is vindictive in the greatest de-
gree Officers who have arrested him
he has been in police and justice courts
a score of times-have been singled out
for revenge. Forgiveness is foreign to
his nature Two vicious assaults upon
policemen are recalled. One victim was
Dan OBrien, who was attacked in an
alley near Twenty-siXth street, with a
"biily" O'Brien succeeded in defend
ing himself, and arresting his assall-
ant. Officer Thos. Killeen was not so
fortunate He was assaulted and beaten
in a shocking manner, johnson using a
blunt weapon. Killeen was not able to
60 on duty for several weeks.
Another man who was numerically
beaten. was POT" Glue. Glue had in
cured the enmity Of Johnson and De-
vinney. They waited for him one night
and assaulted him on Chapline street
above Twenty-sixth. He was knocked
and beaten into insensibility. When
he was no longer conscious his pros
trate form was pulled toward the
street, his leg extending over the curb.
The limb was jumped upon and frac-
tured. Clues injuries were of such a
character that it was feared for time
he would not recover. He was confined
to his bed for months, and is now in
such a condition that he will probably
never be able to work.
Johnson disappeared after this, and
when he returned, Glue for some reason
declined, to prosecute. AS a matter of
fact Johnson's crimes have made it
convenient for him to be in another
State more than half the time DUR
ing the last six or eight years.
Glue had no witnesses. the only per-
sons who saw the affray being friends
c. johnson and Devinney who would